Fountains of Uke is a four-week program that bridges the generational divide between children and older adults.
Fountains of Uke provides long-term care and retirement home residents with the opportunity to contribute to elementary students’ educational experiences. The 45-minute weekly sessions are facilitated by trained university students or by members of the IMHope program team. Musical and non-musical activities are purposely structured to create a meaningful community experience for residents and students alike.
The Fountains of Uke program has become a staple in Hamilton, Ontario, where 770 elementary students and 550 older adults living in long-term care and retirement communities have participated in the month-long program. Partnerships between community care homes and elementary schools in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) are constructed such that they are within walking distance of each other. This allows for easy continuation of intergenerational connections, following the completion of the one-month program.
Fountains of Uke serves as a placement for McMaster students in the third year health sciences course Music, Health and the Community. In this course, students learn about music as a health and wellness tool, program facilitation, and implement their learnings within a Hamilton community as they facilitate the Fountains of Uke program.
Fountains of Uke is going online during the COVID-19 pandemic! Contact us for more information.
“It has brought along so many more wonderful feelings than just happiness! Oh, it has really been a blessing. Really has. Singing, dancing, just spending time with such great kids… performing for them and seeing how talented they are when they perform… The only sadness I have is it ending”
Grace S. -Community Care Resident