More Secret Santa for Seniors and what you can do in your own family

Here's some more information on the Secret Santa for Seniors initiative:

https://globalnews.ca/video/3884426/new-program-aims-to-give-lonely-seniors-a-merry-christmas

It's seriously so precious and it sounds like every London Drugs in BC has name cards with simple gift requests on them. If it's something you're interested in at all, it can definitely make a huge difference for a local senior.

The reporter said that a lot of seniors feel "forgotten" at this time of year, with families living so far away. If you have elderly family members who won't be around over the holidays, taking the time to write them a card, printing out some recent photos of your adventures, and making sure they feel valued can make a huge difference. It's easy to get caught up in our own lives but taking a little bit of time to brighten someone's day is always worth it.

Secret Santa for Seniors

Did you know there's an initiative in Victoria to give lonely elderly folks a little something over the holidays? A lot of different traditions have celebrations coming up, be they big or small, and most of them involve spending time with loved ones. This project, Secret Santa for Seniors, invites Victoria locals to give small gifts to some of the elderly members of our community who will be spending the holiday season alone. Memories of unity and gatherings can exacerbate feelings of loneliness, especially at this time of year. I know most students don't have a lot of financial freedom but if you have some wiggle-room, I encourage you to pass on some warmth and love in these cold December days.

Here's a link to the article where I found out about this project: 

https://www.goldstreamgazette.com/home/secret-santas-for-seniors-wanted-in-victoria/

At the bottom of the article there is a list the places where you can find the holiday wishes of some elderly locals. 

Does screen-life detract from real life?

Social Media allows participants to both create and consume content. When I backpacked through Southeast Asia in 2017, I noticed that a lot of fellow travellers were fixated on taking perfect images of their trip, most of which were not representative of their actual experiences. It always made me wonder about the true reason people were travelling: life experience and exploration, or Instagram likes. I have since made an Instagram account and can now see the appeal of people “liking” my photos, but shouldn’t we all focus on living our experiences in the moment instead of sharing them on screens?

What is it like being a student in 2018?

Here's a short video on what it's like to be a Camosun student in 2018:

The students are holding up signs that represent either their own experiences or statistics provided by instructor Andy Bryce.

Made by Robert Sparling, Chrissy Szirmay, and myself for CMNS150.

Where we are on climate change according to the BBC

Here's a link to an interesting BBC article on climate change:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46384067

The infographics are really interesting and it's good to know how we are doing as a species. The first one shows that the warmest years since 1880 have all been in the 2000's.

A lot has been published on this lately so I think it's worth it to get educated and see what we can do. I think the wellbeing of the planet we live on is always a relevant issue.

The Economist is mainstreaming Environmental Veganism

Here's an interesting video The Economist put together on food choices and carbon emissions/environmental impact:

It'll be interesting to see what role media plays in people's understandings of food choices.

Cuddles goes on an adventure: A Photo Essay

My partner and I set up scenes for my childhood teddy-dog on a recent camping adventure. Cuddles has done a good amount of travelling but doesn't usually come camping. There's a link to the album below. Enjoy!

Cuddles goes Camping Photo Album

Turkle’s talk left me missing my flip phone

In the summer of 2013, I lived in a cabin with no cell reception and no internet. This allowed me, for the first time in my adult life, to escape the constant bombardment of digital media. I learned to be alone and connected more strongly with myself. Five years later and I have reentered the digital world. Sherry Turkle’s Ted Talk, Connected, but alone, reminded me of the power of disconnecting. It made me pine for the days of the flip phone, where cell phones were used as tools and not as notification-buzzing interruption machines.