Local seniors college off to successful start

Seniors in the community are gaining new skills and enjoying new experiences through a variety of innovative courses offered in the area to the 55-and-over crowd.
The courses are part of a new seniors' college that got off the ground in the Tantramar region earlier this fall, an initiative that aims to offer a line-up of stimulating and affordable programming to the local senior population.
"We have 10 courses on the go and all of them are going really well," said John Read, president of the Tantramar seniors' college. "So we're very pleased."
The college's fall session got under way in mid-October in Sackville and Amherst, offering such diverse courses such as music appreciation, introduction to computers, Pakistani cooking, furniture refinishing, drawing, improving your bridge game, an introduction to India, and a dance class that teaches students the jive, the fox trot and the cha-cha.
"It's a learning thing but it's also fun and it's about getting people together," said Read. "For some seniors, it's great for them to have an opportunity to get out and socialize, while also learning a little bit."
The premise of the college, which is modeled on the successful P.E.I. seniors college, is based on peer learning - where seniors share skills, knowledge and experience with each other through eight-week courses.
The classes are taught by local seniors who have expertise in a wide range of areas. Local residents who wish to take part in the classes can pay an annual membership of $100 and can register for any of the courses in which they are interested.
Read said that the college has already signed up 100 participants and will soon be having its winter course registration
"We'll be offering a variety of courses after Christmas so we're really hoping that takes off."
The winter term, which will get under way in mid-January, will also feature a diverse selection of courses, including: introduction to computers, drawing, memoir writing, art, digital photography, vegetarian cooking, digging into local history, music appreciation and bridge for beginners. And that's just in Sackville.
Amherst courses will include quilting, ukulele, curling, re-upholstering, drawing and legal issues.
Moncton courses will also be offered for the first time in January, starting with watercolour for beginners, creative writing, and French conversation.
Registration details with the final list of courses with times and dates will be released in the new year.
For further information, contact John Read at jfread@eastlink.ca.
Read said the college's main goal is to provide fun learning opportunities to seniors in the community - with no homework, no exams and no final grades.
"If they're simply going out and enjoying themselves, then we've succeeded," he said.