Image from Creative Commons by Eileen Chen Having a life while being in medical school sounds a bit like a paradox, but first year medical student Joshua Yoon is here to prove that it can be done. While studying as a full-time student, Joshua also serves as the chair of the Kerrisdale Community Centre (KCC) Youth Committee. He began volunteering for KCC as a youth leader since he was in high school and says that the community is “dear to his heart.” The original Youth Leaders in Action program that he participated in emphasized leadership, professionalism, and interpersonal skills, and involved collaborative event planning for various holidays and special occasions. Today, the Youth Committee still runs several community events in spite of COVID-19, such as an intergenerational tech workshop that pairs high school volunteers with seniors in the community. Joshua was initially surprised by the level of interest shown by both seniors and high school students to return to these events after the pandemic put it on hold. They followed strict COVID-19 protocols for masking and distancing, and have had several successful sessions this summer. “There are more avenues for intergenerational dialogue now, whether digital or remote or not,” said Joshua. The seniors in the program have always been more than willing to divulge experiences beyond laptop and smartphone trouble-shooting, and the pandemic has only highlighted the importance of social interaction in a time of physical distancing. Joshua notes that intergenerational dialogue isn’t emphasized by most school curriculums, which makes these community activities especially valuable to the youth. Even as a medical student, interpersonal skills are indispensable. During practicum at the Vancouver General Hospital, Joshua has to...

by Keiko Honda “We’re going to the Opera Zone!” said Helen, an elegant senior with silvery purple long hair and silver bangles on each wrist, sitting by her husband in the Handydart that I shared one rainy Sunday afternoon. “I think a lot of people have been waiting for this day,” said Helen. I instantly replied to her, “Truly!” After closing for 21 months due to the pandemic, the music concert was finally returning to its home, the Kerrisdale Community Centre (KCC). Although I, too, was full of anticipation, as an “ex-organizer”, I was afraid that we wouldn’t have any audience today. We were still in the midst of the pandemic and the weather was gloomy — Vancouver’s typical November of rain and gusty winds. What’s worse, we started advertising the event only two weeks in advance, mostly by word of mouth. Alas, I imagined the empty seats. During pre-COVID times, we had at least 80 guests in the audience each time, and sometimes even had a full house of 100 guests. The Opera Zone was conceived in late 2015 from a casual conversation between myself and Gerard Satamian, an Armenian composer and piano teacher who taught my daughter at the time. Gerard secretly fostered a burning passion to sing opera songs for the public, while I, as a community engagement committee chair of the KCC Society, was looking for new ways to develop an open space for inclusive cultural exchange within the community, one that took place at the centre and was free of charge. The seed idea became reality thanks to support from the board and staff members, as well as many like-minded musicians who came forward to share their gifts like Gerard. Ever since January of 2016, The Opera Zone had...