New Horizons for Seniors Program
MPL is proud to announce its newest initiative, Preserving Voices, Empowering Communities, made possible through the support of the 2025 New Horizons for Seniors Program.
This multilingual oral history project will document and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Milton’s senior population by recording their life stories in their native languages. The initiative promotes cross-generational learning and connection, while empowering seniors to take on meaningful leadership roles within the community.
Project Highlights
- Multilingual Oral Histories:
Oral histories will be collected in various languages, capturing the lived experiences of Milton’s seniors and making them accessible to the public through MPL’s website and social media channels. - Digital Archive with English Captions:
A digital archive featuring these oral histories will be produced, enabling broader access and intergenerational engagement. - Interview Training Workshops:
Participants including seniors, students, and volunteers will be trained in storytelling and interviewing techniques to preserve and present these valuable narratives. - Digital Literacy Training:
Provide training sessions on using recording equipment, transcription software, and digital tools for editing and preserving oral histories. - Financial Fraud Prevention Education:
Culturally relevant workshops will be offered in multiple languages to help seniors recognize and prevent financial scams and abuse.
Empowering Seniors as Cultural Ambassadors
This initiative positions seniors not just as participants, but as mentors, educators, and community leaders. Through storytelling sessions, mentoring opportunities, and cultural workshops, seniors will pass on traditions, strengthen connections, and build understanding across generations.
Programs
Milton Public Library (MPL) has proudly delivered a series of innovative and inclusive programs funded by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP). These initiatives celebrate the contributions of seniors in our community, promoting social participation, volunteerism, intergenerational connections, and lifelong learning.
Explore our past NHSP projects below:
2024 – Engaging Senior Artists
In this year-long program, seniors in Milton explored visual art through hands-on workshops, artist talks, and mentorship. The initiative culminated in a public Seniors Visual Arts Exhibition at Sherwood Branch, showcasing artwork created by the participants. Led by local artists, the project empowered seniors to share their stories through art, build new skills, and form meaningful creative connections.
2023 – Seniors Translating for Newcomers
MPL partnered with the Halton Multicultural Council to engage multilingual seniors in translating key library resources for newcomers. Volunteers translated brochures, tech guides, and web content into Urdu, Arabic, Hindi, Spanish, French, and Ukrainian, improving accessibility and supporting community integration. A multilingual welcome wall now greets visitors at the Main Library, reflecting Milton’s diversity and inclusiveness.
2022 – The Hand-Me-Down Project
This intergenerational initiative connected youth and seniors through hands-on workshops and storytelling. Seniors shared skills in crafting, cooking, tinkering, and traditional trades, co-developing a unique series of community-based programs. The project fostered sustainability, cultural exchange, and a deeper appreciation for knowledge passed down across generations.
2019 – Connecting the Confined: Virtual Reality for Seniors
This groundbreaking project used Virtual Reality (VR) to reduce social isolation among seniors in long-term care and retirement homes. Seniors co-created local VR experiences such as walks down Main Street and rides on antique streetcars, filmed by volunteers of all ages. The program reached over 250 seniors through guided group VR sessions, sparking conversation, reminiscence, and connection.
2017 – Building Tech Confidence in Retirement Homes
In MPL’s first NHSP-funded initiative, volunteers delivered technology training sessions in retirement homes using newly purchased tablets and Chromebooks. Over the course of 14 sessions, participants learned how to email, browse safely online, and connect with loved ones digitally building confidence, friendships, and critical tech skills to stay safe from cyber fraud.
