We all get to feel young: Episode 5 of Intergenerational Engagement series

Mona Loffelmann, founder and executive director created African Family Revival Organization (AFRO) in 2015 because of a disconnect she witnessed between youth and seniors and the larger community. According to Mona, seniors don’t have access to the things most of us do, for example, health and allied health services, due in part to a language barrier or a fear of going out into the community. Some may have dementia and others are just isolated. Mona felt compelled to make a change. During our conversation, Mona speaks about the many programs offered by AFRO to both seniors and young people in the Waterloo Region and surround areas such as Guelph. AFRO received funding from Red Cross which allowed them to create a program whereby youth would support seniors by dropping off supplies, which turned into a buddy program. The organization received further funding from the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) and the Government of Canada to create an in-person program that brings together seniors and youth. This episode also includes a conversation with Ms. D (or Diney), a 75 year old “Senior Ambassador” at AFRO. Ms. D has become a spokesperson helping to connect AFRO with other seniors in the community, and Elise who is a student involved in AFRO. They both talk about how their relationship is mutually beneficial.   Resources: Afrofamily.ca Phone (548)-889-3506 (519)-223-AFRO (2376) Address 737 Belmont Ave. W, Suite 4 Kitchener, Ontario, N2M 1P3   About the guest: Mona Loffelmann, Founder and Executive Director, African Family Revival Organization (AFRO) Over the past decade, Mona has been working to ensure that all members of our community feel valued, included, and heard. In this role, she is be responsible for developing and implementing outreach programs that engage black and other marginalized groups, building relationships with key stakeholders, and working to create a more inclusive and equitable community. Mona possesses adequate communication, organizational, and resilience skills. She is enthusiastic about her work and continues to collaborate with other organizations to provide community-oriented services. More importantly, Mona is constantly looking to collaborate with other organizations to track and measure the success of outreach efforts, making recommendations for improvement as needed. Mona has a strong understanding of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion and she strives to educate others through presentations and training programs. In fact, Mona has completed a number of training programs including; “Train the Trainers Resilience Training” in partnership with Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo Region. She has also completed “Intercultural Leadership Training” with Muslim Social Services of Waterloo Region. Mona is the Project Coordinator and Cultural Navigator for AFRO's Support Through Generations program, as well as the Executive Director of AFRO. Mona, along with the other AFRO board members, contributes to major decisions and changes that benefit the organization and community as a whole.