Sisters plan grandparents ball using new DiverseAbility microgrant funding

ResourceAbilities is looking for great ideas from youth and young adults as part of a new grant program they are delivering called the DiverseAbility Project, and one of the first ideas to be funded should be a ball — literally. 

The microgrants of up to $1,500, using money from the province's Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population, can be used for any kind of project that addresses social isolation, social exclusion and loneliness.

People with pitches do need to keep equity, diversity, inclusion and disability in mind, said Devon Broome, the group's executive director. 

"We want to celebrate diversity and at the same time encourage [including] disability as part of the conversation. Sometimes the disability component is forgotten, so we want to encourage that to be part of it," Broome said. 

This fall, Rylee Lynch, 22, will break out her old prom dress and give it a second spin on the dance floor. That's because she and her sister Carlee Lynch were awarded a microgrant to hold a grandparents ball.

"It can be a grandparent or an honorary grandparent — just a senior in your life that you look up to. We're going to have a red carpet, hopefully some pictures," said Rylee Lynch. 

The pair are Broome's daughters. Rylee Lynch has worked as a educational assistant and a child and youth worker, while her older sister has worked with seniors.

They saw the grandparents ball as a way of bringing two generations and their two areas of expertise together, while helping address social isolation.

"Back when I was working with the seniors, you did kind of hear of that," said Carlee Lynch. "Where I was working, there was actually a program — a day program — that kind of helped with that."

"My grandparents have always been a huge part of my life, and working with youth, I've seen the different impacts that the older generation have on the youth as well. So I really wanted to do something to not only honour them, but show how important our older generation is," said Rylee Lynch.

A staff member from ResourceAbilities will help the Lynch sisters with the logistics of the event, but the group is also working with other youth on brainstorming their ideas into full applications. 

"We're always ready to explore any ideas that people want to talk about when it comes to increasing the accessibility," said Broome. "Sometimes that might be physical accessibility. Sometimes that might be about ASL [American Sign Language] interpretation or large print or captioning on videos — things like that." 

Broome said they're already workshopping pitches for anti-ableism T-shirts, LGBTQ+ colouring books, and a video produced by youth for youth about naloxone and how it might be used at house parties when someone seems to be suffering from an overdose. 

All applications, including the one from the Lynch sisters, are reviewed by a ResourceAbilities committee before approval. Ideas can be proposed through the group's website.