A Physical Activity Program for Older Adults (50+)

Forever…in motion is a health promotion initiative by the Saskatchewan Health Authority to help older adults stay physically active.  It provides volunteer-led physical activity groups and resources, with the goals of improving and maintaining the health of older adults in the community.  Started in 2002 by the former Saskatoon Health Region as a way to make physical activity opportunities available for older adults living in community.

Forever…in motion groups are located primarily in seniors’ housing, community centres, churches, condominiums and seniors’ centres, and are free or low-cost to participants.

Potential health benefits are extensive, some of which include:

·         Decreases the effects of aging

·         Builds stronger bones and muscles

·         Improves balance and strength

·         Reduces the risks of falling

Find more program information in the Forever…in motion brochure:  FIM Brochure

10 Mondays - Jan 12 - Mar 23 (no class Feb 16)

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Class Fee:  $10, exercise equipment provided

Forever...in motion will be held in the lower-level hall of Emmanuel Anglican Church - Please enter at Door B

This class will focus on developing fundamental watercolor skills. Each week, Susan Huntley, will take participants through the stages of design and composition, drawing, and painting.  You will tackle a variety of subjects from landscapes and skies to still life and florals.  This session is designed to be fun and inspirational, and will focus on how to relax and enjoy the creative process of watercolor.

6 Wednesdays - Jan 21 - Feb 25

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Class Fee:  $ 120, materials are not included.  *A material list will be sent to participants at time of registration.

Watercolor II will be held  in the lower-level of the Refinery.  

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to make your own 10-inch Motanka doll using materials provided.  Ukrainian Motanka dolls serve as a guardian or protector, symbolizing prosperity, hope and goodness.  They represent unity and generations within a family, creating harmony of spiritual and earthly principles. 

If you have fabrics, ribbons, or other items that are special to you and you’d like to use them to personalize your creation, please bring these items with you.

My name is Anastasiia Misan, and I’m originally from the Dnipro region of Ukraine. Art has always been a part of my life, and painting in traditional Ukrainian styles, like Petrykivka, has been a true blessing. With over 10 years of teaching experience, I find great joy in sharing my passion and helping others discover the happiness and pride that comes from creating something beautiful with their own hands.

Monday, Jan 19

7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Class Fee:  $ 50, including materials

Ukrainian Motanka Dolls will be held  in the lower-level of the Refinery

Come join us for an evening of reflection and slow stitching as we learn about Sashiko - the traditional Japanese art of mending and stitching. Through the use of one simple stitch a multitude of patterns can be created, adding beauty to a simple stitched creation or to a loved piece of clothing that may or may not need to be mended.

Participants will have the opportunity to explore a number of traditional Sashiko patterns and to create their own piece while practicing intentional stitching, a process that allows you to create a piece that is truly stitched with love.

Sashiko is not embroidery - there is no need to know a number of fancy stitches, use a hoop or integrate a number of colors in your thread work. No stitching experience is necessary to enjoy this class.

All materials will be provided for each participant to take home their own creation. Should you wish to stitch directly on a piece of clothing, please bring that with you to class. 

Monday, Jan 26

Tuesday, Mar 17 - *Due to a high level of interest a second session date has been added.

7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Fee:  $45, including materials.  

Soulful Saskiko will be held  in the lower-level of the Refinery.

Join local Printmaking Artist, Cassandra Van Buekenhout, in an introductory printmaking workshop where you will learn how to safely and properly use carving tools to create one-of-a-kind cards/prints - sure to impress your loved ones on Valentine's Day!

Cassandra Van Buekenhout is a graduate from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honour Degree.  For the past five years she has followed her creative passion for Printmaking. Cassandra started her own small business and developed her own personal, distinct aesthetic. In working towards her goal of becoming an Art Therapist, she teaches community classes as one of the many steps in the process to reach her professional goal.

Tuesday, Feb 10

7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Class Fee:  $ 50, including materials

Discover the Art of Printmaking will be held  in the lower-level of the Refinery

You have no idea where to start. Writing isn’t complicated. Thinking about it, avoiding it, fearing

it, resisting it—that’s where things get tangled up.

In this workshop, we’ll bust past our barriers and write. This is a joyful, non-intimidating space

for anyone who has the urge to express themselves through words but keeps putting it off.

We welcome participants who are full of fear, have zero experience, and don’t know where to

start. Bring us your uncertainties, and we’ll help you uncover your unique story, voice, and drive.

Marilyn Frey is an experienced facilitator and long-time member of the Saskatchewan

Writers’ Guild and several local writing groups. She is also an alumnus of Alison Wearing’s 12-week Memoir Writing, Ink course, winning first prize in Micki Findlay’s International 50-Word Contest in 2023. Marilyn has published two books, Reflections in a Farmhouse Window: A Prairie Memoir and Wilma, as well as short stories in anthologies and magazines such as Oh Canada, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Fun on the Farm 3, Folklore, and Canadian Stories. Writing is her passion, and Marilyn is eager to help you on your writing journey.

Tuesday, Mar 10

7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Class Fee:  $ 50, including materials

Beginner's Guide to Unleashing Your Inner Writer will be held  in the lower-level of the Refinery

Healthcare researchers are increasingly recommending that people’s spiritual and

religious concerns be included in their medical care. But what does this actually look

like? For some, spirituality is airy-fairy nonsense that has no business being part of

healthcare. For others, spirituality is directly connected to how they relate to the world

and make sense of their lives.

In this lecture-based session, Simon Lasair, a spirituality and healthcare researcher, will show how everyone is spiritual, regardless of whether they belong to a specific religious or spiritual tradition or not. Simon will also show how spirituality deserves a more central place in healthcare, specifically because it is that which helps us hold all parts of our humanity together. During this session, there will be lots of time for questions, so come for an evening of stimulating ideas, cutting-edge insights, and engaging conversation.

Simon Lasair is a husband, father, reader, thinker, and taekwondo practitioner who is

also a nationally recognized leader in spirituality and healthcare research. His recent

book, Spirituality and Holistic Spiritual Health: Expanding Chaplaincy’s Theoretical

Frame (Routledge, 2026) develops understandings of spirituality and spiritual health

that can help healthcare workers care for patients and families in all their humanness,

integrating all aspects of who they are into their medical care. 

Wednesday, Mar 25

7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Class Fee:  $ 35

Spirituality: The Future of Healthcare will be held  in the lower-level of the Refinery