Canadore College is trying to create a state of the art village right on campus that they hope will be the envy of campuses across the nation.
The school made the announcement today as they unveiled campaign plans for the College’s community health and wellness centre.
“The Village is a place for all people, a place where people are supported and have the chance to share wisdom and experiences,” said Canadore President George Burton.
“We are setting out to change the model of health care across the spectrum of life stages, by integrating multiple cultural wellness disciplines and treatments.”
The news comes in conjunction with the original announcement in October of 2016, who Canadore announced that it would be building a unique multigenerational academic and living facility on its campus which includes a retirement centre.
Campaign team officials say the project comes with a price tag of $20 million with $15 million coming from the federal and provincial government.
That means $5 million will need to be raised locally for the facility that hopes to have its doors open for October of 2018. The fundraising team says it’s already secured about half of that from private donors.
“We live in a community that is philanthropic in nature, we have a project here that is near and dear to our hearts that are not only going to make a difference locally but regionally, provincially and nationally,” said Village fundraising co-chair Judy Sharpe.
Canadore’s proposed living model of class-leading health, human care and wellness education and delivery does not currently exist anywhere else in Canada.
The educational community will integrate Indigenous, Eastern and Western healing and wellness practices by carrying out class-leading interprofessional education. These applications will provide a continuum of care while supporting leading-edge applied research.
“It’s all about collaboration, community and creating a broader frame of reference,” said Sharpe.
“This new way of delivering training and experiential learning is a new ideal for holistic care and healing, which will advance the health care field with relevance and meaning.”
The Village will be home to a traditional Indigenous healing lodge and custom-built classrooms that link to activities including community gatherings, celebration, ceremony and smudging rooms, teaching lodges, sweat lodges, growth and harvesting of traditional medicines. Spaces to support students’ spirituality to actively promote wellness and healing are designed throughout.
Canadore officials say the proposed living model of class-leading health, human care and wellness education and delivery do not currently exist anywhere else in Canada.
