Programs are primarily geared toward seniors (65+) and pre-seniors (55+). Some programs may be available for other age groups.
Konnichiwa Program
This is a program that regularly visits people who are forced to live in isolation for some reason.
In every community, some people are forced to live in isolation due to aging, physical or mental problems. The “Konnichiwa” program is designed to visit these people regularly to alleviate their isolation and create opportunities for them to participate in the community.
The visits are conducted by JSS volunteers who understand the significance of the program and are trained for the knowledge and coping strategies as a visitor. The visits are organized in such a way that the experts can understand each individual’s situation and ensure that the visit goes smoothly.
If you are interested in receiving a visit or being volunteers, please contact the JSS program staff for more information and the schedule for visiting or training.
※Konnichiwa program support campaigning articles
We would like to thank the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Toronto for their generous support of the “Konnichiwa program volunteer training”.
Hot Lunch
※Currently suspended due to COVID-19. We have an online social gathering once a month with Hot Lunch team volunteers.
JSS cooks and serves lunch on activity days for the Wynford Seniors, a gathering of the seniors at the JCC facility. The Hot Lunch Team by JSS volunteers creates a menu from scratch for you to enjoy Japanese-style bento lunches, side dishes, and sweets. It is also a part of JSS’s fundraising activities.
Wynford Senior” is held twice a month on Wednesdays, but JSS serves hot lunch once a month from January to May and September to November (subject to change).
This is primarily for Wynford Senior members, but anyone in the building is welcome to purchase one as well. (Number is limited).
This activity is to get to know about JSS widely among Wynford Senior members and the community, and at the same time, it is part of the funding that supports JSS’s activities.
The Hot Lunch Team volunteers, whether they are good at cooking or not, enjoy working together in a friendly atmosphere. Since the menu is based on common Japanese home cooking, there are many advantages to participating as a volunteer. The first-timers can learn how to cook, and those who are used to cooking can learn about different home cooking styles.
Please contact JSS for the service schedule and volunteer application.
This program is made possible through the generous support of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center.
Nostalgic Japanese Song Singing Group
※Due to the impact of COVID-19, the program has been switched to online.
Eligibility: Japanese-speaker who is 55 years old and above.
This is a group where you can get together with people of your generation and sing songs together that everyone has sung at least once at their young age. ※This is not a karaoke club.
This program was started by people who said, “In an environment where there are people of different generations, I don’t know any of the songs that other people choose”, ” I worry that the songs I choose might be boring to other people” or “chorus singing is difficult to approach to participate”, or” I could only sing a few songs in karaoke because had to wait for the turn”.
In the program, we sing songs that most people have sung at least once, such as shoka (the songs from school days) and nursery rhymes but if desired popular songs will be sing. Singing is said to be effective not only for relieving stress but also for the health of the mind and brain. Please join us and have fun singing with friendly people who love to sing?
The participants meet twice a month (2nd and 4th Monday, 1:30 pm-3:00 pm) via Zoom. Please contact JSS for inquiries, applications, and volunteer opportunities.
Gentle Senior Yoga Group
Eligibility: Japanese-speaking people over 55 years old who have not been diagnosed as “Frail” by a doctor.
Due to the pandemic, many people tend to stay at home and have no opportunity to move around or meet people. Let’s get together with people of the same generation via online (Zoom), and let’s gently and effortlessly move parts of our bodies that we don’t normally use under the guidance of a yoga instructor, and enjoy chatting with the instructor and participants after yoga.
The class will meet once a week for a term of four sessions. There is a limit to the number of participants per term so that the instructor can pay close attention to each participant.
※You can apply for each term. Once you have participated in one term, you can participate in subsequent terms as long as there is space available.
For more information or to apply, please visit this page or contact the JSS program staff (programs@jss.ca).