What happens when the funding runs out?

It's one of the most common challenges in Age-friendly community work: programs and initiatives lose momentum once grant funding ends. On April 28 at 10:30 AM PST, BC Healthy Communities is hosting a free webinar that tackles this challenge head-on.

Led by Mario Paris, Associate Professor at the Université de Moncton and a leading researcher in social gerontology, the session explores how municipalities and Indigenous governments can build age-friendly initiatives that last – not by pursuing the next grant, but by embedding collaborative leadership and cross-sector partnerships into the fabric of community life.

Drawing on more than a decade of research across Quebec, New Brunswick, and internationally, Professor Paris will ground the discussion in theoretical frameworks for understanding how age-friendly communities sustain themselves over time – and translate that foundation into practical strategies for relationship-building and shared leadership that participants can apply directly in their own communities.

The webinar will also mark the launch of BCHC's new Age-friendly Communities (AFC) Recognition Program, designed to help communities celebrate their progress, maintain momentum, and keep advancing their goals long after formal funding cycles have ended.

Whether you're just starting out or looking to sustain and deepen existing work, this webinar offers both the conceptual grounding and the hands-on tools to help your community build something that endures.