There’s no such thing as a typical day for Samantha Casmey, Manager of Adult Health and Fitness programs at the YMCA of Greater Toronto. That was especially true on March 14, 2020 when COVID-19 shut down in-person classes and the organization had to pivot to a virtual offering.

Casmey has been working for the YMCA of Greater Toronto since 1994 in a variety of roles. Pre-pandemic, she would train the trainers, oversee quality of the programs and establish new ventures with partner organizations. In that respect, not much has changed about her job. But over the past year, the way these programs are being offered has dramatically shifted.

Going virtual — No time to wait

The programming at the YMCA has always been about helping people connect. For seniors who had an existing relationship with the YMCA, they would come in on a regular basis to socialize with friends while improving their mental and physical health.

The Bright Spot was created as a central, digital hub for older adults to deliver the fitness and meetups to which they had become accustomed. And the journey from program conception to a live website and programming happened in less than a month.

“Virtual had to become a reality,” says Casmey. “There are so many benefits though. Especially for older adults who have mobility issues, transportation problems or a tough time physically getting to the building.”

Launching new programs

The Bright Spot launched with 15 programs that ranged from fitness classes and workshops to book clubs and travel talks. A handful were extensions of ones already offered at the YMCA, while others were new to the mix.

“Some classes have grown to a few dozen people and others were cut after a few weeks,” says Casmey. “It was a bit of trial and error but overall it’s gone really well. We just want to make sure we’re targeting a variety of interests.”

Navigating the right technology

The YMCA has always wanted to use technology as a way to connect older adults. Naturally, COVID-19 accelerated those plans. That’s where Zoom came in. The platform delivered a lot of flexibility that allowed for larger gatherings or alternative programming not normally available in the facility.

“Before COVID, people didn’t have a lot of experience with these tools,” says Casmey. “All of that has changed. I think it’s great that we have participants teaching one another how to use the technology now. We’ve really come a long way.”

Resilient connection

With self-isolation and stay-at-home orders, the pandemic can bring feelings of isolation. That’s why The Bright Spot has been so important. Classes act almost like support groups, where virtual strangers can share their struggles. People often comment that they learn more about people that they take classes with online than they did with casual, in-person conversations.

Moving forward, programming like this doesn’t have plans on slowing down — even after COVID-19 does. The classes delivered and lessons learned will continue to facilitate meaningful conversations that allow older adults to connect with each other, with or without the Internet.

Want to spark a conversation or improve your fitness? Check out the YMCA of Greater Toronto’s programming for a full list of ways you can connect with older adults.

Sam Casmey has an honours BSc in kinesiology from the University of Waterloo and is a YMCA Canada Trainer Educator. She’s currently the YMCA of Greater Toronto’s Manager of Health & Fitness Adult Programs. In the 20 years she’s been working at the Y, Sam’s taught thousands of fitness classes and trained hundreds of volunteers to teach classes including Arriba, MuscleFit, Bootcamp, and many more. She’s currently spending her time on Sudoku, cryptic crosswords, and books on habits and behaviour change.

Bianca Da Costa has been visiting Germany for over 30 years. She starts her trips by seeing her cousins in the Netherlands and then takes a nine-hour train ride to stay with her friends in Stuttgart. A self-identified travel junkie, Da Costa would rather explore cultural sites and local history than sit on the beach at a resort. 

Morocco, Spain, Italy, France and Argentina are some of the other places she’s explored over the years. But when COVID-19 hit last year, her travel plans were grounded.

Breakfast leads to a full course load

Da Costa spent most of her career working in financial services. With retirement approaching in 2020, she started to actively plan where she would visit and what she would do. Unfortunately, her golden years began at the cusp of a worldwide pandemic and she had to shift her focus to how she could experience the world from the comfort of her living room. 

“I was looking for something mentally stimulating,” says Da Costa. “Staring at a screen all day can become difficult. I needed human connection.”

Da Costa wasn’t active with the YMCA of Greater Toronto prior to the pandemic. It’s something that she had always wanted to do when she had more free time. But when she tuned in to an episode of Breakfast Television in June 2020, everything changed.

A feature on the newly launched site, The Bright Spot,  piqued her interest and she decided to visit the online community to learn more about the activities offered.

A taste of the world

Due to her love of travel, she started signing up for classes that catered to her international ambitions. Food for Thought helped her get a taste for other places and people. The 30-minute class is made up of regular participants, with culinary topics chosen based on cultural practices or seasonal holidays. People will bring spices, oils, or herbs and talk about traditions and preparation. 

While Da Costa wouldn’t be boarding a plane anytime soon, she did the next best thing and also signed up for Virtual Vacation. The travel activity allowed her to talk to other jet setters about their experiences, as well as share some stories of her own.

A few months ago, Da Costa volunteered to present about her time in southern Germany. She believes that letting people in on small details paint a big picture of what you can expect. It’s that world-building that makes you want to go there.  

“It’s been a challenging year for people who love to travel,” says Da Costa. “But I take each day as it comes. These programs are the next best thing to being there yourself.”

Speaking from the heart

While food and travel stories have helped Da Costa get a sense of other cultures, she also took advantage of The Bright Spot’s language classes to help her post-pandemic. She’s currently taking a Tuesday Spanish class to improve her vocabulary and communication skills.

Over a dozen people attend the weekly class, where participants learn through structured conversations. The introductory-level program covers language basics but over the past year, participants have improved their vocabulary extensively. In the future, they hope to meet in person, possibly in a country where Spanish is the native tongue.

“I love the Spanish class,” says Da Costa. “I have very dear friends who live in Spain and I’d love to go back to Barcelona. It’ll be great to actually order from a menu or have a conversation with someone.”

What’s up next?

When asked what has stood out most about The Bright Spot programming, Da Costa says it was how fast it all came together and the quality of the classes taken. She’s even brought the sponsorship opportunity to her past employer to see if they were open to supporting the initiative in the future.

“I hope the momentum continues, “ says Da Costa. “30 to 45 minutes to connect in the virtual world is better than not being able to connect at all. I don’t know when I’ll be able to see the globe again, but The Bright Spot has made a world of difference for me.”