THE Metro Vancouver Cross-Cultural Seniors Network Society (MVCCSNS) hosted the launch of its new website and brochure in five languages: English, Simplified Chinese, Punjabi, Vietnamese and Spanish on Monday at Vancouver’s Khalsa Diwan Society..

The new website and brochures are the culmination of MVCCSNS’s project, E-Hub for Cross-Cultural Seniors, which is funded by the New Horizons for Seniors Program of the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. The project’s goal is to create a cross-cultural virtual hub that provides access to information and resources relevant to multicultural seniors. The virtual hub will link cross-cultural seniors to community connections that reflect their changing realities as newcomers, immigrants and citizens of Canada.

Metro Vancouver’s population is culturally and ethnically diverse than the rest of BC and Canada. It has a higher percentage of both immigrants and visible minority seniors than the rest of the province. In BC, 13.4% of seniors identify as a visible minority and in Metro Vancouver, 29.5%. (Seniors in Vancouver, City of Vancouver, October 2010).

“Multicultural seniors face barriers in accessing services. As a result, their health and well being are greatly impacted. Knowledge of resources provides an avenue for cross-cultural seniors to increase participation, engagement and inclusion in their communities”, said Grace Balbutin, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors, MVCCSNS.

Saleem Spindari, Co-Chair of the MVCCSNS Board of Directors, notes: “Multicultural seniors are increasingly interested in learning about the internet and are joining computer classes. For seniors who prefer to take materials home to read, the brochures offer an alternative way to access information”.