[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":182},["ShallowReactive",2],{"activist-section-olive-bryanton-creating-change-lessons-skills-and-advice":3,"activist-olive-bryanton":83},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":70,"extension":75,"meta":76,"navigation":77,"oldPath":78,"path":79,"seo":80,"stem":81,"__hash__":82},"activistSections\u002Factivists\u002Folive-bryanton\u002F04.creating-change-lessons-skills-and-advice.md","Creating Change: Lessons, Skills and Advice",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":69},"minimark",[9,14,42,46],[10,11,13],"h2",{"id":12},"lessons-and-advice","Lessons and Advice",[15,16,17,21,24,27,30,33,36,39],"ul",{},[18,19,20],"li",{},"Based on the proven principle that many heads create great ideas, always invite others to work with you.",[18,22,23],{},"Gather and mobilize those who will be affected by the changes you propose. Then engage others who may be in related organizations (for instance, the children of seniors). The more people you can get working together for change, the more likely it is to happen. Appreciate and value the skills others bring to the table including the knowledge and skills of seniors themselves.",[18,25,26],{},"Remember that change is a slow process and appreciate fully even the smallest victories. To be an effective activist, you must strongly believe in what you're doing and believe you can make changes—only then can you make positive things happen.",[18,28,29],{},"One person can make a difference and often it takes just one to come up with the idea. But then that one must gather others to help. Don't try to do it alone but build up your team with care, understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, and filling the gaps between.",[18,31,32],{},"Trust others to do key tasks—your way is not the only way. Nobody is indispensable.",[18,34,35],{},"Be ready to cope with difficult board members by anticipating what they will bring forth. Some people come on a Board because they care about the organization or issue, but others will have their own agenda—and these can the one who cause difficulties.",[18,37,38],{},"Stay in the government's communication channels. Keep sending the same messages about seniors' rights and roles in society to any group you talk to. Talk to government repeatedly and keep government officials educated and appeal to their sense of civic duty.",[18,40,41],{},"Get good media coverage.",[10,43,45],{"id":44},"skills","Skills",[15,47,48,51,54,57,60,63,66],{},[18,49,50],{},"Research skills are key to credibility. People have to be able to trust what you're telling them, so always get the facts and do the research.",[18,52,53],{},"Be credible or you will lose support, because when people don't believe in you anymore, they won't listen.",[18,55,56],{},"Listening skills are important, so learn how to be a good listener.",[18,58,59],{},"Be \"a people person\" and enjoy working with others and ensure that they like working with you! You will need collaboration and team support skills.",[18,61,62],{},"Develop and sustain patience.",[18,64,65],{},"Love others and their contributions to the team.",[18,67,68],{},"Avoid making false, fuzzy, or misleading statements that can be refuted.",{"title":70,"searchDepth":71,"depth":71,"links":72},"",2,[73,74],{"id":12,"depth":71,"text":13},{"id":44,"depth":71,"text":45},"md",{},true,"\u002Folive-bryanton\u002Fcreating-change-lessons-skills-and-advice","\u002Factivists\u002Folive-bryanton\u002Fcreating-change-lessons-skills-and-advice",{"title":5,"description":70},"activists\u002Folive-bryanton\u002F04.creating-change-lessons-skills-and-advice","w0iEQrz2uabgdWCCohK-cM3blteN_CB5IA6zyRn0oAk",{"id":84,"title":85,"body":86,"description":135,"extension":75,"links":136,"meta":146,"navigation":77,"oldPath":147,"path":148,"pictures":149,"portrait":159,"portraitAlt":160,"province":161,"quote":162,"sections":163,"seo":178,"stem":179,"summary":180,"__hash__":181},"activists\u002Factivists\u002Folive-bryanton\u002Findex.md","Olive Bryanton",{"type":7,"value":87,"toc":133},[88,100,103,106,109,118,121,130],[89,90,91,92,99],"p",{},"Busy as usual, Olive Bryanton had only been at her University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) office a short time before Liz Burge arrived to interview her. When Liz had been president of the ",[93,94,98],"a",{"href":95,"rel":96},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.stu.ca\u002Fresearch\u002F3rdage",[97],"nofollow","Third Age Centre"," at St. Thomas University, she had met Olive, who had come to give a talk there. Liz was now eager for an update on Olive's indefatigable activism. What followed were two-and-a-half hours of lively, focused reflection on past and present social challenges.",[89,101,102],{},"Born in 1936, Olive was raised by her grandparents in Kensington, PEI. In 1952, she graduated from grade 10, the highest grade of high school at the time, and worked in Summerside from 1952 to 1956 in retail stores. She married, and between 1955 and 1966 bore five children.",[89,104,105],{},"After attending night school for secretarial skills, Olive went to the Central School of Nursing from 1968 to 1969 and graduated as a Licensed Nursing Assistant. She worked at the PEI Hospital in Obstetrics from 1969 to 1971, and with a medical specialist from 1971 to 1980. For five years in the latter half of the '70s, she owned and managed a small community care facility, which she sold in order to focus more fully on school.",[89,107,108],{},"In 1984, at the age of 47, she received her degree from UPEI with a major in Sociology and a minor in Canadian Studies. From 1984 to 1987, Olive worked for St. John Ambulance as a Healthcare and First Aid Director. It was in the late 1980s that she began to work in earnest on issues related to seniors. In 1988, Olive worked for the PEI Gerontology Association, researching and writing a book on housing options for older adults on PEI. At the same time, she organized a Seniors' Housing Conference with Canada Mortgage and Housing.",[89,110,111,112,117],{},"From 1989 to 2000, Olive served as Coordinator of the PEI Senior Citizens' Federation and founded a newspaper called ",[93,113,116],{"href":114,"rel":115},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.peiscf.com\u002Fvoice_for_island_seniors.html",[97],"Voice for Island Seniors",". In 1992, she began the process of establishing a Seniors' Centre in Charlottetown, which was officially opened in January 1993. Olive served as President of the Seniors' Centre for two years and presently chairs the Education Committee.",[89,119,120],{},"In 1998, the Seniors' College of UPEI was formally launched. The following year, Olive researched and initiated a provincial PEI Seniors' Safety Program, together with the RCMP, the Public Trustee, and Consumer Services—for which she is the current President.",[89,122,123,124,129],{},"Working as Coordinator for the ",[93,125,128],{"href":126,"rel":127},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.upei.ca\u002Fprojects\u002Fcsha",[97],"PEI Centre on Health and Aging"," at UPEI since 2000, Olive's activities range widely from her involvement with the Seniors' Safety Program, to Chair of the Young at Heart Musical Theatre for Seniors, Board of Directors for Community Legal Information Association, and Board of Directors for the United Way of PEI.",[89,131,132],{},"In May 2000, Olive received an Honorary Degree from the University of Prince Edward Island, Doctor of Laws (LL.D.). Nine years later she graduated with a Master in Education degree with thesis.",{"title":70,"searchDepth":71,"depth":71,"links":134},[],"Busy as usual, Olive Bryanton had only been at her University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) office a short time before Liz Burge arrived to interview her. When Liz had been president of the Third Age Centre at St. Thomas University, she had met Olive, who had come to give a talk there. Liz was now eager for an update on Olive's indefatigable activism. What followed were two-and-a-half hours of lively, focused reflection on past and present social challenges.",[137,140,143],{"url":138,"title":139},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.pe.ca\u002FOpinion\u002FEditorials\u002F2010-10-12\u002Farticle-1840912\u002FThis-scam-can-happen-to-you\u002F1","The Guardian: This scam can happen to you",{"url":141,"title":142},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.cbc.ca\u002Fnews\u002Fstory\u002F2001\u002F02\u002F23\u002Fpei_insurclaim.html","CBC: Older drivers claim age discrimination",{"url":144,"title":145},"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.cbc.ca\u002Fnews\u002Fstory\u002F2001\u002F03\u002F09\u002Fseniors_insurance010309.html","CBC: Seniors charged higher rates for being old",{},"\u002Fcontent\u002Folive-bryanton","\u002Factivists\u002Folive-bryanton",[150,153,156],{"image":151,"caption":152},"\u002Fimages\u002Factivists\u002Folive-bryanton\u002Fpicture-1.jpg","Olive Bryanton receives cheque from RCMP officer for funding for the PEI Seniors' Safety Program.",{"image":154,"caption":155},"\u002Fimages\u002Factivists\u002Folive-bryanton\u002Fpicture-2.jpg","Olive Bryanton with participants of Bridging the Generation Gap.",{"image":157,"caption":158},"\u002Fimages\u002Factivists\u002Folive-bryanton\u002Fpicture-3.jpg","Hank Stinson serenades Olive Bryanton with \"I Love the Sardines in Your Hair\". From Young at Heart Theatre Rotary Magazine.","\u002Fimages\u002Factivists\u002Folive-bryanton\u002Fportrait.jpg","Portrait of Olive Bryanton.","Prince Edward Island","I’ve always tried to make things more equal for older people and have them recognized as viable citizens in our society, citizens we need. That’s not easy when they don’t see themselves as being necessary to society. It is sad that you can’t appreciate that you have contributed to this society.",[164,167,170,173,175],{"slug":165,"label":166},"forming-her-activism","Forming Her Activism",{"slug":168,"label":169},"practising-social-activism","Practising Social Activism",{"slug":171,"label":172},"projects","Projects",{"slug":174,"label":5},"creating-change-lessons-skills-and-advice",{"slug":176,"label":177},"last-words","Last Words",{"title":85,"description":135},"activists\u002Folive-bryanton\u002Findex","For over 25 years Olive Bryanton's name has been synonymous with consistent and informed advocacy for senior citizens, and especially the development of new services and ideas for better social policies; but younger generations also command attention because of her belief in better inter-generational understandings.","N5pfiK3jFBOWQod581N3mM-eqeyqvYu1bw-gZg17m_k",1789062652034]