Calgary teens create hotline for seniors to help them feel connected during quarantine

High school students in Alberta, Canada, want to make sure senior citizens who are in quarantine and away from their families and friends don't feel alone.

On Friday, the Calgary teens launched Joy4All, a free hotline seniors can call anytime to hear a pre-recorded joke, poem, positive story, or feel-good quote. "A lot of folks who are in isolation are really missing their families right now," teacher Jamie Anderson told CBC News. "So we're just trying to fill in some of the gaps and bring them a little bit of joy and levity during these difficult times."

The hotline isn't entirely finished, as the teens are working on adding messages in different languages. Student Jared Quinn said he knows that people his age might not have a lot in common with senior citizens, and this is one way to bridge the gap. "I think we can learn a lot of respect for each other and a lot of wisdom from our elders in the community," he said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up