[Participate] Promoting Heat Resilience Among Older Adults through Group-Based Art Study

Are you interested in contributing to research conducted in the community using arts-based methods to increase heat resilience, social connection, and climate education? If so, you are invited to participate in the “Promoting Heat Resilience among Older Adults through Group-Based Arts” study! 

This study will facilitate a 10-week multi-arts workshop for older adults (60+) experiencing or who have experienced extreme heat in the Metro Vancouver area. The workshop will involve creating visual and performance art in groups to explore personal narratives about extreme heat which will then be performed to a public audience to increase climate awareness. Through these activities, The research team aim to promote heat resilience through social connection, climate education, and cultivating internal and external resources for participants.

They are seeking participants aged 60 and above. 

By participating in the study, you'll have the opportunity to: 

• Create individual and collaborative visual and performance artwork related to your heat experiences.
• Contribute to scientific knowledge about coping with extreme heat and fostering heat adaptation.
• Receive 3 gift cards for participating in the questionnaire and the two interviews as a token of appreciation for your time.
• Participate in a dramatic production for a public audience.
• Play a key role in developing future climate-focused arts workshops for older adults.

To participate in this workshop, you will have to (1) attend 2 two-hour sessions for 10 weeks at the SFU Harbour Centre campus in Vancouver between June 8th and August 11th, 2026; (2) participate in a short pre-workshop questionnaire, a fifteen-minute post-workshop interview, and a two-hour post-production interview about your experiences; and (3) attend a dress rehearsal and perform in a dramatic production in front of a public audience. Don’t worry, you do not need to have previous performance/arts experience; they are here to support you every step of the way!

To learn more about the study and to find out if you're eligible to participate, please contact Aryana Mohammed, the project coordinator, at aryana_mohammed@sfu.ca or call 778-847-1329.

If you have any questions or queries about the study, you can also contact the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Research Ethics Board (REB) through the Office of Research Ethics via email at dore@sfu.ca. The ethics application number for this study is 30003591.