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Philosophers' Café is back at McKee Seniors' Centre

This fall, the McKee Seniors' Recreation Centre in Ladner is again offering its popular Philosophers' Café program, where people simply come together to discuss topics of mutual interest.
philosophers
ML Burke (left), Jim Flint and Robbin Whitbread are co-ordinating the Philosophers’ Café program.

This fall, the McKee Seniors' Recreation Centre in Ladner is again offering its popular Philosophers' Café program, where people simply come together to discuss topics of mutual interest.

McKee chairperson Arla Tanner says last spring's sessions were well received, with 20 to 30 people attending each discussion. "Seniors in the community are obviously hungry for opportunities to share their thoughts and concerns on critical issues impacting their lives," Tanner says.

The program will commence today and take place every other Friday from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in the centre's lounge.

Three centre volunteers, ML Burke, Jim Flint and Robbin Whitbread, are sharing coordination responsibilities for the program and will act as discussion moderators. Some sessions will include featured presenters.

"Don't let the title scare you," Burke cautions. "You don't have to be a philosopher to participate. All you have to do is enjoy listening to people explore interesting topics while at the same time having the opportunity to share insights and perspectives of your own." Whitbread notes that while some topics have been pre-selected, ample opportunity will be given for participants to suggest issues of interest. She also emphasizes the moderators will work to ensure all viewpoints have the opportunity to be expressed. "We don't want the discussions to turn into simply gripe sessions. We want the participants to leave each session feeling more empowered as well as more knowledgeable."

The Philosophers' Café sessions are free and everyone is welcome. No preregistration is necessary. Coffee and tea will be available for a $1 donation. The discussion topic for the kick-off session is Global Warming and its Impact, with Jan Thompson from Kwantlen Polytechnic University's geology department as the guest presenter. Future sessions will focus on such issues as immigration, population growth and religious extremism.