What happens when you step away for 5 months to explore the lands of your heritage?  Derived from Sanskrit, Vashudha’s name translates to “earth”, a guiding principle that shapes her worldview.  Having grown up across a unique cultural tapestry spanning Nepal, India, Malaysia and Canada, she shares a unique perspective  on how environment and community shape who we are. This sessions explores the power of travel, tracing your history and  discovering  how exploring your background can help you find yourself, re-shape your identity, and consolidate your understanding of home

Philosophers from Plato to Nietzsche have discussed why music and poetry are so important.  Plato notoriously dismissed poets as liars, who try to pass off a copy of a copy as the real thing. Aristotle, though, argues that poetry can convey universal truths about the human condition that are “more true” than particular historical facts. The 20th Century poet and philosopher Benjamin Fondane goes a step further and argues that poetry doesn’t try to imitate or represent reality; rather, poetic experience allows us to participate in a fundamental reality that is otherwise blocked off from our everyday existence. As for music Plato argues that musical sounds and harmonies penetrate deep into the human soul, affecting our emotions, moods and even our moral character. Nietzsche builds on this idea: for him, music allows us to transcend the everyday world to reach a realm of pure, ceaseless becoming where we become one with the universe. There are clearly some parallels between what Fondane says about poetry and what Nietzsche says about music.  We will explore these different views, read some poetry and listen to various kinds of music.

Mennonites are often among the first to assist victims of fires, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes.  Who are these helpful folks?  They’re a Christian denomination started in Europe in 1525.  Mennonite teachings include loving one’s neighbour, working for peace, not bearing arms, separation of church and state, and baptism of believing adults.  Over the years, Mennonites have developed a way of life characterized by practicality, thrift, simplicity, and trust in God. To learn more about the Mennonites’ journey through time, their beliefs, food, and folkways, join Elma (Martens) Schemenauer’s Whirlwind Tour of Mennonite History.

This presentation will be an update of a KALS lecture on online sources for reliable health information first offered in March 2025.  The rapidly evolving health information and research environments, including the impact of generative AI, will be discussed. Please be advised that the previous class is not a pre-requisite for this class.

The first class will be a lecture on One Health to set the stage.  This will be followed by three more lectures on research activities at Cheeptham Cave Microbiology Lab such as, drug discovery from cave bacteria, biocement potential from cave bacteria, microbial degradation of microplastics, probiotics for bats against White Nose Syndrome, bacteriophages as alternative treatment for multi-drug-resistant infections, innovative microbiology education (art and science). A short (15 minute) reading assignment will be offered before some classes to facilitate discussions.

This introductory session will be a jazz based class focusing on motor skills, balance and function.  There will first be a discussion of the brain/body value of  movement, then a chance to move!  The class will be guided by Heather Clark, a professional dance and fitness instructor, who has a passion for mobility and longevity.

Join an expedition ship sailing from Iceland to Greenland in the Wake of the Vikings.  Then enjoy a land add-on with a trip to the Greenland icecap followed by a visit to Ilulissat, the iceberg capital.  Learn about the history and culture of this land so much in the news recently.

Although there is debate on whether Palestine and Palestinians have ever existed, the area and its indigenous people have a long history.  Much of the news that comes to us through the Western press has an Israel/Israeli slant.  Very often the history of Palestine is ignored or downplayed. In this class, Dawne will offer a perspective of the Palestinians through the centuries up to and including the present conflict.

Ten years after moving from Iran to Canada, urban planning graduate and non-profit leader Sadie looks back on a decade of growth, personal pivots, and community building. In this presentation, she maps her journey from the historic streets of Tehran to Ontario, and eventually, to a life-changing six-day drive across Canada that brought her home to Kamloops. Drawing a beautiful parallel between the patient, environment-dependent process of sourdough baking and the immigrant experience, Sadie offers a warm and grounded look at how we adapt, cultivate resilience, and ultimately find our unique rise in the places we call home.

The exploration of the Northwest Passage has been a fascinating chapter in Canadian history.  For centuries, explorers tried to find this fabled route to the riches of the Orient.  The most famous expedition was led by Sir John Franklin in 1845, and the disappearance of his two ships and 129 men launched 30 years of searches and discoveries.  Today, the Northwest Passage is traversed by cruise ships, and visitors are awed by the spectacular vistas of the Arctic.  Roland Neave has travelled extensively through the Northwest Passage, and was one of the first tourists to have the thrill of visiting the sight of the sunken shipwreck Erebus, the Franklin ship that was discovered in 1914.  This group also visited the Franklin graves on Beechey Island  and explored by Zodiac the tidewater face of Crocker Glacier.  Roland will share his knowledge of the history of the Northwest Passage highlighted by slides of his Arctic expedition.

This lecture explores the origins, the evolution and the role of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in shaping Canada’s national identity.  From its beginning as the Northwest Mounted Police to its transformation into today’s RCMP, the force’s contributions to frontier justice, law enforcement and Canada’s international reputation is legendary. Join Paulette for a nuanced look at Canada’s most iconic police force in the world. A zoom class, you may enjoy in the comfort of your home or in the company of others at KSC.

All That You Change Changes You shines a light on Laura St. Pierre’s decade-long approach to two survivalist tropes: scavenging and sowing. Borrowing its title from the opening lines of Parable of the Sower (1993), a novel by the late author, Octavia E. Butler, this exhibition brings together works made over the last decade, all produced against the backdrop of a built environment transformed by absence and adaptation.