Walks around White Rock just got a little more interesting. That’s because the city now has signs in many of its parks and hubs displaying poems from various cultures for passersby to enjoy.
Poetry in Motion is a new initiative that started in White Rock as a partnership between the city and Fraser Health to encourage active living for older adults. Whether it’s Maccaud Park or Five Corners, popular areas around the city now offer poetry in a variety of languages, including Dutch, Arabic, Spanish and more.
“The poetry was chosen to reflect the spoken languages in White Rock and poems were selected to give a sense of home and connect residents to where they have been formed,” said Michele Partridge, a White Rock city councillor acting as deputy mayor in place of Megan Knight, who is attending the Union of BC Municipalities conference this week.
“Its purpose is to reduce social isolation by increasing connectedness while providing opportunities for physical activity,” she added, at the official unveiling in Maccaud Park, at 1475 Kent St., on Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 20).
The signs include the poems in their original language as well as an English translation.
Guided walks will also be run through Kent Street Activity Centre, furthering the goal of fostering community engagement.
“This project embraces age-friendly components like respect, social inclusion and cultural safety, community support (and) exploring the outdoors and social well-being and partnership,” Partridge said.
“It hopes to establish a sense of place and builds up opportunities for residents and visitors to connect with the spaces they live in.”
A ‘poetree’ was even in bloom, with attendees at the unveiling invited to write their own poems on leaf-shaped cards that hung from a tree in Maccaud Park.
During the unveiling, local poet Sanjana Karthik shared an original piece with the crowd. Following the recitation, the group took part in a warm-up before heading off on a walking tour around the city, starting with a poem originally from Korea.
Every few months, the poems displayed will be changed, so individuals are encouraged to catch the written works while enjoying physical activity when they can, before the poems get rotated out.
To view a map of all the poetry displayed throughout White Rock, go to the city’s website under the Arts & Culture section.
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