Maude Jodoin Léveilée
Born and raised in Montréal, Maude received her Bachelor and Master degrees in International Studies at l’Université de Montréal. She then completed a diploma in Management of International Development and Humanitarian aid at l’Université Laval. Maude is now doing her PhD in sociology that focuses on activism and feminism in Togo. Since the start of her academic career, Maude has been very interested in West African societies, international development as well as gender and intergenerational relationships. After completing her PhD, Maude wants to pursue a career in research in the academic and community sectors in a way that is useful for communities and policy makers.
Maude worked with The Grandmother Project to investigate the role and influence of elders, particularly grandmothers, as agents of change, and on the impact of intergenerational programs in Senegal.
Community Engagement Initiative
Maude created a comic book to be shared and distributed among school children in the community of Vélingara. The Grandmother Project was already working with educational booklets that are used by teachers in Vélingara, to educate children and adolescents about the role of grandmothers in Senegalese societies. This short comic book is intended to be a fun and educational tool that can be used by teachers with whom GMP already works. Its main purpose is to illustrate that grandmothers have accumulated many life experiences and are therefore an important source of advice for young people. Read the Report: The Grandmothers’ Experience: Why Should We Seek Advice From Grandmothers?
Report
In a context where development organizations often place more emphasis on the well-being of young girls than older women, this report aims to highlight the positive impacts that the Grandmother Project’s intervention in Vélingara has had on grandmothers. By focusing on an intergenerational approach that values the traditional cultural role of grandmothers, GMP has shown that it is possible to modify positively the communities’ perception towards grandmothers, to increase solidarity between grandmothers, to enhance their relationships within the family and the wider community, to expand their civic participation, to enhance the community’s appreciation of the role of grandmothers in transmitting positive cultural values to younger generations, and mostly, to extend their social connectedness. After highlighting grandmother-focused findings from previous GMP-sponsored research, this report demonstrates that GMP’s approach has been successful in reducing the social isolation of grandmother and increasing their social connectedness.
Keywords
Grandmothers, Senegal, social connection, intergenerational, community elders, cultural connection.