Ageism Awareness & Education Module
Ageism remains one of the most pervasive yet least recognized forms of discrimination—woven into our language, policies, institutions, and even our own assumptions. The Canadian Coalition Against Ageism (CCAA) is proud to introduce the Ageism Awareness & Education Module. The World Health Organization identifies education as one of the three effective strategies for eliminating ageism, and by educating ourselves about ageism we can all play a role in eliminating ageism in Canada.
Ageism Awareness & Education Module
Ageism remains one of the most pervasive yet least recognized forms of discrimination—woven into our language, policies, institutions, and even our own assumptions. The Canadian Coalition Against Ageism (CCAA) is proud to introduce the Ageism Awareness & Education Module. The World Health Organization identifies education as one of the three effective strategies for eliminating ageism, and by educating ourselves about ageism we can all play a role in eliminating ageism in Canada.
What Is the Ageism Awareness & Education Module?
The Ageism Awareness & Education Module introduces core ageism concepts to the general public. The module explains what ageism is, the different types of ageism, the harmful effects of ageism, how to recognize ageism in everyday life, and strategies for challenging ageism. While ageism can affect people of any age, this module has a particular focus on ageism towards older people.
The module is available for free online on the Thinkific platform and it takes about 15 minutes to complete. The module is available in English, and will soon be available in French and Spanish as well. Ageism can happen in any setting (e.g., health care, workplaces, schools, at home, etc) so we encourage people from all sectors and age groups to complete the module. Upon completion of the module, you will receive a certificate of completion.
Access the English version of the module here: https://uwbc-healthyaging.thinkific.com/courses/Ageism-Awareness-Education-Module
Access the French version of the module here: https://ccaa-ageism-module.thinkific.com/courses/module-de-sensibilisation
Visit the Ageism Toolkit page to access our complementary Ageism Toolkit (currently available in English), a comprehensive, evidence-based collection of engaging activities, reflections, and discussions that can be used individually or in groups to deepen understanding of ageism.
Acknowledgments
Module Creation: The Ageism Awareness and Education Module was developed by the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism (CCAA), with strategic oversight and accountability provided by the International Longevity Centre Canada (ILC-C).
This work was made possible through generous support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – Institute of Aging and reflects the collaborative efforts of a national working group composed of passionate and committed leaders, researchers, educators, clinicians, services providers, and older persons from across Canada.
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the CCAA Ageism Awareness Working Group, co-led by Dr. Kiran Rabheru and Dr. Laura Kadowaki, including:
Louise Bélanger-Hardy, Erica Botner, Olive Bryanton, Sarah Fraser, Ariane Geerts, Margaret Gillis, Betty Good, Matthew Le, Ju Eun Lee, Kimberly LeBlanc, Sheila McDonald, Barbara McMillan, Alixe Ménard, Sarah Orr-Shaw, Bénédicte Schoepflin, Zena Simces, Laryssa Vares, Claire Westmacott, Jenna Wickens, Tina Wu and Cheri Nixon.
French Translation Support: We sincerely thank Annie Bourret for her outstanding work translating the module into French, ensuring accessibility across Canada’s official languages. We also thank the National Association of Federal Retirees for their support for the translation and working group members Bénédicte Schoepflin, Ariane Geerts, and Louise Bélanger-Hardy.
Technical Production: We would like to thank Craig Conoley for his exceptional work on integrating visuals, voiceover, and multimedia production. We would like to thank United Way BC for the use of their Thinkific platform to host our module.
Reviewers Acknowledgment: We are deeply grateful to the following reviewers for their expert feedback and insights: Dr. Jane Barratt, Dr. Liat Ayalon, Dr. Marie Beaulieu, Marie Howell.