In this talk, Natalia will explore the role of culture in language learning for older adults, highlighting the power of storytelling in recognizing older learners' agency in promoting their well-being. Drawing on her expertise in community-based language learning Natalia will delve into how social stimulation in language classrooms can support healthy ageing and how embracing culture and community, along with social engagement, can help older adults thrive.

Dr Natalia Balyasnikova is an assistant professor at York University, Toronto, Canada, with a broad interest in lifelong learning, particularly for older adults. Her current focus is on older immigrants' educational engagement in community-based settings, using creative research methods that merge traditional ethnographic data generation with oral, written, and multimodal storytelling. Through her work, she aims to better understand the complexity of learning processes in later adulthood and suggest new pathways for community-based curriculum and educational policy in the context of changing demographics in Canada.