Now in its 24th year, the Bluewater Association for Lifelong Learning (BALL) is set to launch its 2023-24 lecture series beginning in September with a six-part series on the Canadian justice system. The lectures are held at the Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. till noon.
As in the past, much preparation has gone into choosing the topics for the 2023-24 line-up, all guaranteed to be informative, relevant, and thoughtful, according to BALL promotions chair Diane MacIntyre.
“The BALL series has in the past appealed to individuals who are looking for something challenging and interesting,” she said. “The series run six or seven weeks each. We try to offer a single lecture twice a year, as well. Prior to COVID, we always met in person. The series were drawing audiences upwards of 400. BALL felt it was important to offer the series virtually during the pandemic. People were feeling so isolated. Since COVID, we have decided to offer the series both in person and virtually simultaneously.”
People can attend in person at the Bayshore Community Centre, watch online during the lecture, or anytime on demand for up to six weeks following the lecture. Full instructions to watch online are available when purchasing tickets.
The 2023-24 series begins on September 7 with a Justice Through a Canadian Lens six-part series that invites leading experts to address some weighty questions such as where does our justice system go wrong, how does our justice system measure up, and how can it be improved, with experts including James Lockyer, founder of Innocence Canada, who has been using his legal skills to represent the wrongfully convicted; Toronto Star’s chief investigative reporter Kevin Donovan; retired Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) intelligence officer Andrew Kirsch; Maya Borooah, a senior associate at Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP, whose practice focuses on criminal and regulatory litigation; retired Toronto Police Service Det. Cst. Wade Knapp, who is currently a faculty member in the University of Toronto forensic science program.
Series No. 2, Religion: the Big Questions, October 26 to December 7. The second series examines religion from a variety of perspectives – religiosity, secularism, how religion intersects with liberalism and Western democracies, and ways in which religion influences our understanding of sexuality, economics, history, psychology, and sociology. Brian Carwana (religionsgeek.com) will be the lecturer for this seven-week series.
The third series, Hope and Inspiration in Grey Bruce, January 4 to February 8, 2024, brings the discussion closer to home and looks at the positive activities that are restoring our local environment, improving the lives of the those with disabilities, and efforts to educate all ages on nuclear energy as a possible climate solution.
Series No. 4, Ethnomusicology: Music Traditions From Around the World, February 22 to March 28, 2024, features a group of speakers who compare our music traditions to those elsewhere in the world, its influence on the course of history, its adaptability and how it might bridge the gap between cultures.
Go to bluewaterlearns.com for upcoming series details, schedules, tickets, and online options or email inquiries to bluewaterlearns@gmail.com.
