“To Remember Is to Live Again”: Geragogical Approaches to Online Storytelling With Older Immigrants

Abstract

Seeing aging not solely as a biological process but as a meaning-making practice, this paper presents findings from an exploratory study conducted within a community-based organization’s transition to online educational programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to explore how collaborative storytelling functioned as a geragogical practice in an online setting. The study involved 17 Spanish-speaking older immigrants in co-designing an age- and culturally responsive online storytelling curriculum. Through creative and reflective prompts, the virtual sessions facilitated autoethnographic and collaborative storytelling on a range of topics. Thematic analysis identified three interrelated themes in participants’ experience: connection in a time of isolation; anti-ageist reclamation; and temporal transcendence. Participants revisited and reinterpreted personal histories, reclaimed a sense of creative authorship, and envisioned new forms of community participation. The paper offers practical strategies for co-designing storytelling activities in community-based learning environments.

What This Paper Adds

• Positions storytelling as a geragogical practice that centers relational and creative dimensions of learning in later life.

• Contributes an account of older immigrants’ learning experiences in virtual storytelling programming.

• Suggests directions for future research that integrates creative and participatory approaches.

Applications of Study Findings

• Community organizations can adapt the proposed model for designing collaborative arts-based educational programming.

• Practitioners can draw on the insights from the study to consider creative and relational strategies as part of their work.

• Advocates can use findings to promote programming that recognizes older adults as co-creators rather than passive recipients of learning.

Introduction

Despite significant attention to varied realities of older adults, voices of older immigrants are markedly underrepresented in interdisciplinary research. Their educational experiences, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, have received even less attention. This paper seeks to address this gap, by describing a small-scale exploratory study of an online storytelling curriculum co-developed with a group of immigrant seniors during the pandemic-related emergency orders in Ontario, Canada.

According to the latest data, 30% of all older adults comprising Canadian population are foreign-born (ImmigrationRefugees and Citizenship Canada, 2017). Islam and Gilmour (2023) found that older immigrants in Canada face a greater likelihood of experiencing loneliness compared to individuals born in Canada. Already vulnerable to increased social isolation (Employment and Social Development Canada, 2022; Johnson et al., 2019; Salma & Salami, 2020), older immigrants in Canada experienced the COVID-19 pandemic in distinctly marginalizing ways. For example, older adults speaking English as an additional language faced significant barriers to primary care access (Sierra-Heredia et al., 2024) and relied on culturally relevant community support services (Wada & Canham, 2025), which were limited and overburdened during the active phase of the pandemic. Moreover, those older immigrants with existing connections to their homeland experienced heighted psychological vulnerability due to “migratory grief” (Wang et al., 2021, p. 164), a sense of symbolic loss and displacement as they followed the news of the global spread of COVID-19, while being unable to travel and support loved ones abroad.

There has been a growing interest in understanding what initiatives can continue mitigating the negative impacts of isolation, which presented a challenge globally (Wu, 2020). In response, adoption of technology was widely promoted as a strategy to reduce isolation and maintain service access for older immigrants (Sidani et al., 2022). As the result, digital learning technologies were used in ways that were non-existent pre-pandemic, with many older adults using video conferencing for social interaction, cognitive stimulation, and emotional support (Greenwood-Hickman et al., 2021; Lim & Bowman, 2022; Shapira et al., 2021). The project presented in this paper was driven by the needs of a community-based organization which faced urgent pandemic-related need in shifting their educational programming online. An active group of Spanish-speaking ¹ older adults who had a history of gathering for educational and social activities were eager to continue learning in a virtual setting. The researcher was invited to help the group in this endeavor and (in consultations with the group) developed a series of eight storytelling sessions to be conducted on Zoom.

Narrative approaches are widely adopted in diverse contexts: residential care (Buckley et al., 2014), dementia care (Li, 2022), drama-therapy (Leshem & Harel, 2023), psychotherapy (Smart et al., 2022), social work (Langer, 2016), and explorations of the impact of historical events (Kenyon, 2005). Interdisciplinary research has shown that different forms of narrative work might offer psychological benefits such as an increased sense of self-worth and empowerment (Mager, 2019). Participants in storytelling-based activities report feelings of validation (Hausknecht et al., 2019; Stargatt et al., 2019), well-being (Bruce-Golding et al., 2023; Schoales et al., 2020) and strengthened intergenerational relationships (Cerezo et al., 2024). There is existing research on intergenerational storytelling in immigrant communities that demonstrates that through storytelling older immigrants can act as cultural informants central to children’s literacy and cultural identity development (Olmedo, 2004). Digital storytelling practice specifically allows older adults a range of pathways to challenge dominant ageist narratives (Bossio et al., 2023), make sense of their experience and memories (Alexandrakis et al., 2020a), and address “issues related to communication, emotions, sharing personal memories, and interacting with younger generations” (Alexandrakis et al., 2020b, p. 1624).

While many studies have addressed the benefits of storytelling in later life, there is limited research that places storytelling at the center of educational practice with older immigrants. This paper addresses this gap by analyzing how storytelling functioned as a learning practice online and extends existing literature by emphasizing co-design and peer co-facilitation as central to the learning process. This participatory, flexible model allowed for storytelling to function not only as expression but also as a space for recognizing learner agency. The sections that follow outline critical geragogical framing of project methodology, situate the qualitative findings within broader discussions of later-life education, and offer insights relevant for those seeking to design educational programming for older adults.

Underlying Theory of Learning: Geragogy

Geragogy, as an extension of andragogy, acknowledges the distinct educational needs of older adults (Findsen & Formosa, 2012; Formosa, 2012). Importantly, geragogy emphasizes that later-life learning is inseparable from the exploration of personal experience, as Formosa (2002) notes learners may at times hold greater expertise than facilitators in a range of subjects. Relevant to this article, as a geragogical practice, autoethnographic work that makes visible the complexities of aging (Stončikaitė, 2023) can create symbolic spaces where personal stories operate as experiential learning resources. For example, self-narratives can challenge age-based misconceptions and spotlight age-based discrimination. Thus, older learners can act as both bearers of rich experiential knowledge and agents of change.

Critical geragogical work has long been concerned with challenging of ageist, deficit-based assumptions about older learners (Formosa, 2012) and recognition of their agency in learning (Glendenning & Battersby, 1990). More recent theorizations in the field (Hachem, 2020) suggest that educators working with older learners must also account for the interplay between individual agency and structural conditions, while also recognizing that older learners may pursue multiple, overlapping or contradicting goals beyond self-fulfillment, empowerment, and emancipation.

It is important to note that older immigrants pursue learning due to pragmatic reasons such as language acquisition (Chen & Buckingham, 2025), re-settlement needs (Zhu & Zhang, W, 2019), or seeking intergenerational solidarity, especially during COVID-19 pandemic (Zhu & Zhang, 2025). Indeed, while the notion of emancipation of older adults is compelling, it must be approached carefully so that not to oversimplify complex power dynamics or assume older adults’ “naïve consciousness” (Hachem & Westberg, 2023, p. 102). Instead of an assumed unilateral empowerment, geragogical learning environments should be centered on topics relevant to older learners (Formosa, 2002, p. 80) and recognize learner ownership of the curriculum. In other words, as Withnall (2006) notes, “what is required is a new insight into how people make sense of their own attitudes to learning and how they have acquired beliefs and values about what education and learning mean in the context of their own lives” (p. 30).

Critical geragogy is an increasingly utilized framework for a wide range of educational interventions with older adults. Research in this area is extensive and diverse. For example, in their systematic narrative review of digital skills programs for middle and older adults, Gates and Wilson-Menzfeld (2022) emphasize the centrality of the learning environment, with particular attention to the role of the instructor. Importantly, critical geragogy views older adults not as passive recipients constrained by the cognitive, physical, and social changes of aging, but as active participants in the co-construction of their own learning.

Geragogical curricula are most effective when grounded in established relationships with older learners that recognize their needs and autonomy in design of learning experiences. For example, Creech & Hallam (2015) examined professional practice in informal music education and found that trusting interpersonal climate as crucial for effective work. In their study, facilitators valued participants’ prior experiences and sought to use these as resources, while also taking responsibility for helping participants set meaningful learning goals. Similarly, (Gómez, 2015) explored the application of critical geragogy in foreign language education. Gómez argues that the absence of cognitive uniformity among older learners makes learner autonomy particularly important, and that language education for older adults should go beyond linguistic practice to encourage social participation.

Methodology

The project was co-designed with a group of Spanish-speaking immigrant older adults living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This group had previously participated in activities organized by a local community organization with which the researcher had a relationship. The group shared that they were interested in continuing learning online but did not have a plan to follow. The study was envisioned through a collaborative process (IRB approval #e2021-187). There were 17 participants aged 65 and over, 14 identified as women and three as men. Since participants spoke limited English as an additional language, informed consent was obtained in their preferred language -- Spanish. Because the study was guided by the group’s needs, formal inclusion and exclusion criteria were not applied and members were not anonymous during educational sessions.

The project operationalized Hachem’s (2020) argument that geragogical programming must be inclusive, flexible and responsive to the realities of older adults’ learning. A distinctive feature of the project was co-facilitation and co-design approach. One group member recognized for his informal leadership served as a co-facilitator and participated in debriefing with the primary researcher. In the result, a series of eight storytelling sessions were co-developed to be conducted on Zoom. Sessions were designed to be collaborative, slow-paced and accommodating of diverse modes of participants’ cognitive and affective processing. Furthermore, in planning the curriculum, the project team sought to balance agency and structure by providing both clear frameworks and allowing for learner-driven adaptation.

Inspired by a storytelling card game Story Stitch developed by GreenCard Voices group (https://www.greencardvoices.org/programs/story-stitch/), three types of storytelling prompts were designed to guide the sessions. First, “Personal/Community” prompts (e.g., Share a story about someone from your community), to help participants share and situate their life stories within broader social and cultural contexts and reflect on their relationships and shared histories. Second, “Well-being” prompts (e.g., Share a story about the last time you felt truly happy) to elicit narratives of joy, gratitude, and fulfillment. Third, “Resilience” prompts (e.g., Share a story about a time when you felt brave) to help participants name and reframe difficult experiences as sites of learning.

Participants’ life experiences were treated as rich sources of knowledge and their prior experiences with learning were called upon to shape the curriculum. For example, at the mid-point of the program, the curriculum was revised based on observational insights and participant feedback. Specifically, the co-facilitator recommended incorporating a stronger educational component, as the participants were expecting more of school-like environment. This led to the integration of short mini lectures on narrative techniques (e.g., the use of metaphor, imagery, and symbolic language) to scaffold the storytelling activities that followed. After consulting with the co-facilitator, it was decided that these mini lectures would be delivered at the beginning of the sessions. Feedback during the group interview suggested that participants found these segments helpful for the development of their skills of storytelling. While writing was not required, some participants chose to prepare short texts between sessions. Story-sharing was always voluntary. While open to micro modifications, the group agreed on the following session progression.

(1) Warm-up visualization guided by the facilitator (e.g., “Visualize your arrival to Canada, what do you see?”).

(2) Sharing of a prompt.

(3) The first storyteller responded to the prompt. Others responded with related stories, questions, or comments. To ensure all voices were heard, each person could respond once per story.

(4) The original storyteller tagged the next participant to continue. The process repeated until time or prompts ran out.

(5) The group discussed shared themes they identified in the stories, offered suggestions to curricula revisions and chose prompts for the following session.

Data Generation and Analysis

Data were generated through the audio-visual recordings of the sessions, debriefing sessions between the primary researcher and the co-facilitator, and an additional 60-minute group interview with participants that included evaluative questions. All data were transcribed in Spanish and analyzed thematically using an inductive approach (Heath et al., 2010) with a focus on patterns in the data. Initial open coding was conducted in Spanish by the lead researcher and hired research assistant. Themes related to learning, identity, emotional expression, and the pandemic were identified and refined by the principal researcher. Informed by Patton’s (2008) emphasis on meaning-making in qualitative evaluation research, the refining of themes was structured around the questions: “What? So what? Now what?” (p. 5) in relation to future educational recommendations and member-checked with the group and the co-facilitator. All participant quotes were translated into English for this publication. ²

Findings

The analysis of the data identified three main themes pertaining to the participants’ learning experiences of storytelling. They are (1) connection in a time of isolation; (2) anti-ageist reclamation; and (3) temporal transcendence.

Connection in a Time of Isolation

A recurring theme that emerged from the discussion was the idea that learning helped the group to be more connected and cognitively active. A quote from participant B, reflects this. In response to a question about the different ways to tell a story, they responded: “The idea is very good; it is very good for us to know the steps that need to be taken for a good conversation.” We can take this comment as pointing to an appreciation not only for storytelling as a vehicle for personal expression, but also for its pedagogical potential, specifically its capacity to facilitate communication. The reference to “the steps” underscores that B saw narrative work as a scaffolded practice that supported their learning in meaningful dialogue. Similarly, participant A emphasized the importance of mental activity during lockdowns, stating: “In this time of pandemic when we all need to keep our minds active.” Storytelling learning thus seemed to function not only as a social outlet, but also as an exercise which seemed to help some participants counteract the inertia of isolation.

The emotional limitations of remote interaction also surfaced. For example, when reflecting on the future of the program another participant expressed a deep longing for in-person connection, stating, “Hopefully, this pandemic will end so we can meet in person.” This sentiment illustrates the dual role of storytelling in this context: it offered a valuable channel for connection in a time of physical distance; however, it also served as a reminder of the irreplaceable affordances of face-to-face interaction. As the workshop progressed, participants spoke often on the tensions between online and in-person learning. Some noted that while face-to-face sessions tend to provide more freedom, hybrid formats may be more sustainable. Although no formal digital literacy training was provided, the digital format shaped both the depth of emotional exchange and the nature of group cohesion.

For many participants, the act of storytelling was introspective as it offered a space to explore personal histories and emotions. For example, participant C articulated this clearly: “I am very grateful because I have learned a lot, right? From all these stories, from each of the people, from my companions, and from myself.” In this way, storytelling functioned as an individual and at the same time social learning practice that deepened relational bonds within the group.

Finally, several participants described the storytelling workshops as a vital source of communal support. Summarizing the impact of the program, participant F noted, “It has strengthened us, it has changed us during this time; we are more alert, happier, we forget about the pandemic for a while.” This quote highlights how storytelling offered participants not only a temporary reprieve from the stress of the pandemic, but it also offered a renewed sense of communal vitality and joy. Refereeing to alertness, happiness, and temporary escape in combination with “us” suggests a shared emotional experience among participants and the value of the collective storytelling practice.

Anti-ageist Reclamation

Many participants remarked that participation in the storytelling sessions helped them re-think their assumptions about later life. When asked about their expectations for the project, participants spoke about their desires that reached beyond the act of telling stories itself. They hoped to be able to communicate with younger generations, keep their minds active, and learn new concepts through intergenerational exchange. Indeed, some participants brought the learning from the workshops back home. One participant shared, “I told my granddaughters… because there, at least, you entertain yourself, your mind is cleared.” The act of narrating stories to grandchildren was described as mutually beneficial: it provided cognitive stimulation and enjoyment for the storyteller, while also building intimacy and dialogue across generational lines. The discussion frequently brought up storytelling as a vital medium for intergenerational exchange, one through which older adults could pass down knowledge, values, and experiences to younger generations. For example, Participant D emphasized the significance of this process: “Finding a way to transmit our thoughts, our wishes, our aspirations to the younger generations that follow us is very important.” This statement positions storytelling as a forward-looking act, rooted in shaping the values and aspirations of those who come next. These remarks speak to a strong desire for intergenerational connection and, importantly, to participants’ recognition that they could learn and contribute across generations.

In response to a question about expectations for the project, participant F remarked: “I had no expectations because I didn’t know, it was uncertain what you were going to bring us, but by being in the program and learning everything you taught us… you made us creative.” The shift from uncertainty to creativity suggests that the scaffolded nature of storytelling workshops opened new creative possibilities for participants that challenged them to think differently about themselves as storytellers. This idea of newly realized creative contributions was especially prominent in the participants’ reflections on fictitious storytelling. For example, Participant D stated, “We older adults have enough capacity to create fictitious, imaginary things to feel better and to make our younger generations feel better.” She also remarked later “I don’t feel that I am old” and reminded the rest of the group to “never let your inner child die.” In addition to addressing the creative capacities in later life, this assertion repositions the learner as an imaginative agent capable of both self-expression and intergenerational contribution. Affirmation of the ongoing vitality and social relevance of older adults was further echoed by participant G who stated: “We can give a lot to the world because life is not over yet; it ends when we close our eyes” as this learner challenged the perception that aging limits creativity and capacity to contribute.

Temporal Transcendence

The storytelling work connected participants’ pasts and imagined futures. For many, the act of storytelling revived personal and familial memories which re-situated them within broader generational narratives as participant B remarked, “To remember is to live again.” This poetic reflection captures the restorative dimension of storytelling. For some, storytelling became a vehicle for processing existential questions and making sense of an unprecedented global event as the participants reconnected with meaningful past experiences unavailable due to social isolation. Through this recollection they were able to experience a sense of emotional and spiritual re-interpretation of their lives; as one participant remarked: “This pandemic came to teach us more, above all, the fear of God.” Over time, they described the program as strengthening, uplifting, and even a way to temporarily “forget about the pandemic” (participant Y). Participant E reflected, “It taught us a lot and, in remembering our ancestors, our family and everything, it made us remember all of that… That was very beautiful.” This quote illustrates how storytelling activities served as a bridge between past and present, thus offering participants a way to honor their cultural heritage. Another participant reinforced the temporal layering of their experience in the workshops by indicating that as an intentional space for reminiscence the workshop allowed memories that might otherwise fade to be reactivated and affirmed.

While memory and reflection were central themes, participants also looked ahead as exemplified by this quote from one participant: “It would be wonderful to write fictional stories, but about the future, focusing on positive things, on positive aspects.” This forward-looking perspective expands the purpose of storytelling in later life beyond nostalgia and positions this practice as a generative force that allows older adults to articulate hope, creativity, and vision for what lies ahead.

Discussion

A central principle of geragogy is that learning in later life must be relational (Findsen & Formosa, 2012). The findings of this paper speak to recognizing older adults’ needs of being in community, especially evident in the time of social isolation. As the pandemic exacerbated social isolation, relational learning became even more critical. Participants reflected that joining the storytelling project helped them counteract loneliness and see each other as full members of their learning community.

While this project did not specifically consider working with youth, many participants spoke of wanting to connect with younger generations and explore new ideas through future-oriented intergenerational dialogue. Such expectations directly counter the stereotype that older adults are primarily oriented toward decline or nostalgia. Research has shown that authentic stories created by older adults can elicit empathy in younger audiences (Sljivic et al., 2021). Similarly, by imaging intergenerational connection, participants validated their life experiences as valuable knowledge to be shared. Further research could investigate if storytelling via Zoom and other communication platforms would encourage some form of age-positive intergenerational learning.

Tension between structure and adaptability presents a recurring challenge for curriculum development. Much of the geragogical literature speaks to the importance of the learning environments (Ahmad et al., 2022; Creech & Hallam, 2015; Gates & Wilson-Menzfeld, 2022), especially arguing for the nuance of objectives depending on the needs of the learner group (Maderer & Skiba, 2006) and suggests that older adults often prefer structured learning environments with clear activities and guidance. However, data from this study suggests that learning environments must remain flexible and incorporate diverse activities and learner contributions. In this paper, co-creation has been suggested as one way to reconcile these demands, as it retains a recognizable structure while allowing learners to shape content and activities in ways that reflect their needs and experiences. For example, an important insight from the process of co-development of the curriculum was participants expressed a strong desire to learn how to become better storytellers. This was evident in their request to offer mini lectures on narrative techniques. Indeed, several participants emphasized that despite joining the project to mitigate isolation, they also learned new skills which made them more confident creatives. In fact, participants noted skill-building, gained knowledge and techniques to evoke past lives as important outcomes of the project.

A critical geragogical perspective actively challenges ageist assumptions that depict older adults as passive, dependent, or lacking in learning potential. Similarly, participants in the study actively constructed anti-ageist narratives and spoke about themselves and each other as capable and creative individuals. However, they were interested in developing their capacity as creatives and storytellers. This desire to learn and apply new skills disrupted ageist stereotypes that might surround learning in later life: they asserted their ongoing motivation and capacity to learn, challenged idea of detrimental cognitive decline, and reclaimed learning as a valued activity in their lives. This aligns with the critical geragogical perspective of Formosa (2012), which emphasizes the importance of education in reinforcing self-determination of older learners. Rather than being passive recipients of instruction, participants in this study used their past learning experiences to actively share aprirations for future programming. Further, the importance of creating counter narratives to understanding aging solely as the time of decline becomes even more central as participants’ reflections illustrate that storytelling-based curriculum invited emotional imaginative work, while also functioning as an affirming and generative space.

Storytelling was chosen by the participants with the broader goal of sustaining a sense of community amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Research has argued that narrative work can help older adults process memories and generate wisdom (Kenyon, 2003) and feel validated (Hausknecht et al., 2019). In addition, narrative learning formats that specially involve memory work and reminiscence can also help older learner express emotions in a creative way (Balyasnikova & Gillard, 2018) and stimulate cognition (Greenwood-Hickman et al., 2021). The benefits of storytelling were further corroborated by the participants in this study who noted that storytelling helped them explore personal histories and emotions related to significant moments in their lives. Importantly, storytelling workshops acted not only as spaces to learn new skills and connect with each other, but also as spaces that connected participants to their imagined futures. This was particularly relevant in the case of this research as older adults navigated the pandemic-related disruptions, using narrative to make sense of their experiences and maintain social connections. Taken together, data demonstrate how storytelling operated across temporal dimensions and anchored participants in their familial and cultural pasts, provided emotional sustenance in the present, and opened imaginative pathways toward positive futures. As such, storytelling in this context functioned as both remembrance and reimagining, affirming the enduring agency of older adults as they narrate and shape their lives across time.

Based on the insights from the analysis, following suggestions to guide creative programming are offered:

(1) Build the programming on an explicit anti-ageist foundation by affirming older adults’ capacity for creativity and learning.

(2) Ensure that participants’ learning experiences shape the co-development of curriculum through ongoing feedback.

(3) Incorporate experimentation with different creative forms and opportunities to learn and apply new skills in practice.

(4) Support participants not only in revisiting past experiences but also in future-oriented envisioning.

In recommendations to program staff, participants further suggested having additional time for socialization, patient instructors, and expert guest speakers, including fictional narrative work, memory-focused activities, and opportunities to publish their stories.

Conclusion

This paper described a process and impact of co-designing storytelling curriculum with older immigrant adults. Conducted in the time of great uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 pandemic, the study was small in scale and context-specific. It involved participants from a single Spanish-speaking group, all of whom were already connected and used to learning together. Data were generated by the group and the analysis aimed to surface shared insights rather than evaluate outcomes in a measurable way. These methodological choices, alongside the co-facilitation model and the language-specific context, limit generalizability of the findings.

Despite the acknowledged limitations, the practices described here may serve as a resource for professionals, especially working in community-based settings. Unlike many educational programs for older adults, the curriculum was co-designed with the learners and included a peer mentor from within the group. Analysis suggests that for many participants, this format offered a space for connection, reflection, and pause amid the disorientation of the pandemic. These findings point to new possibilities for designing inclusive and participatory learning environments.

This project uniquely demonstrates that even basic online formats (e.g., Zoom) can create meaningful and impactful learning environments. Regardless of platform for delivery, storytelling remains a promising, layered strategy for later life education. Future research might extend this work to see how scaffolded teaching of storytelling could support mental health, facilitate intergenerational communication, and resource advocacy led by older adults themselves. Longitudinal or comparative studies could explore how collaborative storytelling practices might be scaled or institutionalized to serve broader populations of older adults.