Kaur said she made the \u201crandom\u201d post while struggling to get motivated for a stroll, and was stunned to receive around 100 messages.<\/p>\n
\u201cI posted and boom, the next day I had numerous likes and so many requests,\u201d she told INsauga.com.<\/p>\n
Now affectionately dubbed \u201cThe Women\u2019s Gang,\u201d Kaur says the first meet up was just with one other walker, but the group has grown to dozens of interested Brampton women looking for an outlet. The group has since had other walks and meet-ups, with plans for a community clean-up and coffee shop chat in the future.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s (about) walking, but I found women were looking more for meet-ups, just to talk,\u201d Kaur said, saying the gatherings have been a chance for women to ask each other questions, share worries, chat and vent.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the conversation was around midlife crisis, I would say,\u201d Kaur said with a laugh, adding that many members are becoming \u201cempty nesters\u201d with grown children and busy husbands or partners.<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s health advocates have called for a national strategy to combat loneliness after a 2024 National Institute on Ageing survey found 43 per cent of Canadians aged 50 years and older are at risk of social isolation, and up to 59 per cent have experienced loneliness.<\/p>\n
The Women\u2019s Age Lab & Women\u2019s College Hospital called it an \u201cepidemic of loneliness\u201d in a report, with Canada ranking as the loneliest of 11 comparable developed nations. Reports of older adults feeling isolated more than doubled in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, the report says.<\/p>\n
The report calls on the federal government to implement a national strategy to fight loneliness, to promote the importance of connection through awareness campaigns, measure loneliness and increase knowledge through research, and expand strategies and programs to increase investment in useful interventions.<\/p>\n
As for The Women\u2019s Gang, Kaur said combating loneliness wasn\u2019t her inspiration, but after speaking with some of the ladies, was \u201csurprised how badly they were looking for someone to start something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the group growing faster than expected, Kaur has put meet-ups on hold until she can better manage events and requests.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s actually growing every day,\u201d Kaur said, adding that she hopes to find a local coffee shop to sponsor meet-ups and hope to plan an event on Mother\u2019s Day weekend.<\/p>\n