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Built in a pandemic. Still going strong.
AYS started in 2020 with 15 people on a Zoom call. Today it's one of Canada's most active daily online communities for older adults.
Jen saw a problem. She built the solution.
In 2020, as the pandemic shut down senior centres and cut older adults off from their communities, Jen Tindall started hosting Zoom sessions from her home in Whitby, Ontario. Fifteen people showed up to that first class.
Jen had spent years at Harbourfront Centre building arts programming that brought people together. She understood what community meant — and she could see it disappearing for older Canadians almost overnight.
She built AYS to fill that gap. Not as a temporary fix, but as something real and lasting: daily live programming in fitness, wellness, creative arts, and social connection, accessible from anywhere in Canada, at a price that didn't exclude people.
What started as 15 people on a Zoom call has grown into thousands of members across the country, Municipal partners across Ontario, peer-reviewed outcomes research published in BMC Public Health, and a community that members describe, unprompted, as a lifeline.
AYS is still run by Jen. It's still personal. And it still shows up every single morning.
We believe older adults deserve more than they're usually offered.
AYS creates meaningful programmes and experiences for older adults. We design for people who are curious, active, and engaged — not for a demographic defined by what they can't do.
Our vision is a Canada where no older adult feels invisible, isolated, or written off. Where showing up for yourself every morning is easy, affordable, and genuinely enjoyable.
That's what we build. Every day.
We don't just say it works. We can prove it.
In 2024, AYS outcomes were published in BMC Public Health in partnership with North York General Hospital. The study documented member experiences across fitness, wellness, and social connection.
Members reported improved physical health, reduced isolation, and a stronger sense of community. The satisfaction rate came in at 95% — peer-reviewed, documented, and real.
For municipalities and partners, this research means AYS isn't recreational programming. It's evidence-based preventative health infrastructure.
Read the published research →The people who show up every morning.
AYS is powered by a dedicated group of instructors, facilitators, and collaborators who genuinely care about the community they serve.
Many of our instructors are older adults themselves. A grandmother of eight who has been teaching yoga since 2014. A fitness instructor who has specialised in seniors for over a decade. A music historian who brings Frank Sinatra, The Beatles and Lady Gaga to us every other Tuesday. They don't just teach to our community — they are our community.
We're proud to work alongside organisations that share our values.
Our long-standing partners help us reach more older Canadians and deliver better outcomes.
Come and see for yourself.
Seven days free. No credit card. Just show up and see what happens.
Start Your Free 7-Day Trial
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© 2026 AYS Online Community for Thriving Older Adults. Whitby, Ontario, Canada. | artyourservice.org |