October 2008This is a featured page

Postings from October, 2008


  • BC Gay Student Conference
    Student safety, diversity and the need for anti-homophobia curriculum in BC primary and secondary schools were all hot topics at the 2008 Pride in Education conference held Oct 24 in Vancouver.
  • The National Clearinghouse on Family Violence has released its latest series of Sexual Abuse Information fact sheets See http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/new_e.html for the full series which includes: sexual abuse counselling; When Boys have Been Sexually Abused; When Girls have been Sexually Abused and more.
  • Ontario Funds Defibrillators in Schools
    With more than 6,500 Ontarians dying of cardiac arrest each year, the province is investing in defibrillators and specialized training in high schools as part of a $1.4-million initiative to save lives. Through the province's initiative, The Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation will train high school teachers how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The teachers will then pass their training on to their students, allowing them to recognize and offer help at the scene of a cardiac arrest.

  • The National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools (NCCMT) and health-evidence.ca have partnered to provide searches relevant to chronic disease focused literature. This collection contains links to searches for reviews on health-evidence.ca related to the prevention of chronic diseases, published from 1985 to the present. The reviews focus on the effectiveness of interventions in public health and the list offers the option to see the reviews categorized by disease, audience, setting, or intervention strategy.
  • School Working Conditions Harder for Elementary Teachers (ETFO)
    A new research study has found that school-level working conditions – how the school is organized and how this affects teachers – are less favourable for elementary teachers than for secondary teachers. The study’s researchers suggest this can negatively impact student learning. School-level working conditions, which include such issues as opportunities for school-wide collaboration with colleagues, relationships with parents, and school leadership, is one of nine “working conditions that matter” on which the study focused to arrive at the conclusion that working conditions are more favourable for secondary public school teachers. The report suggests that “insofar as teacher working conditions are student learning conditions, better working conditions would seem to be an obvious focus for school improvement.” The study was undertaken by Kenneth Leithwood, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, on behalf of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO). Evidence for the study was collected from interviews with a small number of teachers who had recently worked in both elementary and secondary schools and from survey responses from 3,000 elementary and secondary teachers. According to study results, secondary teachers’ responses were more positive than elementary teachers on 14 of the 17 items measuring school-level working conditions.
  • Canada Safety Council Calls for Safer Backpacks as part of Safety Week
    OTTAWA – Canadian school children are injuring their spines and arms by carrying heavy backpacks to school says the Canada Safety Council (CSC). This can cause chronic problems that linger into adulthood.Parents should monitor the use of their child's backpack. Students can minimize strain by using and fitting a backpack that works for them rather than against them. The Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) recommends the selection and use of a backpack with the following features: Go to full article...
  • Stats Canada Releses Family Violence Data (The STC Daily)
    Over 38,000 incidents of spousal violence were reported to 149 police services across Canada in 2006, accounting for about 15% of all reported violent incidents.The most frequently reported violent offences among spouses were common assault (61%), followed by major assault (14%), uttering threats (11%) and stalking (8%). Common and major assaults were typically more prevalent in the western provinces and territories, while incidents of stalking and uttering threats were more common in Quebec. When males were victims of spousal violence, 23% were victims of major assault, compared with 13% of female victims. Stalking and uttering threats were more common among female victims than male victims. Charges were laid by police in the majority (77%) of spousal violence incidents. Incidents involving female victims were more likely to result in a charge being laid than those involving male victims. Note: This release is based on the study, "Spousal violence in Canada's provinces and territories", published today in the 2008 edition of Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profle.
  • Fire Safety Checklist for Schools
    October 5-11 was Fire Safety Week in Canada. This document provides a checklist for schools to be used in conjunction with the Model Fire Safety Plan. Should include these elements: 1.1 General Building Information, 1.2 Fire Protection Services' Authority, 1.3 Fire Department's Authority, 1.4 Fire Department Entrance, 1.5 Fire Protection Equipment, 1.6 Building Core Working Hours, 1.7 Evacuation Drill Requirements, 1.8 Pre-Planning Fire Drill(s), 1.9 Occupant Training, 1.10 Temporary Shelter 1.11 First-Aid Posts, 1.12 Floor and Stairwell Identification, 1.14 Reporting Fires and False Alarms, 2.1 Immediate Evacuation - or - Evacuation for Buildings Equipped with a Two-Stage Fire Alarm System, 3.1 Organization Chart, 3.2 Senior Officer, 3.3 Chief Fire Emergency Warden, 3.4 Deputy Chief Fire Emergency Wardens, 3.5 Floor Emergency Warden and Deputies, 3.7 Responsibilities of all Building Occupants, 3.11 Fire Orders for Specialized Areas, 3.13 Systems, 3.14 Building Diagrams
  • Fire Pevention Canada
    Fire Prevention Canada (FIPRECAN) is the national voice of fire prevention and education in Canada.

  • Keeping Our Kids Safe
    is a partnership initiative between Ontario's teachers and the fire service. Curriculum approved lesson plans focusing on preventable injuries during the spring and summer months make this campaign easy, fun and rewarding. Most importantly, these lessons may very well save lives or prevent serious injury to that precious group in our society – our school-age children.

  • This editorial calls for more effective policies on school fighting after video of fighting is posted on You Tube.

  • The Dietitians of BC have created a draft document entitled Tips and Recipes for School Food Services: Meeting the Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools. This new resource has been created to assist people who prepare food for sale to students in implementing the Guidelines. It includes tips on how to choose healthy recipes, substitutions to make favourite recipes healthier and a selection of recipes that meet the Guidelines. The new Healthy Eating at School Website is one-stop shopping with all of the relevant school nutrition resources on one site presented by the BC Dairy Foundation, ActNow BC and Knowledge Network. www.healthyeatingatschool.ca.

  • Marginalized speak from the heart at CCL H&L Centre Symposium (Winnipeg Free Press)
    There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd during the final day of the Other Voices forum in Winnipeg Friday, an extraordinary event that puts marginalized people -- the homeless, addicts, mentally ill -- centre stage to tell their stories. The first event was organized in Vancouver by the Canadian Council on Learning, based on the belief that those who most need our social safety-net are the ones who can tell us best how to make it stronger. Policy-makers in government, researchers and community organizers were also invited. Five different groups presented Friday, sharing life lessons on issues like addictions, literacy, sex work, poverty and mental health.
  • CARBC Leads Canadian NGO Sign-up for Consensus Declaration
    In June 1998, the UN General Assembly met in a Special Session to address the world drug problem. This event was unique in that the General Assembly, for the first time, assigned the same level of importance to demand reduction as other components of drug control. The General Assembly also called upon NGOs to work closely with governments and others in assessing the drug problem, identifying viable solutions, implementing appropriate policies and programs, and committing to achieving significant and measurable results by 2008. Working with the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and numerous governments, the Vienna NGO Committee (VNGOC) organized a global consultation of NGOs culminating in the "Beyond 2008" International NGO Forum held in Vienna, Austria from 7-9 July, 2008. The Forum built on the recommendations coming from the nine regional consultations which had been held. At the end of the Forum, a Declaration and three Resolutions were adopted by consensus among all those participating in the Forum. This was an historic achievement and reflected the maturity and commitment of the global NGO community. For the benefit of Canadian NGOs and other civil society organizations that were not present in Vienna, the document is available here in English and French. Organizations may add their names to the list of supporters on the left by endorsing this historic document on the form found at this page on the web site of the Centre for Addictions Research -BC (CARBC).
  • The Ontario government produced Eating Well Looks Good on You in partnership with David Rocco, a celebrity chef on the Food Network. The video features him preparing a delicious lunch from fresh, Ontario-grown ingredients — with help from a group of secondary school students. The video is also posted online at www.ontario.ca/healthyschools. The website has healthy recipes, plus information about Ontario’s Healthy Schools Recognition Program and tools to help make schools healthier places to learn and succeed.

  • Lights, camera, action! Watch CCL on YouTube
    All of CCL’s popular videos featured in our past reports such as Reading the Future and programs such as the 21st Century Learning Initiative, are now easily accessible on the video sharing website YouTube. These videos include one on Action Schools BC and using music with aboriginal students.     View CCL videos on YouTube

  • Report on Healthy Colleges/Universities
    The Association for Canadian Community Colleges, working with universities and health groups on campuses across Canada has published a report on the health promoting role and comprehensive approach of post secondary institutions.

  • The Dietitians of Canada in its current edition of "Current Issues" overviews school nutrition policies in Canada. See attached PDF versions (Eng/Fre) attached below (Scroll to bottom of this page).

  • Project gets kids to walk to school (Burlington Post)
    The Halton Region Health Department and the Halton District School Board have launched a program with eight elementary schools across the region to implement Walking School Buses and other Active and Safe Routes to School (ASRTS) initiatives
  • School PE/PA Progams have no Effect on Body Weight: Canadian Research Review (Medscape-Free subscription required)
    October 14, 2008 (Boston, Massachusetts) — School-based physical activity interventions to address obesity in children have no effect on body mass index (BMI) or other anthropometric measures of overweight or obesity, a systematic review of the literature concludes. Lead investigator Kevin C. Harris, MD, presented the results of a meta-analysis here at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2008 National Conference and Exhibition. Dr. Harris is a pediatrician at the BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia. "School-based interventions are theoretically appealing because compliance with interventions can be improved. Consequently, many local governments have enacted or are considering policy mandating increasing physical activity in schools, although the efficacy of these interventions in improving body composition remains unproven," Dr. Harris said. "Therefore the objective of our study was to determine whether school-based physical activity interventions can improve body composition as measured by BMI in children." Dr. Harris and colleagues identified 398 studies initially; however, only 18 met all inclusion criteria, and 15 of those were amenable to meta-analysis. Ten of these were randomized controlled trials and 5 were nonrandomized controlled trials. Meta-analysis of the data revealed that the difference between intervention groups and the control groups in mean change in BMI was −0.05 kg/m2 (95% confidence interval, −0.19 to 0.10), indicating that BMI is not affected by school-based physical activity intervention. There was also no consistent improvement in any other measures of body composition, such as body fat percentage, skin-fold thickness, lean mass, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio. Researchers also conducted sensitivity analyses to assess whether important study characteristics might have influenced the results. Sex, study duration, and trial quality had no effect on the results. Changes in BMI was found to be virtually identical between the intervention and control groups in the sensitivity analyses, and regression analysis showed that results were also remarkably consistent across studies, Dr. Harris told session attendees. "We're very concerned that the results of our study might be taken out of context," Dr. Harris told Medscape Pediatrics. "There are important beneficial health effects from school-based physical activity interventions, such as improved aerobic capacity, blood pressure, bone mineral density, and flexibility. We should be promoting physical activity in school and outside of school. But if we're really going to tackle the issue of obesity, then we need to have interventions that are proven to impact BMI and other anthropometric measures." Dr. Harris stressed that providing nutritious food in school and optimizing children's nutritional intake and restricting access to unhealthy foods should be a key component of any school-based intervention.
  • Several Alberta Catholic School Boards Refuse HPV Vaccine (Canadian Press)
    Alberta is scrambling to come up with a backup plan to vaccinate girls against a virus that causes cervical cancer as more Catholic school boards opt out over a program they say condones premarital sex.
    So far at least six of Alberta's 20 Catholic boards have voted against allowing girls in Grades 5 and 9 to be inoculated against HPV in schools. More boards are expected to say no after Calgary Bishop Fred Henry spoke out against the program during a meeting with school trustees. Ted Paszek, president of the Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association, said the bishop's message at a meeting last month resonated with many of the boards. About 8,000 girls in the Catholic system are eligible to receive the vaccine this fall. "The bishop said it would be unacceptable for Catholic schools to be offering this vaccine, that it would tacitly condone premarital sexual activity," said Paszek, who is also president of the Elk Island Catholic School Division, which is to vote on the HPV vaccine this Thursday
  • The Canadian Safe School Network is pleased to offer the Safe Schools Certification Institute - Parts 1 & 2 - a safe schools training program, developed by educators for educators.
    • Spend two days with leading educational experts in the field of Safe Schools
    • Optimize your knowledge of safe school procedures and policies
    • Make your school a safe and caring community
    • Network and learn in a relaxed environment
    • Benefit from real life case studies, interactive discussion, sharing best practices, course resources & a certificate of successful completion.
    Further details available and registration open on our website: http://www.canadiansafeschools.com/professional/upcomingDev/winterinstitute.htm

  • Coca-Cola, ParticipAction team up to promote active living (Globe & Mail)
    The first gold medal of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics can be awarded for an astounding leap in credibility.It's not the Nordic ski jump event, but the jump made by soft drink giant Coca-Cola Canada and the fitness program experts at ParticipAction to find common ground for a project. The two very unlikely bedfellows have launched a program that sends a message to youth to become active and fit, involving the Olympic torch run and an Internet networking site.

  • New Sport Plan for New Brunswick
    Schools are part of a new plan for sports in New Brunswick. This plan calls for an increased investment in sport, better use of existing resources and the need for greater levels of cooperation and collaboration within the New Brunswick sport system. The plan specifically recommends further enhancing the annual government investment in sport operational activities to the level of the daily government investment in the health care system. The target investment to sport organizations is $6.0 million per year by 2011. Major personal, social and economic benefits of sport investment are presented, along with current best estimates of the return on investment from governmental spending on sport; which range upward from an approximately $3.00 return for every $1.00 invested.
  • Anaphylaxis Canada is pleased to present Managing Anaphylaxis in Secondary Schools, and Managing Anaphylaxis in Elementary Schools, two online information sessions which will take place from 12 noon to 1 pm (EST) on October 15th and October 22nd respectively. These webcasts will address anaphylaxis management strategies in both elementary and secondary schools individually, auto-injector training, as well as tips and strategies for creating an allergy safe school environment. Each webcast is being offered free of charge across the country to aid school staff in their anaphylaxis training programs as well as for anyone with an interest in anaphylaxis, such as patients, parents of allergic children, educators, child care workers, nurses, public health and other caregivers. .
  • Canadians are not practicing what they preach when it comes to hygiene
    New Canadian-based Health & Hygiene Council, chaired by Dr. Donald Low,is created to address gaps in knowing versus doing. An international survey on hygiene practices hasshown that for the third consecutive year, Canada tops the charts when it comes to knowing the importance of infection prevention. Nine out of 10
    Canadians (90%)(1) believe "washing hands regularly" is the most effective way to help protect against catching the flu - more than any other country surveyed and well ahead of Germany who ranked second in this area with 66 per cent. That being said, there is a gap between knowing and doing. Canadians know how to protect themselves and stay healthy, but are not following through with action. Only four in ten (37%)(2) Canadians claim their children always wash their hands before eating and a similar amount said that they did so 'most' of the time (44%)(3). This is compared to countries such as Malaysia (80%), India (79%) and Italy (76%) in terms of always washing before eating. If Canadian children are not following simple handwashing basics, it is alarming to consider which other health and hygiene practices may be
    neglected. All statistical information refers to the International Consumer Hygiene Study 2008 in which 10,000 consumers were surveyed across 10 countries. Detailed results can be found at www.canadianhealthandhygienecouncil.ca
    The Formation of a Canadian Authority on Health & Hygiene. The aim of the Health & Hygiene Council is to revisit current hygiene practices, identify health and hygiene gaps across the country, offer realistic recommendations to the public around the importance of health and hygiene in the home and community and identify programs and/or solutions that might help fill the gaps identified. The HHCC brings together leading experts in the fields of microbiology, virology, paediatrics, infectious disease, public health and education. It is chaired by Dr. Donald Low, Microbiologist-in-Chief at Toronto Medical Laboratories/Mount Sinai Hospital, and has representatives from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The inaugural meeting took place June 25, 2008 in Toronto. Other members of the Council include; Dr. Brenda L. Cholin, Medical Health Officer, Prairie North Health Region, North Battleford, SK, Dr. Caroline Quach, Pediatric Infectious Disease and Medical Microbiologist, Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, QC, Douglas S. McCall, Canadian Association for School Health, Vancouver, BC; Elizabeth Watson, Infection Control Practitioner, South Shore Health, South Shore, NS.

  • Another school board rejects HPV vaccine (Winnipeg Sun)
    In a meeting Tuesday night, the board voted unanimously not to allow the HPV vaccine to be offered in local Catholic schools. A number of Alberta Catholic ...
  • Mother questions HPV vaccine (StarPhoenix-Saskatoon)
    The HPV vaccination began being administered voluntarily last week to grade 6 and 7 students at schools in Saskatoon. Consent forms were sent home to ...
  • Alberta health minister critical of Catholic school boards' ban on ... (The Canadian Press)
    Alberta announced in June that the HPV vaccine would be offered to Grade 5 girls beginning in September and to Grade 9 girls starting next year - but only...
  • 10 Common HPV Vaccine Myths - Get your questions answered....web site sponsored by Government of BC
    SH News Blog, Announcements & Updates - Canadian School Health Profiles New VIDEO for kids about HPV
  • HPV, Vaccines, and Gender: Policy Considerations (Canadian Womens Health Network, 2007)
    A careful review of the literature, including that which was submitted by the manufacturer with its application for approval of Gardasil, reveals a sufficient number of unanswered questions to lead us to conclude that a universal immunization program aimed at girls and women in Canada is, at this time, premature and could possibly have unintended negative consequences for individuals and for society as a whole. We suggest that rather than giving widespread administration of this vaccine a "green light," a more appropriate policy at this time would be a "yellow light" of caution. We recommend that the funding announced by the federal government be used to support the research needed to answer the many questions outlined below; to fund a public education campaign to quell the unfounded anxiety that has been instilled by marketers of the vaccine that HPV represents a "new" or "imminent" threat; and to ensure equal access to Pap testing, including timely follow-up and application of improvements in testing. Only when there is a solid evidence base and an appropriately-provisioned cervical screening program accessible to all can we determine the most appropriate holistic strategy - and the place of vaccination in it - to address cervical cancer and the transmission of HPV between and among Canadian girls, boys, women, and men. We have been given an exciting opportunity to establish effective guidelines and to create a model of how to approach future vaccines. We must take full advantage of it. In this paper, we summarize some of the major questions and concerns that need to be addressed before there is a full-scale roll-out of an HPV vaccination program. These closely reflect issues raised in the analytical framework created by Erickson et al.[i] in the context of the development of the National Immunization Strategy (NIS), and support efforts to ensure a comprehensive and systematic evaluation of all relevant factors before decisions regarding the importance of a new immunization program are made. As well, they echo some of the research questions identified as important in the Final Report from the Canadian Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Research Priorities Workshop held in Quebec City in 2005.[ii]We hope raising these questions now will contribute to the deliberations necessary to ensure a responsible and transparent evidence-based decision-making process. See also: The HPV vaccine, one year later
  • Canadian Cancer Society perspective on HPV vaccines
    Because of their potential impact in reducing the number of cervical cancers diagnosed in Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society believes that HPV vaccines should be available and affordable to the public. However, vaccines should be used as a complement, not a replacement, for cervical cancer screening. Gardasil – the quadrivalent vaccine The quadrivalent vaccine is manufactured by Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. and marketed under the name Gardasil. Gardasil protects against infection with HPV type 6, 11, 16 and 18 in women not previously infected by these HPV types. The vaccine prevents nearly 100% of the precancerous changes that happen to cells in the cervix from persistent infection with HPV type 16 and 18. Based on current research, Gardasil provides protection for at least 5 years.
  • National Advisory Committee on Immunization statement on Gardasil In January 2007 the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released its recommendations on the Health Canada approved human papillomavirus vaccine, which protects against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. HPV 6 and 11 are linked to 90% of genital warts. HPV 16 and 18 are linked to approximately 70% of cervical cancers. The recommendations state that the following groups of people be vaccinated with the approved vaccine:
    • females between the age of 9 and 13 years who have not yet become sexually active
    • females between the ages of 14 and 26 years, even if they have become sexually active, as they would benefit from the vaccine
    • females between the age of 14 and 26 years who have had previous Pap abnormalities, including cervical cancer, or have had genital warts or known HPV infection, as they could still benefit from the vaccine (they may not have been infected with the HPV types covered by the vaccine)
  • Healthy and Safe Schools Part of New Brunswick Accountability Plan
    Schools in NB are to be held accountable for increasing physical activity, safety and emergency preparedness as part of the provincial policy, When Kids come first. See the first annual report on this policy here.
  • Francophone School System in New Brunswick includes Community School Approach
    The provincial strategy for schools include an emphasis on community partnerships, inclusion, health and learning.
  • Ontario Reviews Health/Physical Education Curriculum
    The review of the Health and Physical Education, Grades 1-12 curriculum policy documents began in September 2007. In fall 2007, representatives from school boards and school authorities participated in Focus Group Sessions for Health and Physical Education 1-12 hosted by the Ministry of Education across the province. Focus Group input, feedback from other stakeholders, research, and analysis of current curriculum policy documents provided recommendations for revisions. During the summer of 2008, writing teams of educators drafted proposed revisions to Health and Physical Education 1-12 curriculum documents to address the recommendations.The Ministry is initiating the next stage of the review process, Feedback Consultation, on the drafts of proposed revisions to the Ontario curriculum for Health and Physical Education, Grades 1-8 and Grades 9-10 (Healthy Active Living Education courses) and 11-12 (Healthy Active Living Education courses). The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Branch of the Ministry of Education will be hosting one day regional Feedback Consultation sessions for these policy documents


  • Comic Books for Aboriginal Youth Health
    This project uses commic books to promote aboiginal youth health. Pricing can be found at     www.thehealthyaboriginal.net. All of our comics cost the same. Here are the titles:
    Staying in School In Level Up, Terry is contemplating dropping out of school. But before he does, he’s asked to spend some time with his cousin Dave, a successful game developer. Rather than lecture Terry, Dave makes the importance of school relatable – he compares education to moving up a level in a video game. One hundred percent of the boys and half of the girls we tested the story with played video games, and everyone understood the game metaphor.
    Diabetes prevention An Invited Threat is about a family’s realization that the food they eat is not good for them. It’s about making healthy decisions now, rather than waiting until it’s too late. All of our comics are written and illustrated by Aboriginal artists, though we’ve been very successful at marketing our comics cross culturally. At their core, they’re really just a good read about important topics.
    Suicide prevention Darkness Calls is the story of a teenager who is bullied at school, misunderstood by his teacher and feels socially isolated from his family. He finds one day very overwhelming and considers taking his own life. Youth find Darkness Calls non-threatening and relatable, so Darkness Calls is a terrific ice breaker to get them talking about how they feel.
    Gambling addiction On the Turn is about a young woman that learns how to play poker at school. But peer pressure gets the best of her and she learns what it feels like to hurt someone very badly. We have plans to turn all of our comics into animated shorts, to address a different audience about health literacy.
    Language retention We turned Darkness Calls into a short in a First Nations language (Gitxsan, from the Hazelton, BC area) for the additional benefit of language retention. The short won an Honourable Mention in the Outstanding Canadian Short Film category at ReelWorld 2008 in Toronto. Please send an email if you’re interested in previewing a low res PDF of any of these comic books. sean@thehealthyaboriginal.net. Sean Muir Executive Director
    • Surrey safe schools manager honoured (Surrey North Delta Leader, Oct 06-08)
      Theresa Campbell, Surrey School District's manager of safe schools, has received a provincial Crime Prevention and Community Safety Award.

    • Fredericton Schools Participate in Safe Schools Week (The Daily Gleaner)
      Fire alarms, lockdowns and bus evacuations will be common this week as schools in District 18 celebrate Safe Schools Week
    • Newfoundland Schools Whoop it up with 3rd Annual Living Healthy Commotions
      Today, schools throughout Newfoundland and Labrador are enjoying the third annual Living Healthy Commotions. Living Healthy Commotions are school-based events celebrating achievements in creating healthy school environments. With $50,000 in support from the Provincial Government, students are taking part in activities such as a scavenger hunt, competing against teachers in a softball game, and participating in boot camp – just some of the interesting and entertaining ideas schools have devised to celebrate Commotions this year.

    • Taking Flight: The Ravens Alternative Education Program (Canadian Council on Learning, Practically Speaking Series)
      According to Statistics Canada, nearly 50% of Aboriginal youth in Canada never graduate from high school; a disproportionate number of whom are young men. The one-semester program—which the students named after the trickster in First Nations mythology who provides opportunities for growth and achievement—integrates B.C. First Nations Studies alongside more traditional curriculum such as English, math, sciences, communications and career planning. Unlike many other secondary schools, Ravens students attend all of their classes together, helping to foster a level of comfort and camaraderie not often seen in regular classrooms. Hear the podcast interview about this program.

    • Seeing the path: the Skownan Vision Seekers Initiative (Canadian Council on Learning, Practically Speaking Series)
      Unlike government initiatives, where outside experts are brought in to fix a perceived problem(school dropouts), Vision Seekers looks first to community members for a possible solution. What resulted was a year-long consultation with local residents that proved both insightful and inspirational. The first fruit of these sessions was the Wood Bison program, a high-school curriculum designed to teach Skownan School students valuable life skills, such as teamwork and personal management. It also aimed to boost the students’ sense of Aboriginal identity through courses that focussed on traditional Ojibway practices, like tanning hides, cleaning fish and tending to the band’s herd of bison. Established months after the Wood Bison program, the mature student diploma program included a mandatory life-skills program that focussed on personal management and problem solving. The eight-week life-skills course gives adults a chance to earn a high-school diploma, while enjoying the financial benefits of work placements and career development



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