PS News presents reports on recent College activities and a selection of announcements, events and initiatives in the wider education community that may be of interest to our members.
social action project resources
Teachers offered subsidies to support student-driven social-action projects
Beginning on September 1, Ontario teachers will be able to access funds and community expertise to support student-driven social-action projects.
Imagineaction, an initiative of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF), promises to link teachers to community experts to encourage student-driven social-action projects following six themes: connect (relationships), engage (active and participatory citizenship), thrive (health and wellness), lead (leadership), live (environmental sustainability) and care (poverty).
The projects can tackle issues such as bullying, human rights and racism, substance abuse, nonviolence, recycling, environmental stewardship, education, access and equity. Student projects in all grades and in English and French are welcomed.
Support for teachers and their students will be provided through funding subsidies, access to expertise, professional development and a project showcase designed to share information nationally.
According to the CTF, “Imagineaction will offer teachers subsidies to support student-driven social-action projects; access to expertise to work with it on issues of community importance; and professional development, including resources and other supporting tools to facilitate the critical thinking process within curriculum and the development and implementation of effective sustainable social action projects.
“Quality education is about providing students with opportunities to infuse curriculum into real-world situations. Education is about being part of a student’s journey as a lifelong learner and problem solver – it is about teaching students to be critical thinkers and to look for opportunities to apply their knowledge in a transformative way.”
Why this? Why now? The federation cites surveys of teachers and parents who agree that values and ethical behaviour, human rights, environmental protection, peacemaking and participatory democracy should be taught in the public school system.
Experts from community organizations must register with the CTF. Once the experts are approved, teachers contact them directly, and the CTF moves out of the way.
To qualify, experts must include references and list their resources, links and contacts. They are also expected to comply with school board privacy policies and criminal-reference checks.
To learn more about the initiative go to www.imagine-action.ca.
