Leadership Program for Ethnocultural Youth
The Leadership Program for Ethnocultural Youth focuses on critical refleciton, participation, empowerment and action. Through a series of reflective and participatory seminars, the program will help particicipants to tap into their leadership potential, to critically reflect upon issues facing ethnocultural youth and families, and to develop practical skills as community leaders. In addition, youth leaders who complete the program will be supported to develop, implement and evaluate youth-led projects.
Leadership Program for Ethnocultural Parents
The Leadership Program for Ethnocultural Parents focuses on critical refleciton, participation, empowerment and action. Through a series of reflective and participatory seminars, the program will help particicipants to tap into their leadership potential, to critically reflect upon issues facing ethnocultural youth and families, and to develop practical skills as community leaders. In addition, parent leaders who complete the program will be supported to develop, implement and evaluate parent-led projects.
Voices of Ethnocultural Families Research Project
This research project surveys over 400 parents and 400 ESL learners in Calgary and Edmonton. The parents and students evaluate the public education system with respect to ESL education and cultural competence. Results will be available in the Spring, 2008.
Community Forum- 2007 School Board Election: Effective Public Education in a Multicultural Society- Saturday, October 6, 2007.
Every school board has a board of trustees. Trustees are elected people who make decisions that affect your children's education. We invite concerned multicultural parents, youth and community leaders to share their experiences with our education system, and to meet with the trustee candidates for the 2007 school board election.
Stepping up - Immigrant parents as equal partners
This project uses the community development approach to progressively build the knowledge and skills that immigrant parents need to be active partners in all aspects of our education system. The project offers three levels of training:
LEVEL ONE: Parental Training to Immigrant Parents by Parents
Our multilingual parents work with service providers and community groups to provide basic training to immigrant parents to develop practical knowledge and skills in order to be actively involved in their children's education. Participants will learn about Canadian education, issues facing immigrant children and youth, ESL education, and ways to be involved in public education. Participants will have opportunities to visit schools and attend school board meetings.LEVEL TWO: Leadership Training
We provide leadership training to immigrant parents who have completed our basic training in Level One. Our leadership training focuses on in-depth knowledge of the education system, empowerment, critical analysis, public speaking, media relations, problem solving, advocacy, decision making process, and methods for using a collaborative process.LEVEL THREE: Train-a-Trainer Workshops
We provide train-a-trainer workshops to immigrant parents who have completed leadership training, so that they can gain practical knowledge and skills to work with other parents. The participants will have opportunities to facilitate workshops in a supportive environment. The training is also open to facilitators of groups who wish to work with immigrant parents to promote active parental participation.Inclusion by Design Series
A series of five workshops addresses issues related to understanding the needs and support requirements of ESL learners. Such issues include language and culture, parental participation, cultural competency and community partnerships. The following provides an overview of all workshops.
Workshop #1: Immigrant Children and Youth - Needs and Resources
Through group discussion and experiential activities, participants will:- Develop an understanding of the diverse needs of immigrant children and youth in the areas of education, social services, justice and health;
- Learn about resources in the school and community to address identified needs; and
- Explore effective strategies and best practices to address identified needs.
Workshop #2: Immigrant Children and Youth - Community Collaboration
Through dialogue between the school community and key service groups, participants will:- Develop a common understanding of the needs facing immigrant children and youth, and look at the characteristics of effective community partnerships;
- Identify existing resources and service gaps in addressing the needs of immigrant children and youth;
- Explore opportunities for collaboration between the school community and community service organizations.
Workshop #3: Language & Culture - Challenges and Opportunities in Services
Through dialogue and experiential activities, participants will:- Examine the changing demographics in the community and the school;
- Gain an understanding of the current language and culture-related realities facing ESL learners;
- Develop understanding of the second language acquisition process; and
- Identify best practices and explore strategies to support ESL learners.
Workshop #4: Parental Participation
Through dialogue and experiential activities, participants will:- Examine the changing demographics in their communities and schools;
- Develop an appreciation of the benefits of active parental participation;
- Develop an understanding of the personal and institutional barriers facing immigrant parents; and
- Explore strategies to promote and enhance the participation of immigrant parents in their children's learning and school activities.
Workshop #5: School Cultural Competency
Through dialogue and experiential activities, participants will:- Reflect on the dynamics involved in school cultural competency;
- Gain in-depth, practical knowledge about cultural competency;
- Develop strategies and actions that will facilitate cultural competency in school;
- Celebrate group efforts and achievements; and
- Explore ways to incorporate cultural competency in a school improvement plan.
Note: Ideally, each workshop requires between 1½ and 2 hours. School staff and personnel are encouraged to participate in all 5 workshops. However, project staff will work with each school to select workshops, as well as to adapt contents to meet the school's needs and timelines.
