RECIPIENTS OF GRANTS IN SUPPORT
OF SOCIAL JUSTICE LEARNING
2016-2017
Linking through Literacy Evergreen Catholic Outreach School, Spruce Grove
The students at Evergreen Outreach will make bi-monthly visits to both the Good Samaritan Society and St. Marguerite Elementary School, bringing with them books and literature-based games to play. They hope to strengthen a sense of community across age ranges, build intergenerational community, and develop reading, writing, and story-telling abilities through something that everyone can enjoy - literature.
World Music Drumming to Support Social Justice and Diversity Crescent Valley School, Hinton
Crescent Valley School will establish a World Music Drum Group for students in grades 5-7.. They hope that the Drum Circle and the music they create will be used as a platform to support social justice and diversity in our school and the community. They also hope to learn how to listen to others, respect the needs of others with regard to personal space, and how to lead and follow each other. Finally, they hope to learn to place greater value on, understand, and have greater respect for different peoples and musical cultures.
Vegreville Next Step Peace Pole Vegreville Next Step Outreach School, Vegreville
Over the course of the school year, students will reflect upon and use the Peace Pole (more information on Peace Poles) to chronicle their encounters with various aspects of social justice and the question of personal responsibility. Students will practice peace-making in the circles of their lives: peace with my self, peace with my family, peace in my school, peace in the groups and associations in which I belong, and peace in my community. On the Peace Pole, students will chronicle their journey of self-discovery in which they learn about and put into practice social justice concerns. The end result will be a physical story of these encounters and reflections.
Sparling School Mentorship Program Sparling School, Camrose
Sparling School will establish a mentorship program involving seniors and other community members. Community members will make connections and build relationships with the students in the school. The focus will not be on academics but on relationship-building and there will be bins created that will contain materials to encourage integration and conversation between students and adults. For examples, when students indicated an interest in gardening, mentors and students can care for a garden tower all year round.
Building Intercultural Awareness and Support St. Martha School, Calgary
Students at St. Martha School in the Leadership / Social Justice option class will plan school-wide activities that share and celebrate the wide variety of cultures in our school and help raise money to support new families coming to Canada. The Student Leadership group, along with the school Culture Club, will plan, organize, and execute a variety of activities during Multicultural Week and host a Taste of Christmas night where families can come together to share the cuisine of their culture. The intention is to make a Taste of Christmas an annual event.
Backpacks for the Homeless St. Pius X School, Edmonton
The Social Justice Team at St. Pius X will assist those in need of life's necessities with warmth and food for the upcoming winter. They plan to do this by filling backpacks with items and personally deliver them with a handmade card for each backpack. Their hope is that students will connect with the people they meet and lift stigmas.
Strathcona's Founding Cultures Program Strathcona High School, Edmonton
Strathcona's Founding Cultures Program is a cultural exchange to assist urban indigenous, marginalized at-promise youth in building positive identities and sustainable futures through experiential-learning which teach cultural competency and exposure to community-based cultural resources. They utilize traditional and contemporary cultural perspectives to seek balance and reconciliation. Youth gain life and interpersonal skills by learning to facilitate Sharing Circles, plan events, and leading group sessions while participants gain increased cultural competency with respect to their own backgrounds as well as the backgrounds of their peers.
Add some GLITTER to your life Morinville Community High School, Morinville
Students at Morinville Community High School seek to recognize and understand the special concerns of LGBTQ students and hope to accomplish this in keep with the Catholic perspective in their district. GLITTER (Gays, Lesbians, Individuals, Transgender, Together, Encouraging, Recognition) seeks to address all aspects of social injustice, but they feel there is a specific need to target matters related to sexual orientation and gender equity. The group will produce an introductory video interviewing students on their perceptions and knowledge of LGBTQ issues and terms, bring in guest speakers, and have awareness-raising posters and banners around the school.
Muffins for Mercy Bishop Kidd Junior High School, Calgary
Students at Bishop Kidd feel it's time to give back. They plan to run an awareness campaign about the non-profit groups that work with and support Bishop Kidd Junior High and then bake muffins and distribute them, with inspirational messages, to other high needs schools and neighbouring seniors' group. They will also volunteer their time at Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids twice throughout the year.
Fair Trade Conference Ross Sheppard High School, Edmonton
Students will organize a conference to bring together student social justice leaders from multiple high schools in Edmonton for collaboration on social justice practices in each of their school. They will also work on education around the promotion and practice of fair trade.
