Episode 13: Sounding the SOS, with Barb Silva

For the past five years, Calgary-based Support Our Students has been a vocal advocate for strong, universal public education system from the perspective of Alberta’s youth. Barb Silva, who has handled the non-partisan group’s communications during that time, has made a name as the outspoken public voice of SOS, drawing attention from politicians and private citizens as a no-holds-barred, no-nonsense representative.

The Forgotten Corner welcomes Barb to the show this week to discuss the United Conservative’s so-called plan for a safe return to schools, which will occur province-wide on Aug. 31. Barb takes listeners through her life growing up in Canada with her father, a political refugee of Augusto Pinochet’s Chile, and her personal journey through becoming an engineer, then teacher, then mother of three, before taking aim at the current provincial government and the Alberta Teachers Association regarding their lacklustre efforts for the betterment of the province’s education system, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barb is leaving Alberta with her family for personal reasons, but as one of her final acts as a member of SOS, she lays out exactly how she feels about the upcoming return to school and the plan(s) in place to ensure safety for all. Join us for one of our more passionate conversations to date, especially if you or someone you know has kids heading back to school next week.

Follow Barb on Twitter:

@thatSilvaLining

Learn more about Support Our Students:

https://www.supportourstudents.ca/

Read the UCP’s ‘plan’ for a safe return to school here:

https://www.alberta.ca/k-to-12-school-re-entry-2020-21-school-year.aspx