communityroom

In our guest’s beautifully written and laid-out book, she conveys the universal importance of belonging and its impact, in the introduction. She says that it is not just her personal experience that has led her to believe that belonging is the thing that matters most. She says in her book:

“Kids who feel they belong learn better in school. Elders with a sense of belonging stay healthy and aware . Immigrants who belong thrive in their new communities. Having a sense of belonging leads to flourishing in every environment and group, big and small, from your home to the culture at large.” (p.xiii)

We believe belonging matters. If we truly belong, that means that we are welcome, in our full selves, to be involved and included. We feel seen and we feel we matter.

Today we are going to talk to our guest about belonging – what it is, what it feels like, where to watch for it and how we can try to create the conditions for it – in our classrooms, our schools and in our communities.
Our Guest is Dr. Susie Wise.

RESOURCES:

https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324006183 (Geoffrey L. Cohen - Belonging)

https://www.routledge.com/Teaching-to-Transgress-Education-as-the-Practice-of-Freedom/hooks/p/book/9780415908085#

https://www.designforbelonging.com/

QUOTE:

“As a classroom community, our capacity to generate excitement is deeply affected by our interest in one another, in hearing one another's voices, in recognizing one another's presence.”

- Bell Hooks, from her 1994 book, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (New York: Routledge)

BIO:

Dr. Susie Wise is a designer and educator with experience in education, tech and the social sector. She designs learning experiences and coaches leaders in innovation practices and equity design. She teaches at the d.school at Stanford where she founded and led the K12 Lab. She is also a co-creator of Liberatory Design. Susie lives with family and their wild dog Hijiki in Oakland, California.

Today we are going to hear about one lower-mainland school district community schools’ approach and model, and we will focus on one aspect, especially, that is quite unique. Our guests today are actually colleagues of mine and Bal’s, so we know them well and know that you will find this really interesting and inspiring, as you hear about one of the roles this district has created, to add to the strength of their school district’s approach. I will introduce our guests in just a moment.

We hope you see that on the podcast, our central aim is that we are trying to look at how schools put care and connection at the centre of what they do – and why that is so crucial. We believe that the deepest learning occurs when there is a strong relationship between the student and the teacher and when the learner feels safe to take risks, has choice and feels agency, feels connected to the school and community, and can be seen for who they really are and for the strengths and possibilities they bring.


RESOURCES:

- https://earlylearning.ubc.ca/monitoring-system/mdi/mdi-overview/ (Middle Years Development Index)

- https://chartlab.ca/about-ydi/ (Youth Development Index)

- https://www.gov.nl.ca/education/earlychildhood/edi/ (Early Development Index)

- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791?scroll=top&needAccess=true (Linda Darling-Hammond Article: "Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development"


QUOTE:

-

BIO:

Sheri Brattston is currently the Managing Director of Community Education with the Burnaby School District. Her work involves supporting and developing informal and formal programs in the K-12 system, as well as the community. The purpose of these programs is to promote learning, enhance well-being, build capacity, reduce equity gaps and improve the quality of life of individuals and groups of all ages. She began her teaching career as an Early Childhood Educator in 1991 and later, she joined the Burnaby School District where she taught as an elementary teacher, continuing education teacher, and Community School Coordinator. After completing her Master’s in Education, Sheri joined a Provincial organization as the Director of Early Learning and Family Literacy. Across the Province she had the pleasure of working alongside early learning and community-based literacy organizations to help strengthen partner relationships and work together to build program capacity. The best part of her career so far has been the deep and joyful relationships she has made with diverse educators, children, families, and communities.

Kevin Herd has been working with children & youth for 20+ years in every capacity from coach to recreation program development to the classroom. His passion for fostering connections finds him in his current role as Community Connect Worker in an Elementary school setting for the past 11 years. Kevin knows firsthand that the key to healthy physical and social development is having positive role models to learn from and strives to be one to all his students as well as his two young sons. In his role he is responsible for building long term connections with kids and parents from which the groundwork of mutual respect, trust, openness & accountability can grow.

This episode is going to be one in which we delve into what it is that youth need to thrive.We know that research shows that several significant elements help our students grow and develop at their best, and we have a guest today who is an expert in this area. We know, of course, it is not just good grades and academic success that enable kids to thrive in school and in life, but that there are far more pieces to the puzzle than that. There are conditions, too, that create the opportunities for growth and development of students, and creating these conditions also takes intention and time and skill. Once again, we are so fortunate to have this guest, here at the virtual kitchen table with us, so we can pick his brain and get into this topic, as this – helping our students to thrive and be their best selves – is what it is all about.

RESOURCES:

acebc.ca

QUOTE:

“Every human being strives for significance, but people will always make mistakes if they do not recognize that their own significance lies in their contribution to the lives of others.” (Social Interest, Gemeinschaftsgefühl)
-Alfred Adler


BIO:

Nick Christofides has been working with families in the Lower Mainland for the last 23 years. He is a former teacher, coach, counsellor, department head, site based administrator and currently works with the district leadership team as the Safe and Caring Schools lead. Much of Nick’s work has been focussed in the areas of fostering connections, helping vulnerable students, promoting health and wellness and supporting the education of staff and students in the area of mental health literacy.

This week we have a very special guest who has done so much work in her classroom, district and internationally. There were so many topics we could have covered with her including anti-racism, community school frameworks, administration, international work, academia as she is studying her PhD, classroom teaching, mindfulness and so many other things. Meena Mangat joins us to talk about her anti-racism work, what healing work means and giving kids dignity; plus so much more.

QUOTE:

"“Research shows that healthy adult-child relationships, like those between school staff and students, safe and supportive school environments, and targeted resources and interventions all help build those protective factors. This effect is strongest when we elevate student voice, co-construct experiences grounded in a healthy sense of identity and belonging, celebrate our students’ cultures, and promote relationships anchored in dignity. We know that to support our students, we must promote the healing needed to build protective barriers and buffer against trauma.”
- The Healing-Centered Framework for Chicago Public Schools

BIO:

Meena Mangat has been a teacher for 15 years in a lower mainland school district. She has taught English Language Learning, English, and she helped create an inquiry based mini school at one of her schools. She has led anti-racist dialogue groups for educators, has worked with administrators around the world, and is currently completing her PhD after finishing a Masters in Contemplative Studies. Meena is a writer who has published articles academically, one of which we will put in the show notes. She will soon be a vice-principal in her district and has been a leader in every school she has taught in since she began teaching

Welcome back everyone! We hope you got a chance to listen to the first part of our curated episode on “Following the Leaders”, which we released last week. So much wisdom in there! And today, we are beyond excited to introduce you to our first guest of this season.

We first read about our guest on the ASCD website several months ago, as she was listed as a speaker there. What we were most fascinated by was that she went into Fenger, charged with “turning the school around” with her team, and embarked on a journey, that led to, what some would say, were unorthodox practices, in an urban high school. There were important realizations about what was happening there for these students and families, and what could really make a difference. And she and her team made a huge difference, to say the least. . And … what she has done since she left Fenger, is extraordinary, and is making so much impact in Chicago . I don’t want to spoil the story, as we will ask about this when we talk to her in just a second, but we know that you, too, will find her story and journey so instructive and inspiring!

RESOURCES:

https://chicagobeyond.org/

https://www.npr.org/2020/07/04/887239218/former-chicago-principal-discusses-schools-reliance-on-police-officers

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-dozier/

https://twitter.com/lizdozier

QUOTE:

“We are a community of possibilities, not a community of problems. Community exists for the sake of belonging and takes its identity from the gifts, generosity, and accountability of its citizens. It is not defined by its fears, its isolation, or its penchant for retribution. • We currently have all the capacity, expertise, programs, leaders, regulations, and wealth required to end unnecessary suffering and create an alternative future.”
― Peter Block, Community: The Structure of Belonging

BIO:

From education to activism, Liz Dozier has spent her career working tirelessly to disrupt the culture of inequity that is often pervasive in urban neighborhoods. In 2016, Dozier launched Chicago Beyond, an impact investor that invests in ideas, individuals, and organizations working to ensure all young people have the opportunity to live a free and full life. Since its inception, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $40 million in ideas, individuals, and organizations that fight for all youth to achieve their fullest human potential.

Dozier’s ambition is born from her experiences as an educator in Chicago Public Schools. During her tenure as principal at Fenger High School, which at the time was known as one of the most violent and underperforming schools in Chicago, Fenger experienced a decrease in its dropout rate from 19% to less than 2%, a 40% increase in Freshman On-Track to graduate, and double-digit increases in attendance and the school’s state graduation rate.

Dozier's work has been featured in the New York Times Best Seller How Children Succeed by Paul Tough, CNN’s docu-series Chicagoland, Aspen Ideas Festival, the Kennedy Center Forum on Mental Health, The Obama Foundation Summit, and SXSW (South by Southwest).

You can find her on Twitter: @LizDozier

This is PART 2 of our compilation of experts! Today we look at the themes of: family engagement, community involvement, enriching curriculum, relationships with kids and the community and on LOVE. So, get settled into your favourite podcast-listening routine: get your cup of coffee and get comfortable, or get your earbuds in and start walking, or get out in the sunshine and sit back and relax -- we think you will really enjoy this SECOND compilation of a rather joyful wisdom from our expert panel, on flourishing schools.

RESOURCES:

communityroombc.com

Today our episode’s theme is that of “Student Voice”. For years we have known that giving students voice and choice in schools has many benefits to their experience, their level of engagement, their ability to learn deeply and their ability to feel connected to their school. Students, as we all do, want to feel a sense of autonomy and agency in how and what they learn, and have an active role in their education – and in their lives – and in what they see going on around them.

“It is not enough to simply listen to student voice. Educators have an ethical imperative to do something with students and that is why meaningful student involvement is vital to school improvement”. We will explore these themes with our guests today Effie Aadland and Ervin Cadiz.

RESOURCES:

https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/E/bo4034411.html

QUOTE:

"In a curriculum that encourages student questioning, the teacher avoids unilateral transfer of knowledge. She or he helps the students develop their intellectual and emotional powers to examine their learning in school, their everyday experience, and the condition of society.
Empowered students make meaning and act from reflection, instead of memorizing facts and values handed to them." - Ira Shor, "Empowering Education": Critical Teaching For Social Change

BIO:

Effie Aadland has worked in education for over 25 years in two, large lower mainland school districts. She has had a variety of roles in Secondary schools: English teacher, Learning Support Teacher, Counselor, Vice-Principal and currently is the Principal of Byrne Creek Community School and is in her 4th year in that role. Besides her work as an educator, Effie loves to travel and spend time with family and friends.

Ervin is a grade 12 student at Byrne Creek Community School. From the very beginning, he's been deeply involved within the community; from being involved in his school's student government to founding his own clubs and initiatives, Ervin's experience in being involved at a community school gives him a unique perspective on the definition of community.

Today, we will explore another model of a community schools’ approach. We have an episode today where we welcome two people deeply involved in the community schools approach in the province of Manitoba. We know many folks in the US and Canada are hoping to expand and enhance community schools in their districts, and definitely in the US, funding has increased as the effectiveness of this researched-based approach is becoming more widely known, so we have invited our guests today to talk about the unique model in Manitoba.

RESOURCES:

https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/csp/index.html


QUOTE:

"Research shows that integrated student supports are associated with positive student outcomes. Students receiving school-based supports often show significant improvements in attendance, behavior, social well-being, and academic achievement....It is important to note, however, that the presence of these supports alone does not automatically make a school a 'community school'. Key differentiating factors include the way in which site-based needs are identified, how the services are provided and coordinated, and their integration with the other community school pillars, especially active family engagement and collaborative leadership and practices. For example, some integrated student supports focus on case management and determine the provision of student services through a top-down approach. In contrast, comprehensive community schools start with a meaningful process for engaging students and families in identifying needs and assets and connecting with potential service-providing partners."

- Quote from the Community Schools Playbook, from the Institute for Educational Leadership and communityschools.org website

BIO:

Dawn Wood has a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Manitoba. She worked in Portage La Prairie, as the Outreach Facilitator for the Portage La Prairie School Division before joining the Indigenous Inclusion Directorate, as the Community Schools Coordinator.

Shari Block has Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Manitoba. Before joining the Manitoba Department of Education and Early Childhood Learning she worked in areas of family violence, mental health and disability services in non-profit, hospital and government. In 2008 she became the Consultant for School Social Work for the province of Manitoba, and was thrilled to join the Community Schools Unit in 2020 as Community Schools Coordinator with a focus on Mental Health and Well-being.

Welcome back to our second episode is Season Four! Today we have an SEL expert with us – Dr. Lorea Martinez-Perez: she is a researcher, author and educator. We are going to talk to her about why schools need to focus on more than just the academics, and how we can do that. We want to, of course, equip our students for this complex world they face, and help them develop the skills, knowledge and processes to feel strong and healthy, to reach their goals, to care for themselves and relate to and care for others, and to make responsible decisions. We will talk with our guest today about her book: “Teaching with the Heart in Mind”, as well as her thoughtful and informative observations and learnings regardings SEL in students, in schools and in educators.

RESOURCES:

"Teaching with the Heart in Mind" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08R87F5SS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/social-and-emotional-learning-case-study-humanitas-report

https://buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/-/media/beci/docs/7-27-20-lorea-martinez-heart-in-mind-bridges.pdf

https://loreamartinez.com

QUOTE:

“As educators, we think it’s our job to make students of color, English learners, or poor students feel good about themselves. That’s a deficit view of affirmation. In reality, most parents of culturally and linguistically diverse students do a good job of helping their children develop positive self-esteem. It is when they come to school that many students of color begin to feel marginalized, unseen, and silenced. Affirmation and rapport are really about building trust, not self-esteem.”

― Zaretta Lynn Hammond, Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

BIO:

Dr. Lorea Martinez-Perez is the award-winning founder of HEART in Mind Consulting, a company dedicated to helping schools and organizations integrate Social Emotional Learning in their practices, products, and learning communities. Dr. Martinez is an educator who has worked with children and adults internationally, and she is currently a faculty member at Columbia University Teachers College, educating aspiring principals in Emotional Intelligence. Previously, she was a special education teacher and administrator.

Welcome back to Community Room! We have Dr. Sabre Cherkowski joining us for for Episode 8. Dr. Cherkowski is the Professor and Director of Graduate Programs and Research in the Okanagan School of Education at the University of British Columbia. Today’s topic is “Creating Flourishing Schools” and we touch on that and much more in this rich episode. We ask Dr. Cherkowski about her research in this field, the importance of the wellness of staff in schools, mindfulness, the role of a Principal in this endeavor and much more!


RESOURCES:

https://education.ok.ubc.ca/about/contact/sabre-cherkowski/

QUOTE:

“Social psychologists argue that who we are at any one time depends mostly on the context in which we find ourselves. But who creates the context? The more mindful we are, the more we can create the contexts we are in. When we create the context, we are more likely to be authentic. Mindfulness lets us see things in a new light and believe in the possibility of change.” - Ellen J. Langer

BIO:

Dr. Sabre Cherkowski is Professor and Director of Graduate Programs and Research in the Okanagan School of Education at the University of British Columbia. She teaches and researches in the areas of teacher wellbeing, educational leadership, professional learning and collaboration, and mentoring and coaching. She is currently engaged in a pan-Canadian research project examining flourishing in schools from a positive organizational perspective, and was recently awarded UBC Okanagan’s Researcher of the Year award. Sabre brings her experiences as a teacher, coach, and parent to her passion for exploring what it means to flourish in work and life.

For today's episode we have Kim Ondrik, who is currently the Head Learner and co-creator of Mill Bay Nature School, an innovative school of School District 79 (Cowichan Valley) where children are centered and the BC curriculum is perceived as joy-filled, imaginative, and provocative. Even though it is not labelled a “C” community school, this seems to be an incredibly community-minded school, how it collaboratively and democratically functions, who it involves in learning, how it values the community and knows what the community adds to a student’s school experience, and more. We talk to her about the model of Mill Bay Nature School, how the Hul’qumi’num’ People inspired their teachings, the benefits of consensus learning, and more in this deeply rich episode.


RESOURCES:

https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws:23862

QUOTE:

"Partnerships with Indigenous locals in facilitating outdoor education experiences are an excellent way to invite community members into schools, their knowledge and practice in the outdoors being invaluable. In the Australian Indigenous Education Action Plan, (2010, p. 9), it says, “A sense of cultural identity, and the active recognition and validation of Indigenous cultures by schools, is critical to student wellbeing and success at school”. It is when all these factors combine that an Indigenous component to outdoor environmental learning is authentic. The inclusion of Indigenous perspectives is in fact vital to increase the knowledge of the wider population in Indigenous ways."

-[Place-based outdoor learning and environmental sustainability within Australian Primary Schools](https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws:23862)


BIO:

Kim Ondrik is presently the head learner and co-creator of Mill Bay Nature School, an innovative school of School District 79 where children are centered and the B/C curriculum is perceived as joy-filled, imaginative, and provocative.. The school is in its fourth year and is inspired by the embodied ideas of the Hul’qumi’num’ People, Reggio Emilia, Dr. Gord Neufeld, and proponents of ‘risky play’ and processes of democracy and consensus.

Kim says: “Mill Bay Nature School takes collaboration seriously – wide awake of how dedicated teachers ‘scraping up against reality’ as they interrogate their assumptions and transform – in the service of young people, their families and the greater community – create enormous tension, calling forth great humility and holding the potential of one example of systemic transformation.”

Kim was the co-creator of three other innovative sites of learning and growth in British Columbia public education before her work in the Cowichan Valley. She previously spent time as a teacher in Vernon, and is a proud mom of 4 sons.

Today’s episode is going to give you so much information about what a community schools’ approach can look like and how it involves and benefits the students, families and community. We have a school principal joining us for Episode 6 of Season 3 to talk about how her path as a teacher has led her into this role; first as a student teacher, then a Learning Support teacher, Intermediate classroom teacher, and finally Head Teacher, before making her way to her current role: Principal of a community school in BC.

RESOURCES:
ACEbc placemat (https://acebc.ca/)

Season 2, Episode 4 with Abe Fernandez (https://www.communityroombc.com/past-episodes/s2-episode4-376rk)

Season 1, Episode 9 with Dave Rawnsley (https://www.communityroombc.com/past-episodes/s1-episode9)


QUOTE:

“One aspect of our fragmentation is the gaps between sectors of our cities and neighborhoods; businesses, schools, social service organizations, churches, government operate mostly in their own worlds. Each piece is working hard on its own purpose, but parallel effort added together does not make a community. Our communities are separated into silos; they are a collection of institutions and programs operating near one another but not overlapping or touching. This is important to understand because it is this dividedness that makes it so difficult to create a more positive or alternative future—especially in a culture that is much more interested in individuality and independence than in interdependence. The work is to overcome this fragmentation.”
― Peter Block, Community: The Structure of Belonging

BIO:

Jen Griffin has spent 20 of her 22-year career in community schools, first as a student teacher, then a Learning Support teacher, Intermediate classroom teacher, and finally Head Teacher, before making her way to her current role: Principal of a community school in BC. Having been in this role at the same school for the past 12 years, Jen has a unique perspective of the ebb and flow of a community over time. Jen will share her perspective on the critical relationships that must exist between parents, school and wider community partners, and how these relationships, developed through intentional gestures of connection, trust, care and positivity, are the cornerstone of any successful community school.

Welcome to Episode 3 of Season 3. Hope you’ve been enjoying listening so far! Many educators know that the climate in a school matters. The climate amongst the staff, amongst the students and between the school and community, matters. It matters because when our needs our met – when we feel safe and cared for, we can relax into, and focus on, learning. It matters because a positive environment in a school can also prevent negative behaviours, as well. This conversation about school climate, why it is so important to our students, and what we can do to enhance it, is so foundational to everything that happens in a school, including the success and learning, of the students! Today we chat with Suzanne Vardy, who currently works in a lower mainland school district helping to ensure schools are safe, welcoming places for children, youth and families.

RESOURCES:

https://casel.org/

https://heartmindonline.org/

https://www.prevnet.ca/

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/erase


QUOTE:

"To manage behaviour effectively, educators need to consider not just the behaviour itself – what the student is doing – but also the underlying cause(s) of the behaviour. If educators focus only on what the student is doing, and try to eliminate the behaviour, they may find that another inappropriate behaviour arises in its place, because the underlying need has not been met. It is important to remember that inappropriate behaviour is usually a response to something in the student’s environment and is an attempt to communicate a need, rather than being deliberately aggressive or purposefully negative."

- www.edu.gov.on.ca (Ontario School Board’s Caring and Safe Schools Policy)


BIO:

Suzanne has been working alongside individuals, families, and communities for over 30 years in a variety of settings including not-for-profit community agencies, an alternative measures program, school districts, and her clinical counselling private practice.

Currently, she works with a lower mainland school district helping to ensure schools are safe and welcoming places for children, youth, and families; in private practice, she supports children, youth, and families -- as well as individuals moving through transitions. She also works with City University teaching in the MEd in School Counselling program. Suzanne believes in strong and compassionate families, schools and communities that surround and support children and youth -- allowing them to thrive and become kind, caring and resilient people.

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 2 of Community Room! Our guests today are dedicated to growing and nurturing community-mindedness and elements of community schooling in their lower-mainland district. This is a relatively small district and we will talk about that and what that can mean for new initiatives in a district. We wanted to have these two folks here today, as we thought it would be an informative conversation about how some districts begin to plan for deepening these understandings, and making the impact of community school elements and this approach, more deeply felt.

RESOURCES:

nccs.org
acebc.ca

QUOTE:

“Children flourish when communities support their minds, bodies, hearts, and families. Thriving children strengthen their communities in a virtuous cycle.
Community schools are a long-term strategy for student success. They are a partnership of community members and leaders working together to ensure children are surrounded with support. All children and communities deserve community schools, designed around the innate strengths and needs of the community.” - From "Transformation" from nccs.org


"Start small and build gradually. You needn’t open a full-scale community school or launch a multi-school system from the outset. ... By building gradually toward a comprehensive program, the team’s leadership will be able to observe how well the partners work together and consider ways of resolving any issues that arise before growing the strategy. Also, this kind of gradual expansion allows trust to grow among partners at the site.
- From "Building Community Schools: A Guide for Action" from nccs.org


BIO:

Rick Bloudell is a Manager of Community Programs and Partnerships His portfolio includes Community Schools and Neighbourhood Learning Centres for his district, most recently opening and overseeing operations at brand new Welcome and Wellness Centres located at the secondary school. He previously spent over ten years working for a local municipality. Rick graduated from Simon Fraser University with a degree in business, specializing in Human Resources, as well as a certificate in Labour Studies.

Tanis Anderson started her career in education as an Education Assistant. From there she became a classroom teacher, teaching Grades K-4, where she taught in Community Schools and Community Minded Schools. From there, she became a Literacy Helping Teacher and shifted into a program Consultant Role in Literacy K-12. Last year she moved school districts to take on a new job, as District Vice Principal for Early Learning. Her portfolio includes supporting early learning and literacy, StrongStart, community programming, childcare and food security. Tanis received an undergraduate and Masters degree at Simon Fraser University.

We welcome you back for Season 2 of Community Room! As we enter the 2021/2022 school year, we come back with more excellent conversations around community schools and the importance of community! For Episode 1 of Season 2, we have three community school teachers from the Lower Mainland talking about the beginning of the school year, the challenges of teaching during lock-downs, and the different ways they brought community in their schools this past year!


QUOTE:

“As I teach, I project the condition of my soul onto my students, my subject, and our way of being together.” - Parker J. Palmer, The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life

BIOS:

Kim Baker has been an educator in a Burnaby Community School for 16 years. Kim's passion is building classroom communities where kids are made to feel like a family; safe, loved, and included. Her love of community has kept her at her current school for her entire 16 year career, taking several roles during her time there. Kim believes that a school is the heart of the community.

Georgia Clayton is an unwanted settler from Northern English and Irish background. She has worked with teenagers for the past 15 years in different capacities. From youth work to sexual health educator to now a classroom teacher, she believes that this generation of youth has the capacity to create large scale social change. Regardless of the environment, community collaboration and elevating the youth voice has always been a priority in her work. Her current interests are learning how to skateboard and
training her cat to play fetch.

Satpaul Binng has been teaching K-7 in various roles for the past 23 years. She has worked both in community and non-community schools and has her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. She has a passion for using the 'lens of story' to develop relationships that help her build strong classroom communities.

Welcome back for Episode 6! Today's conversation is about how kids and families benefit from partnerships between the school and community organizations, and it features Sangeeta Bhonsale. Gayle and Bal sit down with her and talk about the role her organization plays in helping foster community in the Lower Mainland of BC.

Sangeeta Bhonsale comes with quite the unconventional resume for someone who works in a community setting. She started life in a middle-class family in India where her parents taught her the values of hard work and ethics while pushing her to achieve her dreams and financially extending themselves to put her through university in Michigan. She took those values and excelled at her academics at Michigan Tech University and kick-started her career working for a multinational corporation, Mercedes-Benz. Her journey from the corporate world to the nonprofit sector was greatly influenced by her experiences as a mother. Becoming a parent was a gift that gave her deep insight into some real-life lessons and has led her to her true calling, that is working towards building communities where every child can flourish and thrive. She has spent the last twelve years in learning and understanding the challenges and joys of raising healthy and confident children and the impact of community programs on parents, caregivers, and children.

RESOURCES:

- Association for Community Education in BC (ACEBC) http://acebc.ca/

- Alison Gopnik: Developmental Psychologist and Philosopher (http://alisongopnik.com/)

- Urie Bronfenbrenner: “Ecological Systems Theory” https://www.simplypsychology.org/Bronfenbrenner.html


QUOTES:

"The solution to adult problems tomorrow depends on large measure how our children grow up today."- Margaret Mead

Welcome back to the Community Room! Today, we chat with two high school basketball coaches - Aaron Mitchell and Jeff Gourley - about how they use their role as a coaches and educators to instill values and the impact of sports on kids today. Listen as both Aaron and Jeff talk about the role coaches have played in their own lives, how they use sport as a vehicle to build and foster community within their teams, within their schools and out in to the broader community. What role does sport play in fostering a sense of community? Aaron and Jeff guide us along this journey from their specific perspectives. In addition, this is a special little "crossover" episode - producer Corbin and Aaron together host "A Hoops Journey" podcast - that has featured our very own Bal Dhillon on their second episode, and our other guest Jeff Gourley for Episode 18.

QUOTES (POST EPISODE):
- “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
- Aaron's response: This quote covers a lot in a few words. Within teams and schools, it becomes a collective effort to strive for excellence on all levels. As a team, you must make an effort to have your "last" player as fully invested as your first, maybe not skill wise, but mentally and emotionally. When teams are invested in each other and not themselves powerful things happen. I firmly believe the same for schools; if we flip our leadership model upside down, with families and students being the top of the pyramid and teachers / admin at the bottom, empowerment happens, accountability happens, open feedback happens............and well, a whole bunch of really good stuff happens."

RESOURCES:

- SAFETEEN: www.safeteen.ca - "Safeteen is an internationally recognized violence prevention strategy that cultivates a radical transformation from a youth culture of fear and survival to one of empathy, safety and empowerment."

- "A Hoops Journey": Hosted by Aaron Mitchell and Corbin Castres https://linktr.ee/ahoopsjourney

- "A Hoops Journey": Episode 2 featuring Bal Dhillon = https://open.spotify.com/episode/5LwLzZPzs2AgiK4bZGkg1g?si=KeF-k8pkQTifgWoZkc5k4Q

- "A Hoops Journey": Episode 18 featuring Jeff Gourley = https://open.spotify.com/episode/5qOQvPgrcpSrBurwdRFBAT?si=y7onKNrdSaSS8OQDn3NFRg

With no guest this week, hosts Gayle and Bal have a poignant conversation about how their own years have gone, and have a discourse on the challenges of being community school coordinators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESOURCES:

- https://acebc.ca/resources/elements-and-threads/ (Community School Elements)

- Mark Lamont Hill - "We Still Here: Pandemic, Policing, Protest, and Possibility" https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08HW78VNC/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

- Bettina L. Love - "We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom" https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07FG27G6H/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

- Rinaldo Walcott - "On Property: Policing, Prisons and the Call for Abolition" - https://www.amazon.ca/Property-Field-Notes-Book-ebook/dp/B08K55GD3G/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=On+Property%3A+Policing%2C+Prisons+and+the+Call+for+Abolition&qid=1622428926&sr=8-1

- Mariame Kaba - "We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice" -
https://www.amazon.ca/This-Til-Free-Abolitionist-Transforming/dp/164259525X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Mariame+Kaba-+We+Do+This+%27Til+We+Free+Us%3A+Abolitionist+Organizing+and+Transforming+Justice&qid=1622429037&sr=8-1

- Angela Y. Davis - "Are Prisons Obsolete?" -
https://www.amazon.ca/Are-Prisons-Obsolete-Angela-Davis/dp/1583225811/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Angela+Y.+Davis-+Are+Prisons+Obsolete%3F&qid=1622428982&sr=8-1



QUOTES:

“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” - Lilla Watson

“Connecting with others gives us a sense of inclusion, connection, interaction, safety, and community. Your vibe attracts your tribe, so if you want to attract positive and healthy relationships, be one! Staying connected and getting reconnected feeds the flow of goodness which empowers our humanity.” - Susan C. Young

Welcome back to the Community Room for Episode 4! Today's topic is "Building Capacity" and we've brought in two friends, former colleagues and former community school coordinators: Elizabeth Byrne and Larry Ryan. They talk about the different ways they build capacity in their own schools, the differences between an elementary school model versus a high school model, caring for the whole child, and much more.

Larry Ryan has been in education for over 25 years. From his role as a school Youth Worker, Teacher, Community School Coordinator, and a Vice Principal in a middle school, he has been part of the school community from a variety of vantage points. He believes that the key to enhancing student learning and outcomes is to engage all stakeholders in the community. As a vice principal, Larry focuses on servant leadership and building a sense of community among students, staff, parents and other stakeholders. He strives to make his school a place that students and staff want to attend every day because it is a place of safety, connection, and fun.

Elizabeth Byrne has been a social studies teacher in British Columbia for 25 years and is all about connection and community. She is passionate about social justice, writing, connecting people, developing curriculum resources, creating space for others to succeed, and providing opportunities and experiences for people to thrive.

She holds a Masters in History and in her career so far she has taught social studies at five high schools and three elementary schools. She has also taught teacher candidates at university and been a Community School Coordinator at both high school and elementary level.

Her writing projects focus on social justice and critical thinking, and include Pivotal Voices: Exploring Identity, Inclusion and Citizenship, resources for Learning In Depth, Tools for Thought, The Critical Thinking Consortium, and the Learning about Homelessness Project, among others. She was editor for Dimensions while on the British Columbia Social Studies Association executive, and she has also written and implemented the curriculum for courses such as Innovative Curriculum Design, and the Leadership Program in her district.

QUOTES:

"The world does not need leaders to better define issues or to orchestrate better planning or project management. What it needs is for the issues and the plans to have more of an impact, and that comes from citizen accountability and commitment. Engagement is the means through which there can be a shift in caring for the well-being of the whole, and the task of leader as convener is to produce that engagement.” - Peter Block, Community: The Structure of Belonging

"The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound. He depends for his power on his ability to make others powerful. " - Benjamin Zander, TED Talk