Citizenship Education

Manitoba Grants for Innovation in Citizenship Education

Project Descriptions 2008

Student Acts:
Introduction to Performance Art
Argyle Alternative High School – Grade 10 to 12

Project Description: The students at Argyle engaged in a citizenship project that involved examining human rights and social injustice in terms of global, local, and personal perspective. Students participated in activities that provided a foundation for a community within the classroom and allowed them to dialogue with each other, respond to varied media (including video - United Nations Rights From the Heart, Craig Kielburger’s It Takes a Child and Take Action!, and local performances), and collectively decide upon the nature of the guest artist, project they were going to produce, and what materials they would need.

Project Summary: At every stage of the project, students were involved with planning and executing - including making materials lists and budgeting, taking field trips to purchase materials, and peer support and review. The students decided that they wanted to create multi-media projects and so, in collaboration with the video productions program, we approached a local multi-media artist, Michael Maryniuk, who ran a series of sessions for the students on freeze frame animation, collage, blue screen, and claymation. Students experimented with the techniques with the “Ninja” animation, the movement animation and the “Pong” video. Students then decided to create an anthology of individual citizenship projects on the topics of bullying, social marginalization, transgender, and literacy. Students were encouraged to be citizens on many levels. They created a sense of community within the classroom and therefore worked as a team, encouraging one another to complete projects, enhance elements of projects, and basically increasing esteem among their peers. Students were also engaged in determining the course of the project, what sort of projects they wanted to complete, and acquiring materials and problem-solving to use equipment and materials in new and creative ways. There were eleven students participating in the initial and group project and five completed individual projects for the “anthology” of presentations. This is something that I would like to do differently as it would be better to have more students involved in the project in the future.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
Student feedback was very positive. Students enjoyed the sessions with the guest artist, being involved in the planning and executing, and experimenting with new media. One of the requests was that the project be offered as a full year versus a term and this is something that the school is considering for next year. We held a culminating session where the entire school viewed the presentation and offered feedback to individual students - the projects were well received and this peaked student and teacher interest for some information communication technology projects for the coming year in other courses. The effects of the project became cross-curricular and interdisciplinary and this has also encouraged more teacher collaboration and planning.

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Canadian Identity: Activating Social Responsibility
Betty Gibson School – Grade 3 to 6

Project Description: Our students from Grades 3 to 6 had the opportunity to participate in numerous activities over the course of this school year that ranged from hands-on learning centers, multi-age groupings, online research and projects, speakers, and field trips. Social Studies units, specifically targeting Canadian citizenship and social responsibility, were planned by teachers in cooperation with our Enrichment Programming Support Teacher. The students completed interest inventories, multiple intelligence surveys, and student engagement self-assessments to ensure students’ needs and interests would be addressed in the planning process. The units were entitled, “I Am Canadian”, “Great Canadian People and Places”, and “Celebrating the Right to Be Me.” The students were able to learn about Canadian government, culture, people, places, and rights through books, speakers, multimedia, learning centers, discussions, and field trips. Our students were also fortunate to have had the opportunity to hear from a new Canadian citizen, a veteran soldier of a recent Afghan mission, a local RCMP officer, a local artist, and a former mayor and Member of Parliament and current Member of the Legislative Assembly for Brandon West Rick Borotsik, and current Member of the Legislative Assembly for Brandon East Drew Caldwell. These speakers allowed our students the opportunity to hear about a variety of experiences and perspectives on citizenship in Canada and how they demonstrated social responsibility in their roles as Canadian citizens.

Project Summary: Students activated their learning about citizenship through a variety of planned events that allowed them to demonstrate social responsibility. Our entire school population continued working on citizenship in the school through our Effective Behavior Support (EBS) matrix and celebrated our work through two half-day multi-age activities where students worked in groups to demonstrate good citizenship through planned activities ranging from Recycled Art to visiting senior citizens in our community. This allowed students in our Grades 5 and 6 classes to demonstrate leadership during these experiences as our school Leadership Team helped to plan and guide students through these activities. The students also travelled to Winnipeg to tour the Manitoba Legislative Building and visit our local MLA Drew Caldwell. While visiting the Legislature, students also attended a session of the House to watch our provincial government in action. Each of these activities allowed our students the opportunity to activate social responsibility through cooperation, leadership, and using positive personal skills and attributes in how they interacted with others.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
Educator feedback:
“Students were engaged, focused, and interested in learning about citizenship during our unit and easily made connections to their daily lives as we studied what good citizenship looks like and how this can lead to great examples of social responsibility.”

“Some of our students might never have had this opportunity to travel to our provincial Legislature had it not been for this grant. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to see our government at work and learn more about the history of our province.”

Student feedback:
“Even though I am only 9, I can make a difference in my country.”

“Becoming a Canadian citizen is not an easy thing to do and we need to appreciate the people who come to our country in search of a better life for themselves and their families.”

“I liked working with the EAL students in our multi-age groups because they are working so hard to learn English and about our country.”

“A good citizen respects all things in their country: our people, our environment, and our government…even if they may not agree with it.”

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Living Future Bilingual Film Festiva
Bruce Middle School – Grade 6 to 8

Project Description: Students collaborated to create a variety of short films on the theme of sustainable living in both English and French to promote environmental awareness and bilingualism. A film festival was held on May 14 to showcase the films to the school and to the community.

Program Summary: The project was created through inter-collegial discussions about creative ways to promote sustainability thanks to the emphasis of the St. James-Assiniboia School Division on sustainability in education and the environmental themed unit in the Enhanced French Program Guide. Students in the Environmental Club, Applied Technology, and the Grade 7 Enhanced French class made their films with the help of Freeze Frame Filmmaking workshops (a local bilingual organization). Also, during regular classes, students in Computer Practical Arts and Grade 7 Basic French created films for the festival. Film topics included: reducing, reusing, recycling, hazardous waste disposal, energy & water conservation, and sustainable transportation. In total 24 short films were produced. The festival was shown to the entire school in the afternoon of May 14^th and was followed by a music performance by a local Francophone rock group, Entre Parenthèses (In Parentheses). The group sings about nature, environmental and political topics. Parents, friends, and relatives were welcomed to the festival in the evening of the 14th. Doors opened at 6:30 with information displays from Manitoba Hydro PowerSmart, Resource Conservation Manitoba, Norwex Envrio Products, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and Climate Change Connection. The festival began at 7pm with opening comments by guest presenter Josh Brandon from Resource Conservation Manitoba. Bruce Middle School was also honoured to have our MLA for Kirkfield Park, Sharon Blady, present to share the evening with us! Popcorn and refreshments were served for viewing enjoyment! It is our hope that as citizens in our community, we (students, staff, parents, family, friends) will continue to promote sustainability in positive ways by following the positive environmental citizenship messages set out by students involved in the project. We would like to try this project again next year, but we would like to theme and group the films more effectively in order to cover a broader range of topics.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
“It was an incredible experience. I liked the filming and the idea to try to push across the fact that we need to save this planet”. - Grade 7 Student

“The film festival helped me develop in my second tongue (French) and now I feel that I can communicate better in French, both orally and through our environment films”. - Grade 7 Student

“I loved everything about the films. I liked it too because my mother got to experience it with me. She did a booth at the festival”. - Grade 7 Student

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Project GIVE (Global Initiatives Valued through Education)
Buchanan Elementary School – Grade 4 to 5

Project Description: Students researched and practiced different forms of social justice in their school and community to gain experience with regards to how a community sustains all of its members.

Project Summary: Over the last year, students at Buchanan Elementary School have been involved in a number of citizenship building endeavours, such as TAG groups and Student Vote. With this endeavour, they extended themselves further into making responsible and deliberate choices in the area of Community and Global Citizenship. In the 2008/2009 school year, intermediate students at Buchanan School began their journey into global citizenship by creating 7 short podcasts on how to build a school. These focused on the community and volunteer aspects required to support a school community. When asked to focus their attention outward to the local and global community, students chose to hold a food drive for Winnipeg Harvest and a “Look At The Change You Can Make” collection for funds to send to World Vision. After the Christmas holiday, the grade 4 and 5 students embarked on the more independent portion of the project, when they explored one of four hands-on community involvement options. An author and LEEDS qualified engineer were invited to present more background information and different perspectives of the homelessness issue, and sustainable living spaces in Winnipeg and Manitoba. Next, students chose to visit and heighten their own awareness and participation in activities planned at one of the following community organizations: Winnipeg Harvest, Siloam Mission, Heritage Lodge Care Home and Manitoba School For The Deaf. After experiencing these examples of social justice in the community, students planned and ran a yard sale held in conjunction with the school’s spring concert, in order to encourage community attendance. Proceeds were donated to Siloam Mission and World Vision. In addition to organizing and running the yard sale, students also wrote letters to the local MLA, Mr. Jim Rondeau, and the school’s parent council in order to request that both these parties support the funds raised at the yard sale. The letter writing engaged students in researching the situation and explaining the impact that their own involvement and that of Mr. Rondeau and parent council would have. As a summative segment of the project, students completed a personal survey to document the process, the roadblocks overcome, to celebrate personal and community successes, as well as to set goals for the future. In addition, students administered a parental survey to gather feedback regarding their awareness of sustainability and social justice issues in the school/community, and how this awareness has grown and developed over the course of the school year.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
Students, parents, staff and community members voiced a growing awareness of social justice and the impact that one person’s choices could make in the future of a community.

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United Colours of the World
Clifton School – Grade 4 to 6

Project Description: The intermediate students of Clifton School participated in a year long sustainability project focusing on empathy. Students became informed and responsible decision makers that actively contributed to the social and economic well being of the global and local community.

Project Summary: Sixty eight students between grades 4 and 6 studied children’s issues from various parts of the world. The students established charitable foundations which focused on issues related to marginalized children from various countries. Students developed children’s foundations with names, logos and mission statements. Students also developed foundation apparel and created poignant music documentaries. These organizations represented their countries and promoted peace, healthy living and healing. A major guided reading unit was integrated throughout this project. The novels studied were reflective of the countries being investigated. Students participated in a Home Reading program called S.P.O.R.T. or Students Performing Outstanding Reading Tasks. They read various novels demonstrating themes such as empathy and social justice. They responded and learned about characters in stories, settings, plots and story writing all the while making jerseys, sports cards and sport tickets. Various components of an instructional text were also studied. Students learned about various sports and countries through the Expository Text unit. Unique and interesting art ideas were also incorporated throughout the project. Students created remarkable masks depicting the life and spirit of the unique cultures studied in the project. Sport figure art, world wreaths and calligraphy were integrated. Life-size human body systems were also created. Students engaged in self and peer assessments through guided reading roles and responses. The students developed criteria and feedback related to the guided reading roles. Unique and creative journals were created in forms of magazines and multimedia presentations. Students had the opportunity to focus on citizenship at home, at school and in the community with a community service component. Guest speakers and presenters from in and around the community presented to the students and discussed the various organizations and foundations with which they were associated. They learned from and questioned presenters from organizations such as Hand in Hand for Peace, Siloam Mission, One Love Project Rwanda, Canadian Red Cross and the University of Winnipeg’s Pet Project to purchase a landmine sniffing dog. Students then decided to assist all of these organizations throughout the year through various fundraising events. As part of the project students had the opportunity to partake in many sport related field trips. The culmination of this project was celebrated with a gala event on May 28, 2009. The evening was a charity fundraiser organized by the students and featured multimedia presentations, students’ work and art. The fundraising event assisted both Right to Play, an organization which is involved in improving the lives of children around the world through the power of sport and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. Schools within the area were also invited to celebrate with the students. The student organizations organized an educational and enjoyable day where sport and world issues were presented. Students also presented their project at the Manitoba Teachers’ Society Conference.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
“This year’s project was a big learning experience for all of us. I think this project will be memorable for me!” - Grade 6 Student

“This year’s project was the best I’ve been part of here at Clifton. We learned that sport is a great way to help children around the world.” - Grade 6 Student

“Our daughter has expressed her appreciation for the entire concept on numerous occasions. She especially commented on how she was helped to develop a more empathetic attitude towards others. It is our hope as parents that projects like this will continue to be part of the Clifton school curriculum in the future.” - Parents

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STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur)
Isaac Newton School – Grade 9

Project Description: Students undertook the purchasing of T-shirts, messenger bags and bracelets to be sold at a small profit. All profit to be donated to the Save Darfur campaign.

Program Summary: As part of a larger unit of genocide and human rights, the students studied the current genocide in Darfur. We wanted a project that would do three things: we wanted it to sustain itself and become ongoing, we wanted it to raise awareness and we wanted it to raise some funds to donate. Students first learned about the causes and effects of the genocide and then prepared presentations for the school. These presentations were done in large groups (student assembly) and in class to class visits. Students then shopped for T-shirts that would be affordable for our student body and yet convey the message we wanted. They found some with the message “not on our watch” which also had a bonus: purchase of these shirts supported the World Food Bank. So we were able to find a product that had potential to support two good causes. All profit from the fundraising was to be donated, with the cost of the items to be re-invested to purchase new inventory. This project benefitted the students in several ways. First of all, their own level of awareness of the needs of others was raised. They were able to see that they were comparatively well off and they felt empowered to make a small change. They saw that there are many organizations out there doing good work and they were able to support those in a positive way. I will have the opportunity to make some changes in how the project is run as I anticipate it will run again at least for the next school year and hopefully, when no longer needed, will become a fundraiser for a different charity. The biggest single change will be to have students make scheduled visits to classrooms to discuss issues and show the product. I would also schedule regular announcements as well as monthly presentations to keep the issue alive for kids. We have decided to branch out next year and have found a source of affordable fair trade chocolate and treats which are also nut free. This will be an addition to our project and will open the door for students to talk about fair trade goods and why they are important.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
It was a challenging project which was well received. It was satisfying to see students develop as public speakers and channel their passion into a worthwhile cause. Students learned to work together, make compromises and become active global citizens. They learned how even the smallest change can make a difference in the life of somebody far away. They began to follow the news about Darfur and to discuss the implications for people there as policy shifted. They learned about the United Nations and the role it plays in the global community and they organized a postcard campaign and chose to participate in the annual “Walk for Darfur”.

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Hands are for Helping
Kelsey Community School – K to 5

Project Description: Our focus for the past school year has been to engage Kelsey Community School students in citizenship activities outside the school. A variety of activities were held including: Postcards for Veterans program, Senior’s Residence Concert, Community Garden project, Christmas Store event, Festival of Trees project, Water Day activities, Multicultural Days and the Community Feast Celebration.

Program Summary: Postcards were written by all grade 5 students to veterans, thanking them for their service to our country and for protecting our freedom. All grade 4 students participated in a concert at a local senior’s home. They not only sang a selection of songs, but played instruments for the residents as well. Afterward they stayed and visited with everyone. The grade 3 & 4 students participated in the Community Garden project by helping to plant in spring and harvest in fall. Many students had never experienced gardening first hand and were quite excited to take home food they had a part in growing. The Christmas Store concept involved the entire school population. Students and staff were encouraged to donate items for the store. Just before Christmas break, the store was opened for students to shop – every item was priced at 25¢. Any unsold items were donated to the local special needs workplace. The Festival of Trees project also involved the entire school. Students created decorations for our school tree. It was then entered in the Marigold Preschool fundraiser and showcased afterward in the school library. All Grade 4 students participated in Water Day held by the local conservation district board. The event focus was on the effect of civilization’s daily living on water sheds and the environment, how students can be part of the process by conserving, recycling, and being aware of water issues. Grade 3 students participated in a day of traditional Aboriginal activities, as well as a Mexican fiesta. The eager students learned about the different cultures through hands-on activities. In early December 2008 our school hosted a community feast to acknowledge the citizenship efforts put forward by our students and staff. Everyone in the school was asked to donate a food item, and with the help of the Innovation in Citizenship Education Grant, additional food was purchased. Approximately 700 people attended the feast. The small amount of leftover food was donated to the local homeless shelter.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members: As a whole the student body was enthusiastic about all of the citizenship activities that were presented to them. They were willing participants and proudly represented our school.

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Tanzania 2010
Kildonan-East Collegiate – Grade 10 to 11

Project Description: Tanzania 2010 is a humanitarian effort where students are learning about development issues in Tanzania and raising funds to a) construct Rainwater Harvesting Tanks for primary schools in Karatu, Tanzania and b) travel to Tanzania in May/June 2010.

Project Summary: We participated in a range of learning activities such as: a workshop at Winnipeg Harvest, hosting guest speakers from Engineers Without Borders, Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR), a speaker from Kenya as well as speakers from the University of Manitoba’s Center for International Development. We participated in the refugee camp sponsored by Doctors Without Borders as well as several other conferences. Overall, students have really focused on development issues both at home and abroad and have learned to think beyond themselves. By studying these issues and learning, it has really connected them to the larger world. We championed an awareness and fundraising campaign within Kildonan-East Collegiate that got the entire student body involved as well as visiting elementary schools in the division and designed a presentation and accompanying activities to teach younger children about clean water initiatives. We also have continued to work a wide variety of fundraising activities that have included hosting dinners, silent auctions, concerts, selling perogies, meat, raffle and Grey Cup tickets, holding garage sales and bar-b-ques, running concessions at sporting events. Students “rent” themselves out to do things such as yard work and babysitting in exchange for a donation toward the project. Our proudest moment this year was when we handed over a cheque to CPAR for $22,650 for the construction of two Rainwater Harvesting Tanks at a primary school. This enables children to attend school and reduces disease and illness. We hope to hand over another cheque in the upcoming school year.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
“This project is an amazing opportunity for my son; the opportunity to learn about the challenges and hardships faced by people and communities around the world has been fantastic.” - Parent

“My daughter, along with her fellow humanitarians, try to give back to their own communities but also look forward to helping in Karatu and realizing a dream together.” - Parent

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Looking Back, Moving Forward
King Edward Community School – Grade 6

Project Description: Focusing on the social injustices that have occurred in Canadian History, the students learned about the importance of respect for all people and their personal responsibility to ensure that events like this never occur again.

Program Summary: Students gained knowledge about the social injustices of the Holocaust, Japanese Internment Camps and Indian Residential Schools through the use of technology (videos, PowerPoint presentations, archival photographs, historical speeches and web sites), research and guest speakers.

After the students heard a guest speaker from each of the social injustices speak, they were given the opportunity to ask them questions. Following these sessions, we had classroom discussions and the students completed writing assignments. These assignments were a vehicle for the students to reflect on their learning and make personal connections, thereby developing empathy for Canadians who have experienced these injustices. To culminate our learning, the students were involved in a “Survivor’s Tea” to honour individuals from each of the social injustices. The highlight of our project was the Survivor’s Tea. The students honoured our guests by sharing their written work with them. They also shared their thoughts and work through the use of technology (PowerPoints and videos). The students developed as citizens by developing the character trait of empathy for others and by giving back to Canadians who have suffered injustices. They gave by serving them tea, engaging in conversations with them and writing to them to express their appreciation for what they taught us. Although we knew that the survivors tea would be a valuable experience for the students, we did not anticipate how important it would be to the students. They knew that in a few years, there might not be as many survivors alive and felt that having the opportunity to learn from them was a privilege. Many of the students said that the tea was the highlight of their grade 6 year. In addition to the survivors that attended the tea, guests included other teachers, an Aboriginal support teacher, a divisional support teacher and an administrator. We also had the divisional news reporter attend the tea for the purpose of writing a story to circulate throughout the division. There have been suggestions made as to how the division can continue to develop this program in future years, as well as how we should follow the students who were involved in the program and have them mentor/teach their peers in junior high. Future plans will be discussed in September 2009. We also plan on creating a DVD of the events and activities that were used throughout the unit to share with other educators.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
All of the survivors who attended the tea had positive things to say and were impressed with the quality of work that the students displayed as well as the depth of their learning. Here are some of their comments:
“You have restored my faith in education.”
“The students were so respectful and engaged!”
“Continue to inspire the young to be proud and to stay strong in their dreams.”
“You teachers are making history by tackling this topic this way.”

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Culturama - Around the World in 8 Hours
Lord Selkirk Regional Comp. Sec. School – Grade 10 to 12

Project Description: Culturama is a huge event, one that takes a number of months of planning. This planning began during the first week of school and continued throughout the fall with regular meetings of the target groups. The ‘to-do’ list for the individual pavilions is extensive and includes: design and decorating; food preparation/service; lining up a slate of entertainment; set-up, tear-down and clean-up; planning participatory activities for attendees; and gathering artifacts/display materials.

Program Summary: There were nine pavilions: First Nation/Inuit/Métis; Germany; Latin American; Brazilian; Hungarian; Italian; Scandinavian; French; and Greek. The pavilions are something of an aberration and somewhat arbitrary. Culturama is very much a community event. The students and staff are involved but so is the greater community. Thankfully, we have full buy-in from these communities and gain our strength from this inclusiveness. We estimate that approximately 600 people visit the pavilions throughout the day.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
Everyone passing through the pavilions be the students, educators, parents and community members, all were impressed by the event. Comments from parents and community groups are always very supportive and flattering. The community looks forward to this event each year as it highlights local talent and promotes inclusion of all cultures.

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Kids Sew-porting Kids
Mackenzie Middle School – Grade 7 to 8

Project Description: This project grew from a desire to provide students with an opportunity to learn about services in our community, demonstrate volunteerism and citizenship in a concrete way as well as take part in an after school sewing group.

Program Summary: Interested students met to discuss the possibility of sewing items that would be given to a local organization. The students decided to make items that women and children would enjoy receiving when they are seeking shelter in the Parkland Crisis Centre and Women’s Shelter located in Dauphin. The items would be given to the staff to distribute to the clients. The students decided to make fleece blankets for the babies, pillow cases for the children and toiletry bags for the women. In a school newsletter, we placed an article informing the school community about the project and requesting the donation of small containers of soap, shampoo and other toiletry items. The students met after school to complete the items and presented them to the staff of the shelter at a planned celebration.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
The staff members of the shelter were very gracious. They shared with the students that the items would mean a great deal to their clients.

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A Week of Generosity
Oak Lake Community School - Grade K to 8

Project Description: Oak Lake Community School’s project was a school-wide Week of Generosity, in which all students from K-8 participated in activities, projects and special events surrounding the theme of generosity towards others.

Project Summary: Prior to the Week of Generosity, a note was sent home to all of the families, explaining the Week of Generosity and describing the various activities taking place. Teachers reviewed and discussed the meaning of the words “generosity”, “kindness”, “random”, “acts”, etc. Library books were set aside to help introduce and provide a starting point for discussions. An announcement was published in the local newspaper and the school newsletter, informing the community of the school’s Week of Generosity. Our school’s message, “Don’t wait for people to be kind. Show them how”, was also posted on the town bulletin board. On the Monday morning, a special Made in Manitoba Breakfast and Educational program was offered to our students, celebrating our local farmers and inviting them to attend this breakfast at our school. In the afternoon, we held a school-wide assembly. We introduced our Week of Generosity, the activities planned and promoted our school-wide “Pennies for Produce” fundraiser, benefiting the local food bank. We also presented a slide show of recent photos, showing our students participating in service activities in our school and community. We also showed the 10 minute film “The Giving Tree”. We marked the beginning of our Week of Generosity by letting go helium balloons in a rainbow of colours. Each classroom teacher then completed the reflection activity. Students were given a leaf shaped piece of paper, on which they shared the gift that they would most like to give and the person or people whom they would like to give it. These leafs were then hung on the “Tree” bulletin board displayed in the hallway. Special activities were planned during the week. An Aboriginal Educator visited our school and shared with us the traditional significance of a dream catcher. The middle years students traveled to Winnipeg to visit the Holocaust Education Centre and learn about human rights. They were able to hear first-hand a survivor’s story of how she and her family managed to evade the Nazis by going “underground” in rural France. All of the students participated in the school grounds and town-wide clean-up. The students in grades 1-4 wrote/drew friendly messages to our overseas soldiers. Other daily activities included: morning messages focused on generosity; generosity graffiti wall bulleting board describing examples of generous acts that they saw others doing; and generosity journals to record his/her acts of generosity. As a concluding event, students completed a Character Quilt, in which they reflected on some of the positive traits they demonstrated during the week.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
“My Kinders really got into the spirit and are still talking about generous acts performed by themselves and others. The penny activity was educational and great service learning.” - Teacher

“I really liked the survivor’s story. When she told the story, I had some images in my head of the Holocaust. She sounded like it had only happened about 2 days ago. It was amazing.” - Grade 7 Student

The Holocaust survivor who shared her story with the students and staff very much appreciated our group. Coming from a rural community, many of our students live on farms. Her story of survival took place in rural France during the second world war, and she felt that our students, more than any other group which she has shared her story with, understood and related to the setting in which she and her family evaded Nazi capture.

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Peace Fair - Racism Awareness
Onanole Elementary – Grade K to 8

Project Description: Each year, our Grade 7 & 8 classes choose a global theme they want to address within their classes, but also as a school. This year’s theme was racism and discrimination. Students wanted to understand this issue better and learn ways to affect change. Students named their project H.O.P.E. (Helping Others to Promote Equality) and created a logo.

Project Summary: The students created a website/blog that showcases a video, PowerPoint presentations, pictures and facts of the entire project (http://78onanole.wordpress.com). The grade 7/8 students made presentations to the different age groups about what racism and discrimination are. For the younger students, the class used a storybook and created a puppet show. For the older students, they created a PowerPoint presentation. The students also created a presentation about heroes who have fought for peace and understanding in the world. We celebrated Martin Luther King Day with a presentation to the whole school about who he was and what he did. As a school, we sat and watched the inauguration of Barak Obama. We created t-shirts with our H.O.P.E. logo and signs of peach on them. These were later worn at the Peace Fair and for the Peace March. We created friendship bracelets as well as beaded bracelets that represented the four colours of the medicine wheel. We created peace tiles which will become a permanent fixture on our Peace Wall in our school. We had guest speakers come and speak to our staff and students about growing up with racism and how they dealt with it. The message was clear that we need to decide what we believe in and to stand up for it. The Fugitives, a Canadian music group, visited our students and helped create the song “We Are All Equal”. The students wrote the song, recorded it and created a music video. At the end, we had a Peace Fair to showcase all the wonderful work these students had accomplished as well as to raise awareness and share a message of peace with the world. We had: cultural food, peace tile station, bracelet making, Aboriginal headwork, PowerPoint presentation on what racism is; racism game show; display of heroes; graffiti wall with messages of peace; and a peace march through town.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
Students from two neighbouring schools and our community attended our Peace Fair. Some of the feedback received: “I would never have understood that before this project”.
“I think that awareness is an important part of fighting against discrimination”.
“Kids our age really can made a difference”.

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UNESCO Assoc. Schools Project Network: food safety
Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau - Grade 9 to 12

Project Description: Students will plan activities surrounding poverty and human rights issues.

Project Summary: Our theme for this year was food safety. Under the direction of the UNESCO committee, Collège Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau successfully completed the following activities:

• On September 16, we hosted a presentation by three Haitian speakers on the food crisis in Haiti. The event was attended by some 25 students.
• During the week of September 26, we sold bracelets for a Peruvian women’s cooperative.
• The week of October 20 was devoted to raising awareness among youth about healthy food.
• On November 3, two students participated in the Two Faces of Poverty conference at the University of Winnipeg.
• On November 20, we organized an 1800 minute famine to raise funds for the Stansberry Children’s Home and Daycare in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. At total of 67 students participated and raised $3,200.
• On December 5 – 6, 9 students and 5 adults participated in an "Urban Plunge" to examine the effects of poverty in the Winnipeg core area and the success of a variety of available services.
• On December 9, at our assembly against racism, all students participated in a famine banquet. This activity had an enormous impact on the students. We received the support of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. This activity was repeated for the UNESCO teachers and as part of a UNESCO forum for students.
• On February 20, we organized a Bolivian evening to raise awareness about Bolivian culture and food. Over 200 individuals from the community participated and we raised approximately $900.
• On February 25, we had a presentation by a Laotian woman on food safety.
• At the end of March, we travelled to Bolivia for the fourth time. Seventeen students and 4 adults went to Santa Cruz to study food safety and to continue to provide assistance to the Stansberry Children’s Home and Daycare. We also built a play ground. (See presentation on DVD – Bolivia and the thank you cards from young Bolivians).
• Twice during the year, we had sales of fair trade products for Ten Thousand Villages.

The cultural committee successfully completed the following activities:

• The committee participated in a number of workshops on universal human rights presented by MARL.
• The committee, consisting of 6 students and one teacher, participated in a pilot project by MARL, Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties. They developed a video to raise awareness about the effects of racism. On May 14, they were recognized for their efforts and were awarded a MARLY. (See MARLY video).

We also carried out the following UNESCO activities:

• On September 29, in preparation for the federal election, we had representatives of the political parties give speeches.
• On October 23, three students participated in a conference entitled "L’apprenant engagé : la perspective de l’élève" [the committeed learner: the student’s perspective].
• On December 12, 6 students and one teacher attended the Take Action on Climate Change conference.
• On January 8, 7 students, 2 teachers and parents attended the Voices of Victims: Generations of Genocides.
• From January 27 to 31, our lead UNESCO teacher was selected to represent Canada in Paris for their national conference.
• From March 1-8 – One student participated in Rencontre Canada in Ottawa.
• From March 2-6 – Victory Over Violence banners were put up in the library.
• On March 21 one student gave a presentation entitled: "Steps to Hope: Diversity and Respect for Work and Life".
• From April 20-24, we organized a "Green Planet" week, including activities such as vermi- composting, plants in every classroom and a day without garbage.
• On April 22, three divisional high schools, including CPET, which are all members of TMAC – Teens Making A Change, won an award for their volunteer work. Five students are members of this team. (See Transcona Biz Bullet, June 2009, vol 6. no. 2, pages 4-5)
• On April 28, 15 students and one teacher attended the French for the Future conference.
• On May 8, we held our 6th social for seniors to eliminate stereotypes among the generations and to raise money for the Stansberry Children’s Home and Daycare. Some 400 people attended the evening. On May 13, we received a humanitarian award from the Fred Douglas Society for our work with seniors.
• On May 8, a student and a teacher attended the provincial ministers forum.
• From May 17 - 20, 7 students and one teacher visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. These students participated in the Asper Foundation eight-week program on human rights.
• On May 28, 12 students and one teacher participated in the Relay for Life at the Goldeyes Park and raised $2,000.
• In June, one student will represent Canada at the British Council Climate Change conference in San Diego.
• In July, two students will attend the Global Young Leaders conference in Vienna, Budapest and Prague.
• In July, one student will be returning after a year-long stay in France.

 

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Ralph Maybank Welcomes the World
Ralph Maybank School – Grade K to 6

Project Description: The Student Leadership Team (Grade 6 students) and a teacher committee planned a six station (20 minutes each) whole school house activity. Each house included multi-age students from Kindergarten to Grade 5. The Student Leadership Team taught the activities, prepared materials, video taped and photographed each station.

Project Summary: The six stations included: a house shaped mural that each student drew themselves on and also put a flag from the country of their birth or heritage; counting to 10 in other languages; writing in other languages; bread from different countries were available for tasting and a survey of favourites was recorded; different games from different countries were taught; and songs from other countries were taught. The multi-age groupings of students provided opportunities for older students to help younger ones. Also, those students who could write or speak the languages in our stations became seen as knowledgeable and capable leaders. We also hosted a multicultural evening where a presentation of music and dance was performed by students from our school as well as performers from the Folk Arts Council of Manitoba. Families wore traditional clothing and shared favourite family dishes from their homeland following the performances. There was well over 150 people in attendance from the community.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
Comments from the audience at the multicultural evening included: “It was a great community event. People had the opportunity to share talents and traditions with everyone.” “It was fabulous and made me cry when all the men started moving their arms in the air with the Kindergarten student dancing the Bhangra Dance.”

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Creating a Balance
Springfield Heights School – Grade 4 to 6 (main focus on grade 6)

Project Description: The focus of the project was to get students thinking about the importance of peace in the world. We then wanted students to begin thinking about their role in creating peace in their school, community, and globally. It was important for students to see that they could make a difference and could be leaders and then to provide opportunities to make a positive change. Summary of activities: We began the year with a unit on Manitoba’s government and learned about the importance of democracy. We looked at groups throughout Canada’s history who have been prevented from having representation in our government and the need for everyone to have a voice. With a focus on student lead discussions and actions, students then created lists of things they wanted changed in our classroom and school. They established “parties” and chose leaders. They campaigned and finally a class election was held and our leader was expected to enact some changes. We then began our unit on peace, first looking at the story Sadako. From here we began the paper folding club. Students from the club were given an opportunity to teach others. They created their own lessons and taught several other classes some of what they had already learned. As a message of peace, students in grade 6 began to cooperatively build a 1000 paper-crane mobile, which was hung in our school and later at the Millennium Library. The mobile was then taken to India by Sister Cyril Mooney. The students were then charged with the task of developing a way of raising money for charities. Students first researched charities, presented the case for each and chose one charity to support (per group). Students then began creating handmade cards to sell for charity. The cards were sold at our spring concert and we sold over 300 cards. Other students were invited to create their own card as well, and we hope to broaden this activity to include more students next year. The focus this year was on building the idea that students had a voice (elections) and, as Canadian citizens, had some responsibility to help others. I tried to stress the importance of the students creating the plan as much as possible. They impressed me with their willingness to take on leadership positions in our class and in the school. The crane mobile is a large undertaking, but each student worked on their job diligently, even my at-risk students. Once students proved to themselves that they could make a difference, they began to plan new ways to help, such as bake sales, etc. My own class made up a higher percentage of the paper folding club than I would have preferred. I would definitely send out a small group of my students to teach a few origami lessons to other classes before initiating the paper folding club. Also, my plan was to have an artist demonstrate the card making in the school much earlier in the year, but timing proved difficult. Students were excited about raising money for charity, but we had little time after our first endeavor to work on their additional ideas. Our class elections went smoothly and students were excited, but we didn’t really have a proper plan afterward to deal with the issues at hand. It wasn’t until May, when we had our second election that we began a forum to get student concerns met.

Summary of activities: We began the year with a unit on Manitoba’s government and learned about the importance of democracy. We looked at groups throughout Canada’s history who have been prevented from having representation in our government and the need for everyone to have a voice. With a focus on student lead discussions and actions, students then created lists of things they wanted changed in our classroom and school. They established “parties” and chose leaders. They campaigned and finally a class election was held and our leader was expected to enact some changes. We then began our unit on peace, first looking at the story Sadako. From here we began the paper folding club. Students from the club were given an opportunity to teach others. They created their own lessons and taught several other classes some of what they had already learned. As a message of peace, students in grade 6 began to cooperatively build a 1000 paper-crane mobile, which was hung in our school and later at the Millennium Library. The mobile was then taken to India by Sister Cyril Mooney. The students were then charged with the task of developing a way of raising money for charities. Students first researched charities, presented the case for each and chose one charity to support (per group). Students then began creating handmade cards to sell for charity. The cards were sold at our spring concert and we sold over 300 cards. Other students were invited to create their own card as well, and we hope to broaden this activity to include more students next year. The focus this year was on building the idea that students had a voice (elections) and, as Canadian citizens, had some responsibility to help others. I tried to stress the importance of the students creating the plan as much as possible. They impressed me with their willingness to take on leadership positions in our class and in the school. The crane mobile is a large undertaking, but each student worked on their job diligently, even my at-risk students. Once students proved to themselves that they could make a difference, they began to plan new ways to help, such as bake sales, etc. My own class made up a higher percentage of the paper folding club than I would have preferred. I would definitely send out a small group of my students to teach a few origami lessons to other classes before initiating the paper folding club. Also, my plan was to have an artist demonstrate the card making in the school much earlier in the year, but timing proved difficult. Students were excited about raising money for charity, but we had little time after our first endeavor to work on their additional ideas. Our class elections went smoothly and students were excited, but we didn’t really have a proper plan afterward to deal with the issues at hand. It wasn’t until May, when we had our second election that we began a forum to get student concerns met.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
I was particularly pleased with the spirit of cooperation and interest in learning that stemmed from changing the classroom focus this year. My at risk students showed good leadership, effort, and initiative beyond what I could have expected on traditional lessons on elections or Canada’s global role. The crane mobile is a fairly complex piece and some students were given less complex tasks to start, but with the help of their classmates, they learned the more difficult aspects and performed very well.

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St. Emile School Human Rights Museum
St. Emile School – Grade K to 8

Project Description: Each class chose one issue/topic or theme to explore and research for its impact on the local or global population. The range of topics included: environmental rights (Grade K & 4); the right to shelter (Gr.1); Civil Rights (Gr. 2 & 5); Brush Out Poverty (Gr.3); Residential Schools in Canada (Gr.6); the rights of children (Gr.7); the Holocaust (Gr.8).

Project Summary: Our museum was the culmination of a year’s worth of study, research and collaboration. Our students invited countless speakers to visit and share their expertise. We learned from environmentalists, volunteers from Doctors Without Borders and Engineers Without Borders, residential school survivors, refugees from war torn countries, holocaust survivors, elders, rabbis, imams, artists, actors and musicians. We read, talked, painted, created, replicated, responded and reflected. By April, we were ready to share what we had discovered with the larger community. Each classroom was transformed into a museum gallery. Each gallery offered several installations for visitors to study and experience. We incorporated student made videos, music, drama, paintings, poetry, mosaics, and murals. For an entire day our school was filled with members from our community. We were privileged to have the Canadian High Commissioner for UNESCO from Ottawa, and representatives from MECY tour our galleries. Visitors were able to experience the smell of burning sweetgrass, listen to Aboriginal drumming and follow a day in the life of a child in a residential school. They saw an exact replica of an underground bunker where a Jewish family of 6 spent 18 months during World War II. They heard the words of Martin Luther King, saw the press reports on Rosa Parks and learned the quilting patterns used to send messages on the Underground Railroad. There were paintings ready to be sent to children in orphanages in Uganda, a video on child abuse, research on the contents of our school dumpster, homes built by children to house the future and everywhere the proud work of children involved in an exploration of what it means to be a Canadian citizen.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
The response to this project overwhelmed us and far exceeded our initial expectations. We were humbled by the passion that was evident in the students and the depth of their commitment to their work. Our parents and visitors treated our museum and its galleries with respect, and curiosity. They asked questions and engaged students in rich discussions about the work that was displayed.

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Empowering At-Risk Youth through Service Learning and the Aboriginal 7 Teachings
Victor Mager School – Grade 9

Project Description: Our student project emerged from our class inquiry into justice in society. After various research and field trips, students identified the underlying causes of justice issues in society and wanted to do something to make a difference. As a group, they decided that they needed to address the perception of teenagers within the community, along with the community’s sense of belonging. This resulted in student-initiated service projects that saw students engaged in the community of St. Vital and downtown to raise awareness and act upon their causes. All of our actions were connected to the Aboriginal 7 Teachings and how they could be lived within the community.

Project Summary: To begin with, students identified an authentic community need, based upon our study of justice issues in society. Students researched and toured places in the community that promoted an increased sense of belonging for youth in the community. Based on these activities, students developed their own activities. All student activities were connected to curricular outcomes in English and Social Studies. While preparing their activities, students made connections to how they promoted human rights, supported justice issues and democracy. Based on their interests, the students created three groups who took different approaches to reach our class goal. One group wanted to promote fair play with grades 3-5 students to address the aggressive behaviour that they were witnessing when students were playing during and after school. Another group wanted to promote a positive attitude towards teenagers by committing random acts of kindness within the community, which included giving out flowers and candy at the mall, setting up a refreshment stand on the Bishop Grandin Greenway, and assisting support personnel at the school. The final group wanted to promote a sense of belonging, pride, and respect in the community through community beautification, which included clean-ups in St. Vital and The Exchange District and distributing and planting seeds to support local residents and instill pride in the community. To help gain support from the community for their cause, students researched and distributed the health benefits of committing good deeds, and the impact of promoting a positive perception for teenagers in the community. All groups created promotional materials including flyers, essays, business cards, T-shirts, and buttons that provided research-based evidence to support the benefits of doing good deeds to improve a sense of community. Our service projects were an effective way for our students to engage with the community in a meaningful and positive way. The students received much positive feedback from community members about their efforts and we noted some people paying forward the good deeds. Students were enthused by seeing how their simple acts of kindness and good deeds could make such an impact on strangers. Connections were made throughout the project to the sections of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the concepts of justice and democracy. Through the project, students could see the practical applications between what they had learned in class and the how it could be applied in the community.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
“I thought it was an excellent project. The students were excellent role models and did an excellent job explaining and teaching a very important life skill. The grade three students look up to them so it was an excellent project to do with younger students. The grade nine students used a variety of teaching methods including a PowerPoint, a live skit and a poster.” - Teacher

We enjoyed the Fair Play presentation your students gave yesterday. We learned about being good winners and good losers, and that when you play a game you should support your teammates by giving them a turn. Cooperation is important so that games are fair for everyone. We learned that it’s nice to invite others to join in a game. Thanks for coming in! - Grade 4 Students

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The Power Within, The Power in Us
William Whyte School – Grade 5 to 6

Project Description: Throughout the year, students worked on various projects related to improving safety in the community: helping the homeless, recruiting Block Parents, advocating for children’s safety through a “Walk for Safety”, and organizing a Block Party.

Project Summary: In Helping the Homeless, each group of students chose a homeless shelter that they would like to visit and/or support. These were: The Main St. Project, Lighthouse Mission, Salvation Army, Siloam Mission and Ndinawe. The Ndinawe group was referred to Winnipeg Harvest instead, because it is the one that supplies food for the homeless people that go to Ndinawe. Students who visited Lighthouse Mission and Salvation Army had the opportunity to help the homeless by preparing and serving their lunch, sorting clothes and shoes donations, and/or filling up the Christmas stockings that will be given out during the Christmas dinner. Students also engaged in fundraising activities such as bake sales, candy cane sales, lunch for staff, basket draw, and coin donations. With the amount raised, they were able to buy special Christmas dinners for 107 homeless people that go to Siloam Mission. To be able to solicit non-perishable food donations for Winnipeg Harvest, students campaigned for “A Can for a Candy Cane” within the school community. In total, students collected 240 pounds of food donations for Winnipeg Harvest. After learning that Siloam Mission is also in need of hygiene products, students thought of visiting the local dental clinics to ask for toothbrush, toothpaste and floss donations. They collected about 120 toothbrushes, 50 toothpastes, and a few floss. Students also learned about ways to improve safety in the community, from the presentations given by The Block Parent organization and C.O.P.P. (Citizens on Patrol Program). They then worked on recruiting people to join these organizations. They presented in every classroom, sent notes to every parent, put up posters, and personally talked to some adults in the school. Through these efforts, they were able to successfully recruit 4 more Block Parents for the community. Students also thought of further advocating for the safety of children by organizing a community awareness campaign through their “Walk for Safety.” Supported by some community organizations and school staff, students walked within four or five blocks around the school perimeter carrying their banners that asked for “Keep the Children Safe: Make the Community Safe”, “Do it for us, your Children!” Upon returning to the school, everyone, i.e. students, parents, community organizations, and staff had a “Get to Know your Neighbor Block Party.” There were information tables for each of the 13 community organizations, barbecue, karaoke entertainment, prizes and games. These were organized to campaign for safety, and to make people in the community aware of the services available to support them.

Feedback from Students, Educators, Parents and/or Community Members:
Students thought that these were eye-opening experiences. From the huge success of every project, students realized that “No matter how small or how old you are, you can make a difference in the community.” They were extremely proud of what they have done, and are feeling more positive and hopeful that the children in the community will be safer. They have seen the tremendous support of the school and of the community. They have heard the honking of cars supporting their cause during their Walk for Safety. Parents and staff congratulated them. They were amazed of the impact students had on making them think of their cause. They even commented that “This is good for the community… this is the start….we need to have more of this…”