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British Columbia Teachers’ Federation • 100–550 West 6th Avenue • Vancouver, BC V5Z 4P2 in this issue
Sports-engendering gender
1
You can play Burnaby —Tackling
homophobic and chauvinistic
attitudes in sports.
4
Conference provides refuge for
youth6
Queer Across Canada —a musicaleducation kit for families and
educators7
Catalyst: A collection of
commentaries to get us talking 9
The pro-choice movement in
British Columbia
10
Birds in your back yard
12
What to do if you find a bird
14
BCTF Social Justice Grants
14
Social justice for emergent
bilingual learners 17
VSB secondary schools “Get off
the Bottle” and “Trust the Tap” 19
Bringing environmental
education into the art room
20
Social Justice projects at the Mount
Arrowsmith Teachers’ Association
(MATA)21
Socializing justice in elementary
school —BCTF Ed May grant
report22
Our children our future
24
Respecting human rights can
end poverty
26
Human rights education
27
A crash course on children’s
rights29
CASJ31
Summer/Fall 2013
Sports-engendering gender
By David Butler, elementary teacher in Vancouver
L
ast summer I
visited my sister
in Ottawa.
One morning I went
to a local sports field
to meet up with my
sister, and my niece
and nephew (then
aged nine and six) as
they were both playing
soccer that morning.
When I arrived, I
looked around and
found my sister cheering on the youngest. I asked her, “Where is
Nadine?” She replied, “Oh she’s on the girls’ field, one field over.” I
paused and asked my sister, “Can you think of one good reason why
children at this age should be divided by sex?” My sister thought for a
moment and replied, “No. I never even noticed that before,” and with
more thought she concluded, “No. I can’t.”
As the sports world is abuzz with the recent coming-out of basketball
player Jason Collins, the first active male professional player in the
major leagues to do so, it is important to recognize this event as a
very significant milestone in queer liberation. However, as my lesbian
friend pointed out to me, there have been several female athletes in
professional sport who crossed that line decades ago—probably the most
notable example is tennis legend Martina Navratilova who came out
professionally in 1981. That it is now 2013, and the first male athlete in
the four major leagues sports has only now come out is significant.
This event evokes comparison to when the race barrier was broken
in American professional baseball. It happened in 1947 when Jackie
Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Wikipedia has this to say
about that era in sports: ☛
1
“The colour line in American baseball excluded players
of African descent from Major League Baseball and it’s
affiliated Minor Leagues. Racial segregation in professional
baseball was sometimes called a gentlemen’s agreement,
meaning a tacit understanding, as there was no written
policy at the highest level of baseball organization. Some
older leagues did have rules against teams signing black
players, with colour lines drawn during the 1880s and
1890s.”
Here we are, almost 70 years later, and another
“gentlemen’s agreement”—the heterosexist line in
male sports—has been broken. Why has it taken so
long? How is it possible that of all the male major
leagues, no active player has ever taken this step?
To explore these questions, I examined the
purpose of sport in contemporary culture. Some
people might think that sport is purely a form of
entertainment. I have heard others say that, given
the roots of the word “sport,” which comes from the
15th century “disporten,” to divert, sport distracts
the masses from important political actions of
governments, like unjust wars, drone attacks, or the
“detainment” of political prisoners in Guantanamo
Bay. In this context, the purpose of sport is not
unlike the famous happy pill called “soma” in
Huxley’s Brave New World. Here is a quote from the
novel:
“I don’t understand anything,” she said with decision,
determined to preserve her incomprehension intact.
“Nothing. Least of all,” she continued in another tone
“why you don’t take soma when you have these dreadful
ideas of yours. You’d forget all about them. And instead
of feeling miserable, you’d be jolly. So jolly.”
Others maintain that one cannot overlook that
capitalist values like competition are instilled, and
a militarist mentality—crushing your opponent—is
normalized through sports. In the same vein, the
spirit of nationalism is bolstered by having people
identify with, and cheer for, one team over another.
While all these points have merit, it doesn’t help to
explain why we so blindly accept gender apartheid
in sports, and why extreme, blatant homophobia
underpins its culture. Some readers might think the
reason to separate boys from girls in sports is that
2
it’s fair to the girls, as some believe that girls are not
as X, Y, and Z as boys. I don’t want to engage in
the faulty logic of these types of sexist arguments
here, especially considering most of us as educators
know very well there is a great range of body types,
ability levels, and skill sets between girls as a group,
between boys as a group, and that there is a huge
area of overlap on the Venn diagram between the
two. Moreover at younger ages, not many would
contend that girls or boys differ in any significant
way in strength, speed, agility etc. In fact, if
anything, one could argue it’s not fair to the smaller
boys to play with girls because girls hit puberty
before they do (in general), and by Grade 5 or 6,
girls are generally taller and faster than boys.
Therefore, maintaining gender apartheid in sports
must also be connected to another as-yet-unexplored
reason. By looking at the intersection of both the
gender segregation and the extreme homophobia in
sport, another deeper purpose can be discursively
excavated.
On a cultural-wide level, one of the main and
often unexamined purposes of sports is to engender
gender, to perform it, literally. An online definition
of engender is “to bring into existence; the give rise
to.” Thus “engendering gender” refers to a profound
social process where a socially prescribed idea of
what it means to be a man/masculine or woman/
feminine gets deeply imprinted on unsuspecting
subjects/players. However, not just those who
actually participate are affected. Sports are cultural
spectacles and as such are a deep expression of
a social paradigm. When you think of Roman
colosseums and how those spectacles help us, in
present times, understand how those societies were
structured; so too do modern day sports reveal
social underpinnings of modern cultures.
Importantly, since what a woman “should” be and
what a man “should” be are very different in today’s
patriarchal society, the purpose of sports can not
be applied equally to both genders. Sports are
meant to bring about different gendered outcomes.
Historically, especially since the Industrial
Revolution, “good” women (generally of middle/
upper class) were socially expected and trained to
be docile, polite, and domestically occupied, and as
BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2013
a consequence, “real sports” have only recently been
an acceptable domain for them. It is interesting to
consider the tools that we use to measure the level
of gender equality we have achieved. In a Globe
and Mail editorial, during the Vancouver Olympic
Winter Games, the editor happily concluded that
there was more gender equality in Canada and the
US as compared to European counties. He did this
by looking at the participation rates of women in
hockey. I remember thinking, “Funny they don’t look
at men in figure skating as THE litmus test of gender
equality.” In patriarchal paradigms, there seems
to be slightly more tolerance for when subordinates
(women) attempt to better themselves than when
those with social and political dominance (men) start
to embrace the unworthy domain of the feminine.
Patriarchal societies need men on top; and nothing
is more critical in the process of constructing real
men (through continuous iterations of homophobia
and transphobia) than making sure they turn out
straight. The type of man who is meant to be the
cultural product of “real” sports is tough, aggressive,
and competitive, not some limp-wristed sissy. Male
means masculine and masculine means heterosexual
in the normative nebula of heterosexuality. Gender
norms are such that by separating boys from girls
in sports, boys will have a better chance of learning
what it is to be a “real” man—an opportunity
uncontaminated by femininity and faeries. I read
a quote on my friend’s Facebook page that fully
captures this thought—“We don’t raise boys to be
men. We raise them NOT to be women or gay men.”
-Donald McPherson, former NFL quarterback, and
now a feminist and social activist.
So instead of being elated
that a gay guy came out in
basketball, maybe we should
be asking, “Why do we want
to participate in social arenas
that have dangerous purposes
and outcomes?” Much like
the controversy about gays
in the military—my friends
and I were asking, “Is the
right to kill others in distant
countries something queers
should be striving for?” I’m not
saying we should all abandon
physical activities like ones
that happen to be sports. I like
playing basketball actually.
Nonetheless, we need to address
and respond to the sexism
and homophobia embodied
and perpetuated in sport.
Public schools that continue
gender apartheid in their PE
programs need to reconsider
the hidden curriculum their
students are being subjected
to. I look forward to the day
where I could see my nephew
and niece playing on the same
field, together.
iStockphoto /thinkstock
3
You can play Burnaby—Tackling homophobic and
chauvinistic attitudes in sports
by Frank Bonvino, 2nd vice-president of the Burnaby Teachers’ Association
I
n 2011, the Burnaby School
District crafted Policy
5.45, a sexual orientation
and gender-identity policy
that provides appropriate
administrative regulations
and strategies that promote
respect for human rights,
support diversity, and address
discrimination for all, regardless
of sexual orientation or gender
identity.
It is well-known that the
subgroup of students who identify
as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or
transgender tend to face higher
rates of bullying, depression, and
suicide when compared to their
school classmates. This policy
is a good first step in creating
a supportive climate of support
and respect for students, staff,
and the school community at
large. Unfortunately, there was
resistance to this policy by a very
small, but vocal, group of parents
who fought tooth and nail to
prevent this policy from being
successfully adopted. Eventually,
in an attempt to undermine the
policy, the group formed a new
municipal party, dubbed Parents’
Voice, to contest the most recent
Burnaby municipal elections.
Like any policy document, Policy
5.45 is only effective if you bring
it to life by incorporating it into
the daily lives of the people within
the school community. With
this in mind, I was alerted to the
4
You Can Play Burnaby speaking panel: Jordan Goldwarg, Angela Hucles, Scott Heggart
fact that current Canuck Manny
Malhotra had been representing
the You Can Play Project at the
Vancouver Pride Parade. The You
Can Play Project is a non-profit
organization tackling homophobic
and chauvinistic attitudes in the
locker room, and began shortly
after the tragic death of Brendan
Burke, a gay member of the prohockey community and son of
former Canucks General Manager
Brian Burke.
Although many gay and lesbian
issues, such as the right to
marry, are now considered to be
mainstream, there has been little
progress with respect to gay and
lesbian athletes self-identifying
in the major pro sports—in fact,
no male athlete had done so
while still playing professionally.
I wanted to be a small part of the
solution and felt that, with the
help of the Burnaby Teachers’
Association, the BCTF, and the
Burnaby Board of Education,
we could hold a successful event
that promoting the concepts of
inclusion and diversity in the
sports arena.
The idea of You Can Play Burnaby
was officially born. Through
one of the co-founders of You
Can Play, Burnaby teachers
were able to successfully host
a panel discussion featuring
three standout gay and lesbian
athletes—Olympic gold medal
soccer star Angela Hucles,
NCAA Division 1 skier Jordan
Goldwarg, and University of
Ottawa student athlete, and
hockey goaltender Scott Heggart
were flown in to share their stories
of coming out in the locker room.
Moderating the panel discussion
was standout BC Lions wide
receiver Marco Iannuzzi.
The athletes and approximately
100 community members
gathered at the Michael J. Fox
Theatre on a Thursday evening
at the end of March. Each athlete
shared their story about
coming out to their families,
and their struggles with
coming out to their friends
and teammates in the sports
community.
Marco, a straight ally, thought
back to his days growing up
playing football and could not
identify a teammate who was
gay. He strongly suspected
that he must have had a
gay teammate but, because
the culture of the football
locker room can be seen to be
chauvinistic, he had perhaps
not felt supported. Marco
strongly feels that creating
this supportive climate in
the locker room is the first
step toward creating a truly
inclusive locker room—one where
members of the team can be open
and honest with their teammates
without fear of judgement or
discrimination.
Angela Hucles spoke about her
experiences as a lesbian athlete in
the soccer world. She felt that she
was constantly looking for clues
from her teammates that would
indicate their potential response
to her sexual orientation, which
she kept hidden. However, she
acknowledged that her experience
of coming out was likely better
than most, as her parents were
extremely supportive.
Jordan Goldwarg gave his
perspective, which was a bit
different, as skiers tend to focus
more on individual performance
and do not share a team locker
room. He acknowledged that he
was trying to keep himself as busy
as possible so as not to focus on
Ironically, he felt that some
of the teammates who were
quick to use the derogatory
terminology were his biggest
supporters when he came
out.
what made him different—his
sexual identity. He feels that being
in the closet for so long actually
hurt his performance on the slopes,
as his results greatly improved once
he came out to his peers.
Scott Heggart shared his
experience of being a gay hockey
player. He first came out to his
sister but was very anxious of
coming out to his teammates.
After much consternation he
chose to come out on Facebook,
changing his relationship status
to “dating Brock.” He prepared
for what he thought might be
a backlash, but instead turned
out to be a show of support from
those in the locker room and
outside of it. Scott feels that many
people in the sports community
are not homophobic but they
could simply choose their words
more carefully, as terms like
“fag” can be attributed to bad
habits more than homophobia.
Since the forum, several
items of note have taken
place. The You Can Play
Project has forged an official
partnership with the
National Hockey League
and its Players’ Association,
the first professional league
to do so. Also, we have
just seen the first selfidentified gay National
Basketball Association
player, Jason Collins, make
a public announcement. His
announcement was wellreceived, with Michelle Obama
and Kobe Bryant among the
celebrities offering their support.
In professional soccer, Robbie
Rogers, of the major league soccer
champion team LA Galaxy, has
just publicized his homosexuality.
Since John Collins has not played
a game since his announcement,
this makes Rogers the first openly
gay male athlete to play a game
in a major professional sports
league. Hopefully, given the level
of support both of these athletes
have received, this will lead to
other athletes coming out and
serving as role models for students
in the LGBTQ community.
I would like to sincerely thank the
Burnaby Teachers’ Association,
the BCTF, and the Burnaby
Board of Education for their
support in hosting the first panel
discussion of its kind in Western
Canada—You Can Play Burnaby.
5
Conference provides refuge for youth
By Katelyn Roberts, Hope Secondary School, Hope, B.C.
Students from Hope Secondary School, including
Isabella Dagnino, Leo Clark, and Patrick Fazarri,
experience this while attending the third annual
C.A.L.L. Out Vancouver Youth Leadership
Conference from March 19 to 22. The four-day
retreat was sponsored by Vancouver Coastal Health
for 50 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and
questioning (LGBTQ ) youth from across British
Columbia.
The conference was originally developed to be a
space where youth can be who they are without the
intolerance that many of them are subjected to at
school. One way that students expressed themselves
was through clothing.
“Many people make attending events such as these
their opportunity to wear things that they wouldn’t
necessarily feel comfortable wearing at school in
terms of gender expression,” said Kyle Shaughnessy,
who organized the event and has been to Hope
Secondary on two occasions, once to address the
students and the second to address community
members. Shaughnessy also stressed that not trying
to fix anyone was crucial to the conference’s
atmosphere. He explained, “don’t try to fix
somebody as if there is something wrong
with them. It’s a really negative-based
thing to assume and that a) it’s your job
to do anything and b) that there’s
something wrong with them.”
For a lot of the youth, the retreat
has become more than just an
expressive setting for them.
“Something that I think a lot
of us face when we’re not in
spaces such as this conference
is that we get hit with a lot
6
of people’s, more often than not, wrong assumptions
about us,” Shaughnessy said.
For many attendees, it has become a safe forum, a
place where they’re able to discuss issues surrounding
the LGBTQ community and more importantly, what
it means to be who they are there.
During the four days, youth, along with 20 adult
volunteers, participated in five different workshops.
The power and diversity workshop gave the youth a
chance to talk about what they enjoy the most about
their “Queer Community.” One of the most common
answers from the students was the sense of belonging
that they felt, which came from the shared experience
they had with people in their community.
When asked what he most enjoyed about the four
days, Fazzari said, “the fact that everyone is capable
of bonding with each other right away and you
get to learn the perspectives of others in a healthy
environment.” Fazzari is the co-president of Hope
Secondary’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) and the
other students who attended from Hope are all
members of the lunchtime club.
I
magine sitting in a room with 70 people and
realizing they deal with the same struggles you
do everyday.
At the beginning of 2012, the GSA was created by
a small group of students who were feeling bullied
because of their sexual orientation. These students felt
having an inclusive club would help them get away
from the prejudice that they were being faced with
daily. “It exists to be a safe place for LGBTQ kids
and allies to get together and prove that there is such
a thing as a confidential space for people to come
out,” says Fazzari, adding that many of the members
felt alienated by their classmates and the GSA
provided an inclusive refuge for them.
Since it’s creation, the GSA has made a difference
in the atmosphere at the local high school. Together,
they have successfully helped add LGBTQ-friendly
language to the school district’s anti-bullying policy,
helped in Anit-Bullying Day and have collaborated
with the Tea Club to hold social events. They also
plan to reach out to others who identify as LGBTQ
in Hope, as a way to create a more prevalent “Queer
Community” in the town.
One of the club’s most valuable assets is their allies,
who are often peers, teachers, family, and community
members. Half of the GSA are considered allies too.
“Allies are the most important people to have
around during difficult times for queer youth. You
know that they’re always there to love and support
you, even in your worst moments,” explained
Fazzari. “The best feeling is knowing that there’s
always someone, whether it’s in your school or
around the community, who will accept you for who
you are because really, we’re all allies in whatever
struggle we’re going through. The common
denominator here is that no matter what we’re all
humans and we all deserve to be loved.”
Queer Across Canada
—a musical-education kit for families and educators
by Maike Engelbrecht
T
hree years ago, after
teaching full-time for
three years in the interior
of British Columbia and for a
further five years as a teacherteaching-on-call (TTOC) for the
Vancouver School Board, Kate
Reid was kicked off the TTOC
list because her career as a queer
folk singer and musical activist
was taking off. She was rarely
home to accept calls for substitute
teaching positions because she
was always on the road.
Musical-Education Kit, a project
derived from 74 interviews she
conducted with queer parents and
their children.
However, Reid has never ceased
being an educator.
The kit includes a 17-song
CD and an educational
resource for the classroom,
which pairs activities and
exercises with the songs. It
helps teach about gender and
sexual diversity, homophobia
and heteronormativity, while
also promoting acceptance of
diverse people, families, and
communities.
Her hilarious stage presence and
her sometimes witty, sometimes
heartbreaking, songs about
LGBTQ life have endeared her
to audiences across the country,
helping spread the gospel of
acceptance and welcome well
beyond its usual demographic.
Now she is marrying her dual
backgrounds as teacher and
musical activist like never before.
Reid celebrates queer families
with the Queer Across Canada
For instance, the songs Tummy
Mommy and Radical Donor Dad
are matched with activities in
which students reflect on what
makes a family a family. ☛
7
The songs, I am a Tomboy and
Boys Who Wear Dresses are paired
with an exercise that invites
students to identify common
expectations of male and female
behaviour, and then explore
where those expectations come
from. Proposed stretch activities
include designing a fashion
show to demonstrate how
gender norms can be challenged
through clothing.
Other songs, such as Altona,
Manitoba and My Ex-Wife is
a Lesbian and She’s an Unfit
Mother, provide an opportunity
to educate students about
real-life incidents of antigay discrimination. Altona,
Manitoba describes the conflict
in Altona, in which parents
protested teachers’ posting of
rainbow “ally” certificates in
their classrooms. My Ex-Wife
is a Lesbian and She’s an Unfit
Mother depicts the systemic
discrimination against lesbian
parents during custody hearings
in the 1970s and 1980s.
Reid earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Psychology from the
University of Guelph, and a
Bachelor of Education degree
from UBC. She has more than
20 years of experience teaching
and working with at-risk youth.
She has also worked with people
of all ages facing behavioural,
developmental, physical, and
mental challenges—including
mental illness and autism.
Her performances and speaking
engagements for upper
elementary and secondary school
students have earned rave reviews
from her fellow teachers.
8
“I believe her presence and
her message did more to move
students along the continuum
from tolerance to acceptance
than anything I have ever
witnessed,” wrote Jan Swaren,
head of Arts for Kingston’s
Queen Elizabeth Collegiate and
Vocational Institute.
“Her musical talent and queer
advocacy message were enhanced
by her natural abilities as an
educator,” said Cori-Anne
Klassen, ESL specialist at Sardis
Secondary School in Chilliwack.
“I was moved to see some of our
more marginalized students’
faces light up with feelings of
joy and belonging because of the
safe space that Kate had created
for them among their own peers.
Kate Reid is an inspiration!”
“This particular class has
struggled a great deal with
friendships and some in-class
bullying,” wrote Huntsville
High School vice-Principal
Tanya Fraser. “I think Kate was
just what they needed. …I was
so impressed.”
Members of the Canadian
music industry have been
similarly moved. Reid was voted
“Discovery of the Year” in the
2009 Critic’s Poll published
in the Canadian folk music
magazine Penguin Eggs. She has
performed at the Edmonton Folk
Festival, the Hillside Festival, the
Vancouver Folk Music Festival,
the Vancouver Island Music
Festival, and countless other
major music events. She’s been
nominated for a Canadian Folk
Music Award and a Toronto
Independent Music Award,
and she’s been embraced by
mainstream music journalists who
have helped her get her message
about LGTBQ equality into
major daily newspapers.
Kate Reid possesses a deep sense
of empathy and compassion for
students who feel like outsiders,
and that, in turn, is key to her
success at connecting with them.
Her talent as a musician and her
professional skill as an educator
provide the tools for her to do it
effectively.
The Queer Across Canada
Musical-Education Kit combines
all of her skills and experience
into a one-of-a-kind teaching
aid to help students from nontraditional families feel good
about themselves and their family
members.
To find out more about Kate Reid,
her music, and the Queer Across
Canada Musical-Education Kit, go
to: www.katereid.net. The Queer
Across Canada Musical-Education Kit
(CD + resource kit) will be available
on Kate’s website by September
2013. The Queer Across Canada CD
is available now. To purchase, go to:
www.katereid.net/shop.
Queer Across Canada Kit: $49.95
Queer Across Canada CD only:
$25.00
Queer Across Canada resource
booklet only: $35.00
Prices include tax and shipping,
and discounts will be offered for
bulk orders!
Kate will be preforming at the SJ
dinner in Kamloops on Thursday,
August 22, 2013.
Catalyst: A collection of commentaries to get us talking
by Alex Sangha
C
atalyst: A Collection of Commentaries to Get
Us Talking is available worldwide through
Amazon.com. Complimentary copies of
the book are available for teachers; contact Alex
via e-mail at alexsangha@gmail.com.
“Alex Sangha has an impressively broad range
of knowledge on issues that affect the world,
and challenges problems that most people have
come to accept. Sangha doesn’t just point out
the troubles in this world, but thinks of bold
solutions for them.”
- Jenny Uechi, managing editor,
Vancouver Observer
“Alex writes clearly concisely and
with a nonjudgmental viewpoint.
Alex is clearly a world citizen who
disseminates on a wide variety of
issues with amazing clarity. His
refreshing view on a wide range of
subjects are written with elegance
and a light touch that does not
cloud the issues.”
- Veeno Dewan, former editor,
Voice Newspaper
Alex Sangha has produced a
critical, yet positive, book that
covers a range of topics, from
environmental conservation to reconciling
religion and sexuality to depression and
arranged marriage. He believes every person
should be informed and should have their say
on subjects that matter.
Catalyst is a collection of 40 short commentaries
about problems facing Canada and the world
in the 21st century. It is filled with topics for
social discussion for the informed citizen as
well as for parents and teachers who want to get
young adults thinking critically about the world
around them.
Catalyst is an excellent conversation starter. Each
article includes questions for the reader, which can be
a great springboard for critical discussion.
Synopsis
There is no question about it: The world is changing
faster than ever. What’s not so clear is where all this
change is taking us. Thanks to globalization and the
Internet, we see news as it happens but we are also
bombarded with more information than we could ever
hope to process. How much of it is true? How much
of it matters?
Alex Sangha believes it’s up to all
of us to separate the wheat from
the chaff. He wants each of us—
young, old, and in-between—to
think critically, to see past the
epidemic of disinformation and
hidden agendas streaming at us
daily in this multimedia world.
Sangha encourages each of us to
play a part in shaping our future.
He promotes change in the world,
but also deeper thinking right
here at home. He believes making
choices that are good for us, for
the environment, and for others
can only happen when we are
truly informed and have a real understanding of the
issues at hand.
The world needs critical thinkers and go-getters.
Canada needs them. Our schools need them. An
awareness of the problems around us isn’t enough.
Understanding the issues—how they connect and
affect and ripple out to the edges of our lives—is
the only hope for a better tomorrow. Catalyst: A
Collection of Commentaries to Get Us Talking is a tool
to encourage conversation about subjects that are
sometimes hard to talk about.
Alex Sangha may not have all the answers, but he
knows how to get us thinking and talking. ☛
9
Alex Sangha writes about hard-hitting subjects
affecting all Canadians. Alex shares his views and
discusses events that have shaped his life. He writes
about socio-economics, the environment, Canadian
politics, and spirituality. What sets Sangha apart
is that he doesn’t just want readers to absorb and
agree blindly with everything he says; he encourages
thought, engagement, and conversation. To aid in this
process, he poses a question at the end of each article:
• “Do you think each neighborhood having an
elected member on city council is important
in local government?”
• “Do you think the government should make
the rich pay more taxes?”
• “How would you improve our prison system?”
• “Would you employ someone with a mental
illness?”
• “How would you feel about having your
parents find a spouse for you?”
Tell someone what you think. Start a conversation.
About the Author
Alex Sangha is an award winning social worker and
human rights activist who lives and works in the
Metro Vancouver area of BC. Sangha has advocated
for marginalized people including those with mental
illness, South Asian immigrants, and gays and
lesbians. Sangha is always interested in meeting new
people, developing new friendships and relationships,
and learning new things. He believes anyone can
help bring about social change and make a difference
in someone’s life; all it takes is effort.
Sangha was born in England, raised in Canada,
and is of Indian descent. It is therefore no surprise
that he feels like a product of the British Empire.
Sangha completed a Bachelor of Social Work at
the University of British Columbia, an MSc in
Public Administration and Public Policy from the
London School of Economics, as well as a Master
of Social Work from Dalhousie University. Sangha
is currently the driving force behind the Dignity
House project, which aims to provide affordable
housing for vulnerable seniors in Vancouver.
The pro-choice movement in British Columbia
by Ann Thomson
D
r. Henry Morgentaler,
an extraordinary,
compassionate, and
courageous man, brought the
women of Canada the gift of
fully legal abortion. His recent
death reminds us of how hard
he had to struggle, but he didn’t
do it alone. Across the country,
women fought as well—not just
in Ontario—the story of how
feminists fought in BC is unusual
and important.
A “second wave” of feminism
erupted in the 1960s, and one
of the first groups in Canada
was formed at Simon Fraser
University. It called itself
10
winning fully legal abortion
soon became the dominate goal
amongst the others.
The Women’s Caucus , and it
was open to every woman—
student, faculty, staff, or
from the general community.
It had four main goals, but
Under Trudeau, an omnibus
reform bill with more than 100
clauses had been adopted in
1969; the most hard-fought of
its changes to the Criminal Code
transferred control of abortion
from the federal government
to hospitals. If they chose to
do so, hospitals could then
form Therapeutic Abortion
Committees (TAC), which
could grant safe and legal
abortions to as many, or as few,
women as they wished. Women
who were turned down by a
hospital TAC had no recourse;
neither did those whose closest
hospital refused to set-up a TAC
(the majority). The Women’s
Caucus wanted the law scrapped
altogether so that abortion would
be “free” and “on demand.”
To accomplish this, a somewhat
ragtag group of women rounded
up what vehicles they could
find and set out to inform
Parliament of what they wanted.
It was another “On to Ottawa”
trek, patterned on that of the
unemployed in 1935. This time
it was called “The Abortion
Caravan.” A colourful 10
days later, the group arrived
in Ottawa, where they were
joined by about 500 others from
Ontario and elsewhere. It was
Mother’s Day weekend, 1970.
To their dismay, only three
members of parliament came
to meet them; none from the
government. So, after a spirited
rally and then a spontaneous sitin on the Prime Minister’s lawn,
the women planned a surprise.
They got hold of about 35 passes
to the government gallery in
the House of Commons, and a
select number of the caravaners
borrowed skirts, nylons, and
handbags from Ottawa sisters.
Then, with bicycle chains
hidden in their handbags,
they walked demurely into the
House and proceeded to chain
themselves to the railings in
the gallery. Other caravaners
trudged around the Centennial
Flame outside, acting as decoys
for the action within. At the
stroke of three, women leaped to
their feet and read from a script
that all had copies of. It called
for a complete repeal of abortion
laws and for women to decide
when and whether to have a
child.
The flustered commissionaires
rushed to find saws to cut
through the bicycle chains. The
alarmed members of parliament
were dismissed when the
Speaker hastily adjourned the
House until it was safe to reenter. All discussion centered
on this frightening spectacle
of noisy and uppity women,
and every major newspaper in
Canada carried the story on its
front page the next day.
Alas, it took 18 more years
of struggle to win fully legal
abortion. That was where
Morgentaler came in. In fact,
he had already turned his
family practice in Montreal
into a private abortion clinic,
and the police decided to seize
him shortly after the Abortion
Caravan. As we all know, he
was acquitted by three juries
in Quebec—but the state
appealed the verdicts, got the
Supreme Court to declare
Mongentaler guilty, and sent
him to prison anyways. He was
thrown naked into a freezing
solitary confinement cell, where
he had a heart attack, and
was then transferred to a care
home. Soon, however, the Parti
Québécois won its first election,
and the determined separatists
freed Morgentaler and told him
to carry on. The federal law
was not honoured in the Parti
Québécois’ Quebec.
Meantime, in BC, wave after
wave of anti-abortionists set
themselves to gain control
of public hospital boards of
directors. They succeeded
in many hospitals across the
province, and once in power,
they banned all abortions.
That did not go down well
with the medical staffs, who
often resigned en masse from
administrative committees until
the ban was lifted. (Doctors
didn’t like non-medical people
telling them what to do.)
However, the anti-abortionists
were wily and managed to
keep the bans in place, while
sounding as though they were
co-operating.
A succession of feminist groups
continued to fight for the goals of
the Abortion Caravan. I joined
up in 1971, and was continuously
active—while also teaching in
Surrey—for the next 20 years. As
Judy Rebick reminded the crowds
at the G-8 and G-20 summit
meetings in Ontario in 2010, we
won the right to legal abortion
because we weren’t afraid to
take to the streets! That was our
favourite tactic in BC, especially
in Vancouver and Victoria—as
often as possible, we organized
marches and rallies, alternating
with indoor conferences, and
sometimes petition campaigns
or meetings for touring speakers.
We figured our strongest weapon
was our numbers, and we did
our best to make it impossible
to overlook the fact that the
majority was pro-choice.
Only months after Morgentaler’s
momentous victory in the
Canadian Supreme Court in
1988 (quite the opposite of his
first case there), in which the ☛
11
first woman justice, Madame
Bertha Wilson, wrote the
majority decision, the group I
was working with opened BC’s
first abortion clinic. Since shortly
after that, Canada has been one
of the very few nations in the
world to have absolutely no law
on abortion!
A few years ago, I wrote up
the story of the BC pro-choice
movement in a book called
Winning Choice on Abortion.
No one would publish it (nasty
topic), so I had to do it myself.
That means the best way to get
a copy is to order from me—
contact me at annetom3@gmail.
com. The cost is $20, plus postage
if you live outside the Lower
Mainland.
Everywoman’s Health Centre
in Vancouver, opened in 1988,
still operates. It is one of four
clinics in BC—far too few, but
better than none. Some hospitals
do abortions as well. The next
stage in this long struggle is not,
as the minority of Canadians
(the anti-abortionists) pray for,
to outlaw abortion again; it is
to expand access. To demand
that all hospitals perform the
procedure, and to get more
clinics up and running.
Can you help?
The Status of Women
committee have recently written
a Reproductive Rights lesson
plan that can be found under
Lesson Plans on their webpage.
bit.ly/1a6eClD.
12
Birds in your back yard
by Shannon Lanaway, Committee for Action on Social Justice,
Environmental Justice Action Group
I
n the last few months, I
have had a realization about
how and when I, as a teacher,
became a social justice activist.
The moment, the experience,
that story that was so special that
something inside of me made a
decision to keep that emotion
as a motivation for change, was
the magical time spent with my
grandma when I was a child.
When I would go to visit her, we
would share a cup of tea and she
would tell me stories of growing
up in the prairies. I would garden
for her in the spring, summer,
and autumn months, and refill
the bird feeders in the winter
months. As we would wait for
birds to come to the feeders, my
grandma would tell me about
the number of species that had
come to visit her since I had last
visited.
That moment, that experience,
that story, often takes place when
we are children. Therefore, as
a new art teacher, I have been
reflecting on those memories
and laughing inside at all the
art revolving
around birds,
that the
Grade 7–10
students I
am teaching
are learning
about. We
started with
researching
local bird
species. I
discovered a secondary school
photography student who was
selling his work online based
on his visits to the local bird
sanctuary. (A perfect motivator
to demonstrate a young inspired
youth and his work in the bigger
world.) The second resource was
a retired teacher who lived by
Kootenay Lake, who classified
the birds; provided a small
description of their habits and
posted the information online.
Over several weeks, the Art
7/8 students would learn about
another classification of bird, as
we visited the site and brought
the images up on the big slide
screen in the class. The students
have grown-up seeing and
hearing these birds in their dayto-day environment, but for many
this was the first time they had
the opportunity to identify them
up close and further understand
their value to their community.
From a pile of bird books taken
out of the library, students chose
a bird they connected with.
Students then proceeded to
sketch, paint, and outline their
images with ink, which they
applied to a homemade water
colour washed postcard backing.
During the provincial election,
we used these hand-painted bird
postcards to send our local party
candidates a clear question, What
are you willing to do to protect
this bird’s habitat/home? This
allowed students to understand
the power of their own voice;
their ability to advocate for
change and solidarity with the
living beings they share their
home with.
The black scratch board was
another amazing medium to
highlight the visual elements
of the art curriculum—line,
form, and negative space.
Students again chose a bird
from the local population to
reproduce by scratching with
an X-Acto knife on the black
chalk coated scratchboard. The
results were impressive and most
students developed their artistic
confidence through this new
medium.
The grid transfer sketch on
Manila paper was another project
that students worked on in their
bird unit. By photocopying a bird
of their choice and measuring
out a grid of about 20 squares,
students used a similar grid on a
bigger piece of paper to reproduce
the bird’s image. During this
drawing lesson, students were
focused on developing the
catch light in the bird’s eye;
lifting light through erasure,
and working with tone and
value through the detail of the
fletching of the bird.
Of course, some students did not
want to draw local birds so there
are some wonderful peacocks and
penguins up on the walls as well.
To wrap up the unit, I made a
visit to the local independent
book store, where I was able to
purchase Birds of the Kootenays,
an audio CD with over
70 different bird calls.
Wonderfully, this CD was
created by John Neville,
a retired member of town
council who had a love
for birds and a passion to
record and identify their
calls. What is further
inspiring for students,
when I am encouraging
them to go out and record
some of the local bird
songs on their iPhones,
etc., is for them to
know John Neville was
blind when he did his
recordings.
the lessons went, and any of your
own great art lesson ideas you
have developed around birds, to:
slanaway@sd8.bc.ca—submitted
lesson plans can be posted to the
Environmental Justice resource
webpage for the BCTF to share
with the rest of the teachers in the
province. I believe one of the best
methods of inspiring social justice
within our students is to role
model our passion; let them know
we care about them; tell them
stories and be their advocates
when they need it the most. ☛
Best of luck, I hope you
enjoy trying these lessons.
Send your stories on how
13
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A BIRD
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Do not handle the bird more than is necessary.
Place the bird in a cardboard box with a towel on the bottom.
Do not punch holes in the cardboard.
Do not place the bird in a plastic container.
Keep in a warm, dark, and quiet place.
Do not give food or water.
Immediately call BEAKS at 250-365-3701.
The Do’s and the Don’t
of Looking out for Your Local Bird Population
• DO cover your window on
the outside if you have a
robin who keeps hitting it.
Robins are territorial, and
they think their reflection is
another male robin!
• DO make sure your
dryer vent closes properly.
Otherwise, swallows will
build nests in there.
• DO cover your chimney
with wire mesh, so birds
can’t get trapped inside!
• DO clean your feeders
weekly with 1 tbsp bleach
to a quart of hot soapy
water. Rinse and dry
thoroughly. Remove all old
seeds from the ground.
• DO keep your bird feeders
and the ground below
clean. Otherwise, you’re
accidentally KILLING
the birds instead of helping
them. Salmonella, passed
from bird to bird through
saliva and feces of affected
birds, is the major killer of
Red Polls and Pine Siskins.
• DON’T cut up string for
the birds to use in their
nest building. They
get this string caught
around their feet.
• DON’T throw food out
your car window. Birds
can be killed or injured by
vehicles when they try to
retrieve the food.
• DON’T try to rescue baby
killdeer or sandpipers
without any parents. The
mother is just hiding!
• DON’T use bird feeders if
you can’t keep them and the
area around them clean.
• DON’T neglect to properly
dispose of your euthanized
pets. The poison use to
euthanize them will also
kill any other animal, wild
or domestic, that eats it.
• DON’T let mice get into
any seed that is used for
feeding birds. The urine
and feces of mice can
poison and kill birds
when consumed.
Reprinted from
Bird’sfrom
EyeBird’s
View
And
Kare
(BEAKS)
Reprinted
Eye2012—Bird
View 2012— Emergency
Bird Emergency
And
Kare Society
Society (BEAKS)
14
BCTF Social
Justice Grants
by Kathy Hartman,
Assistant Director, BCTF
W
hat can a teacher do
if they have access to
a few more resources?
Wonderful things!
Each year the BCTF awards
grant money to teachers who wish
to promote social justice in their
schools and communities.
There are two grants, each with
a maximum of $2,000, awarded
per school year. Applications
for the Social Justice grant can
be submitted any time after the
beginning of the fiscal year (July 1)
until mid-April, and applications
for the Ed May grant need to be
submitted by late November.
Each grant has slightly different
criteria but both are used to bring
social justice initiatives into your
community. A great place to go for
a quick guide to their similarities
and differences is the BCTF
website (bctf.ca). On the home
page, click on the heading “Social
Justice,” on the next page, click on
“Grants & funds.” You will find
lots of useful information there,
but the handiest resource to help
you apply for the Ed May Social
Responsibility Fund or the Social
Justice grant is under the heading
“Tips for teachers applying for the
grants;” click on “criteria, timelines,
priorities, and tips.”
On the following pages you can
read about what some amazing
teachers were able to accomplish
this school year with help from
these two grants.
The Ed May Social
Responsibility Fund
The Ed May Social Responsibility
Fund was established by the 1994
BCTF AGM. This year there was
$31,000 in the fund, and 20 grants
of $500 to $2,000 were awarded.
Most zones were represented, with
seven grants awarded in Metro
West, six in Vancouver Island
North, two each in the North
Coast and Metro/Fraser Valley, and
one each in Kootenay, Okanagan,
and Vancouver Island South.
There were a wide variety of very
creative projects in every area of
social justice. There were several
leadership training programs
that centred on specific issues
or populations. For example,
one school in Vancouver worked
specifically with vulnerable Grade 8
and 9 boys, other programs worked
specifically with new immigrants.
Themes explored in the leadership
programs were bullying, diversity,
inclusion, justice not charity, and a
sense of empowerment.
Many environmental projects took
place all over the province—several
of which had food security as their
theme, and worked very closely
with the community. Others were
more specific: a worm composting
project, inner-city gardening in
an alternative school, and one
Vancouver school is arranging for
secondary students to conduct an
“all contaminants water test” to
prove that the water is safe to drink
from the tap and the school’s water
fountains, and then promote the
drinking of tap water.
There were also several LGBTQ
projects. “Out in Schools” did a
very successful tour of the north.
Green Thumb Theatre went
into the Kootenays to promote
GSAs, and there was also a very
creative transition program for
Grade 7s preparing for secondary
school that utilized the GSAs in
its district to promote acceptance
of diversity with their next year’s
incoming Grade 8s.
The Aboriginal theme was well
represented throughout the
province with the Project of Heart
being presented to a teacher from
each school in the Victoria area.
In the Shuswap, an inspiring
program connected the Aboriginal
community
and culture
with the
school district.
In Nanaimo,
the Circle
of Courage
was used
to promote
Aboriginal
culture and
history to the
whole school
community.
In addition to
the projects listed above, there was
also a Black History Club formed
in one secondary school, a website
for Spanish teachers that specializes
in social justice lesson aids, and a
very successful two-day conference
for all Maple Ridge students to
help them become “solutionaries.”
All in all, a very impressive list. For
more details, check out the Social
Justice area of the BCTF website—
then click on “Grants & funds,”
there you’ll see a list of many of the
Ed May grant recipients for the last
four years.
Local social justice grants:
The Local Social Justice Grants
were established in May 1999 by
the Executive Committee. This
grant incorporates the social
justice plan of the local into the
project. This year there was
$20,000 in the fund, and $12,540
was awarded to seven applicants,
with grants ranging from $540
to $2,000. Applications for this
fund will be accepted between
July 1, 2013 and April 15, 2014.
All projects must be completed
during the current school year,
and applicants are encouraged to
include the community.
Again, the projects were as diverse
as they were inspiring:
• A tribute to the former
Gitxsan students of
residential schools was done
by creating an art piece
connecting the children who
attended residential school
and children who attend John
Field Elementary school,
creating an illustrated booklet
of the history of Indian
residential schools, and a
celebration unveiling the art
and the booklet.
• A Social Justice Expo in
North Island that was set up
like a science fair, but here
the students highlighted
social justice issues such as ☛
15
immigration, gun violence,
environmental sustainability,
human trafficking, social
housing, etc.
in professional league sports,
an NBA player “came out”
and an MLS soccer player
spoke out for acceptance of
LGBTQ athletes in sports.
• Aboriginal drumming, feast,
and totem pole ceremony in
the Lower Mainland innercity, where students from
several schools were given a
chance to learn drumming
and then perform at the
raising of a new totem pole.
• A full-day Social Justice
conference for youth in
the Victoria area focused
on fair trade, gender and
globalization, children’s
rights, and environmental
sustainability.
crac
•
y
tr a n
sfo
rm
at
at
e
il
so
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•
sy
e
st
an
skills to
effect change
ge
Advocacy
collectively working
for change
et
•
Focus
on
Equity
intention to
effect change
ch
ip
Solidarity
action
Agency
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par
open and
available to all
act
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Finally, a great big shout out to all
those amazing teachers who poured
their hearts and souls into the grant
projects this year. You DO make a
difference. Thank you!
iv
o
ry
d
o
em
civ
16
Again, apply early—do not wait for
the deadline, especially for a Local
Social Justice Grant. Remember,
proposals need to be taken to your
local executive first to have it, and
the matching funds, approved
before you send in your application,
or your application will be returned
to you. Give yourself enough time
and check the meeting dates of
your local executive.
Apply early
Go to the Social Justice area of
the BCTF website, and click on
“Grants & funds.” There you will
find lots of great information.
An important tip, remember
the deadlines and apply early.
•
• At the “You Can
Play” forum in
Burnaby, students,
teachers, and
community members
discussed homophobia
in sports, and challenged
coaches in BC to
openly welcome LGBTQ
participants on their teams.
Since then, for the first time
All applications are filtered through
the Social Justice lens, which
assesses access, agency, advocacy,
and solidarity. Please use the
workbook on the “Grants & funds”
webpage to help you work through
these four concepts.
Again, for more details, check
out the Social Justice area
of the BCTF website—click
on “Grants & funds,” there
you’ll see a list of many of the
successful Local Social Justice
Grant recipients for 2012–13.
• A food security and
Aboriginal feast project in
Haida Gwaii where “Check
Your Head” presented
workshops on food security
and then a feast and fair
with local food providers
was arranged. Elders from
the community contributed
information on traditional
food gathering methods and
producing artifacts.
• The Great Bear Rainforest
biological diversity awareness
project in the Kootenays,
where materials (books and
DVDs) were provided to
all teachers in the local
who wish to include the
Great Bear Rainforest
in their lesson plans.
Several applicants last year
were disappointed because their
applications were incomplete and
they didn’t leave themselves enough
time to fix it before the deadline.
You can always call or e-mail
the BCTF for help putting the
application together.
m
ic
Remember, “Never doubt that
a small group of thoughtful
committed citizens can
change the world; indeed,
it’s the only thing that ever
has.” -Margaret Mead
For more information
on the Ed May Social
Responsibility Fund and
the Local Social Justice
Grants please contact Kathy
Hartman at khartman@bctf.
ca or at 604-871-1842 (toll-free:
1-800-663-9163).
Social justice for emergent bilingual learners
by Beeta Jafarzadeh, ELL teacher at Gladstone Secondary School, Vancouver
“
Social Justice for Emergent Bilingual Learners”
is a project aimed at shedding light on the
struggle of second-language learners in a
secondary school in East Vancouver. The school
receives students from poor immigrant families,
with very limited means to be able to adequately
support their children in school. Work takes
priority for these families over education, as money
is tight. More than a few students come with very
limited or no previous formal education. These
students do not integrate into an Anglophone
school easily, if at all.
Since it is very difficult for them to bridge the
gap, and become successful at learning a second
language and familiar with a new culture, these
emergent bilingual students experience a high
dropout rate with the majority ending up in adult
education programs or the workforce with very
limited English. This situation motivated me to
undertake this project, seek help from outside
agencies, and make links with neighbourhood
houses around the school and the wider community
of East Vancouver. I was hoping to find resources
and programs that would benefit these vulnerable
students who were maturing out of secondary
school and are not equipped or familiar with the
culture to navigate their new world successfully.
First, a series of workshops were co-planned and
presented with two youth settlement workers from
Mount Pleasant Neighborhood House (MPNH).
The Cultural Buddy “CUBU” program was
focused on providing the immigrant youth with
information on resources and individual support.
Some of the workshops included Newcomer
workshop: Transit, street and emergency,
Money talks: Financial literacy for newcomers,
Community connections: Volunteering in your city,
and Winter celebrations.
The workshops were great at providing students
with useful information about Canada and
navigating the new culture. It proved extremely
useful at getting ELL students, particularly Level 1s,
to adapt better to their new life at Gladstone Secondary
School and in Vancouver. Doing multicultural activities
around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Chinese New
Year eased ELL students’ transition, and helped them
establish and strengthen their relationships with the
youth workers and settlement workers as well.
Once students were open to becoming involved in
the community, a cultural city tour was planned in
collaboration with MPNH, and with financial support
from citizenU. ELL students were taken in two buses
on a tour of Vancouver that was facilitated by speakers
who provided explanations on each site through the
social justice lens. This included stories about the
working conditions and pay scale of Chinese labourers
and the Head Tax, the devastating effect of Japanese
internment during WWII, the story of the missing
women from the downtown Eastside, totem poles in
Stanley Park and their importance in First Nations
culture, the story of Aaron Webster who was killed
in Stanley Park because of his sexual orientation and
the LGBTQ rights in Canada, the experience of black
Canadians and the story of Harry Winston Jerome
(a black athlete) and of course, Komogata Maru. The
tour was extremely important for ELL students as it
exposed them to issues faced by various people from
different socio-economic backgrounds, and provided
them with a much better understanding of Vancouver
and a deeper appreciation for its history and culture.☛
17
Students were now inquiring about becoming
involved in the community and volunteering. ELL
students were given information about a wide
variety of volunteering opportunities that would
help them further develop their language skills and
make a difference in one another’s lives at the same
time. During spring break, the two youth workers
accompanied a number of ELL students to the
Vancouver Convention Center for a job fair and
thus, they had the chance to speak to employers and
become aware of the importance of volunteering
and work experience in Canada. A number of
ELL students started volunteering with MPNH in
projects such as “Writing Histories Together,” which
required students to interview seniors and publish
a book on these stories. This helped them with
speaking, listening, and writing skills while giving
them a sense of self-confidence and achievement.
They also volunteered with Racing Around the
World (RAW), and many are continuing to volunteer
in various community centers and hospitals and plan
to continue the work during summer.
A number of other workshops were subsequently
organized and presented by Vancouver Community
College and Pacific Immigrant Resources Society
(PIRS) that explained the role of volunteering,
and introduced ELL students to websites such as
govolunteer.ca. The Engaged Immigrant Youth Group
from the Vancouver School Board came to Gladstone
Secondary School and gave two presentations that
again involved role play and group work around
résumé writing, and highlighted the required
qualifications for successful employment in BC.
18
Having been exposed to so many workshops and
presentations from various community groups, a
number of settlement and multicultural workers
were invited to come to Gladstone Secondary School
and help ELL students complete a survey. The
survey required them to
brainstorm about possible
career choices that they
would consider after
graduation, and also asked
them to include areas
where they could volunteer
and take a step toward
achieving those goals.
Based on the above
information, the Career
Services teacher designed two presentations entitled
“Job Search Presentation.” The first explored various
career and educational programs, the difference
between a diploma, certificate, and a degree,
making the choice between university or college,
the importance of trades, and requirements for
admission. It also covered the various career choices
made by ELL students during the meeting with
multicultural workers and gave detailed information
about the length and admission requirements
for each program, and where the programs were
offered in BC. The presentation also highlighted
the importance of non-academic qualifications such
as volunteering, community involvement, as well as
completing a personal portfolio required by major
universities before being granted admission.
The second presentation provided information
about the hidden job market, preparing résumés,
and the importance of networking. It had useful tips
for successful job hunting and a role-play between a
job seeker and a manager.
All in all, “Social Justice for Emergent Bilingual
Learner” was a very successful project indeed, with
more than half of the ELL students engaged in a
variety of volunteering positions by the end of the
project. This provided new immigrant youth with
a much better understanding of what it takes to be
successful in the bigger society, above and beyond
the limited ELL program offered at Gladstone
Secondary School.
VSB secondary schools “Get off the Bottle” and
“Trust the Tap” (Vancouver’s tap water, that is)
by Denise North, Environment Club teacher sponsor, Killarney Secondary School
D
o you trust tap water for
drinking? Did you know
that Canada’s smallest
city (Greenwood, BC) has the
world’s best water?II Moreover,
other municipalities in the Lower
Mainland actually purchase their
water from Metro Vancouver.I
In 2010, Metro Vancouver spent $600
million on a state-of-the-art water
filtration system that targets turbidity
and reduces the risk of gastrointestinal
diseases that can cause widespread
illness and possible fatalities, especially
for those with weaker immune systems.I
Despite Vancouver’s unspoiled
water supply, many families,
particularly newer Canadians,
aren’t aware that our province
has some of the cleanest and
safest drinking water in the
world. A number of students in
the Vancouver schools still aren’t
comfortable with drinking water
from the tap; however, it’s not the
water that is the concern, mainly
it is the pipes.
Many VSB schools used to
sell bottled water in vending
machines; however, with the
active educational campaigns like
“Get off the Bottle,” initiated by
Windermere Secondary leadership
students, buying bottled water is
no longer possible in most, if not
all, VSB secondary schools. This
is thanks to environment clubs
and leadership student initiatives,
as well as the support from school
administrators, for banning
bottled water sales in schools.
In order to get students “off the
bottle,” Killarney Secondary’s
Environment Club and students
from Churchill Secondary School
raised over $3,000 to purchase
ELKAY water dispensers.
Since October 2012, Killarney’s
dispenser shows that 31,500
(500mL) plastic bottles of water
have been saved—that boils
down to a savings of over 200
plastic bottles per day.
“I think it’s fantastic—I’ll walk across
the school to fill up my water bottle and
it’s constantly being used.”
“It’s so great we need another one!”
–Killarney Secondary student
Killarney’s Environment Club
was thrilled to receive BCTF Ed
May grant funds to encourage
VSB students to “Trust the Tap.”
The challenge was, how do we
encourage students and staff
to trust our school’s tap water
and drink it? One Killarney
Secondary Environment Club
executive surveyed 120 Grade 8
and 10 science classes at Killarney
Secondary. Results included:
• 94% of students said that
their parents filtered or
boiled water on a regular
basis
• 58% thought that bottled
water was safer than tap
water
• 36% of students consumed
and purchased bottled water
on a regular basis.
Then VSB drinking water quality
test results* were re-sent to all
secondary schools, along with a
survey to find out what schools
have water dispensers, with and
without filtration systems. Note:
only granted funds to schools that
were purchasing water dispensers
without filters, to encourage
trusting the tap.
“It’s great to see that more students are
realizing that our water is safe to drink,
without filtering.” –Killarney Secondary
Environment Club member
granted the BCTF funds to
six VSB secondary schools.
Funds went toward the cost
of purchasing a high-volume
ELKAY water dispenser or could
be used for an “all contaminants”
water test, conducted by an
independent lab, to confirm the
quality of each school’s water
fountain tap water. To date, all
grant applicants chose to put
grant money toward purchasing
and installing an ELKAY water
dispenser. ☛
19
When you drink the water, remember the spring.
–Chinese Proverb
“What, you’re too good for our water?”
March 15, 2010. bit.ly/18yXt6b
I
News, CBC. “Canada’s Smallest
City Has World’s Best Water - British
Columbia - CBC News.” CBCnews.
CBC/Radio Canada, February 29,
2012. bit.ly/13nZXTU.
II
The remaining grant funds
are being offered to Killarney
Secondary’s nine feeder
elementary schools. These
schools are encouraged to create
posters and a “Trust the Tap”
elementary school awareness
campaign including presenting
“Trust the Tap” informative
sessions to at least one primary
and one intermediate class.
Prizes include: 1st place $100,
2nd place $75, and 3rd place
$50. Application deadline:
October 1, 2013.
Aaron, from Killarney
Secondary, has been
instrumental promoting the
“Trust the Tap” campaign
and Vancouver’s high-quality
drinking water at student-run
Echo meetings (Vancouver
Sustainability Network), VSTA
Social/Eco Justice meetings, and
eco group e-mail lists. Thanks
to the efforts of Echo, and
environment clubs and leadership
groups, Killarney’s Environment
Club hopes the “Trust the Tap”
movement will continue in
schools throughout BC.
*Nine VSB schools’ water fountains had
stagnant water “which would exceed
the Health Canada requirements of a
permissible level of less than 0.01 mg/L
of lead, without the use of the trickle
program.” The fountains where the
leaching of lead from solder used in water
pipes could pose a concern have been
identified and these schools will remain
on “the trickle program” (regularly
running water through the fountain)
until the end of the school term when
these fountains will be disconnected.
Bringing environmental education into the art room
by Shannon Lanaway, Committee for Action on Social Justice, Environmental Justice Action Group
A
s a passionate
environmentalist,
the BCTF workshop
Linking Thinking is exactly
what encouraged my decision
to become a teacher. It also
reinforced that there is not only
a place, but a need, to teach
environmental education at every
grade and within every subject.
As a new art teacher, I have had
an unbelievable opportunity
to walk the talk. I would not
have been able to do so without
the incredible resources offered
by our social justice union,
the BCTF. By attending the
Facilitators’ Institute Training
offered at Summer Conference
several years ago, I understood
the value, learned the skills, and
identified the projected learning
20
outcomes (PLOs) for applying
environmental education in
Grades 7–10 Art classes. I have
also become more comfortable
applying the Social Justice lens
not only in my class, but in the
successful application of a BCTF
Social Justice grant. As a result, I
have been able to order class sets
of Ian McAllister and Nicholas
Reid’s, The Salmon Bears: Giants
of the Great Bear Rainforest, The
Sea Wolves: Living Wild in the
Great Bear Rainforest, The Great
Bear Sea, and Following the Last
Wild Wolves books. Not only are
these books completely and utterly
timely regarding the proposed
Enbridge pipeline through the
northwest coast of BC, they
also come with excellent written
curriculum. These books provide
students an opportunity to learn
about the amazing diversity
existing in a remote part of our
province. For further information,
please visit the Pacific Wild
website (pacificwild.org) for
fantastic short documentaries
of the bear, raven, and salmon
population, and check-out the
“Video Vault” area of the website
to watch young wolf pups play
with the remote camera footage
gathered from installed cameras.
The Heiltsulk are one of the
seven First Nations bands living
up in the Bella Coola area.
As my art students have been
learning about the traditional art
of the Heiltsulk, they have also
been able to learn about their
traditional connection to the land
and their relationship with the
raven, wolf, bear, and salmon
populations. Students have also
been able to make a political
and environmental connection
by observing students in Bella
Bella participate in the hunger
strike during the Enbridge panel
presentations in April 2012.
By creating links between the
environment, the First Nations
people, culture, and art, students
in BC will start to take ownership
of the land and the rich diversity
still thriving here in this province.
At this time, I see this as one of
teachers’ most important roles
in public school. Students must
not only take pride in the rich
diversity of this province, but they
must be knowledgeable about
the flora and fauna. Let’s face
it, understanding and being an
expert of the many interesting
details of an animal’s habitat,
predator and prey relationships,
mating rituals, and how we, as
humans, have impacted their
populations, is interesting.
Ideally, as a result of increased
environmental education taking
place in the classroom, students
will start to take responsibility
for the living species in their
local environment for future
generations. Please visit the
Social Justice area of the BCTF
website, there you will find the
Environmental Justice webpage
which contains environmental
education lessons posted by other
teachers, as well as many other
resources. If you have your own
lessons you’d like to share on the
webpage, please send them to
socialjustice@bctf.ca.
I am grateful I belong to a union
that supports environmental
education.
Social Justice projects at the
Mount Arrowsmith Teachers’
Association (MATA)
by Amber Tanner, MATA SJ Committee
not want to commit for a term or
whose interests lie under other
branches of social justice. So we
decided to start a social justice
club. We weren’t sure how to go
about it, so again we applied for,
and received, an Ed May grant
so we could have time to work
together and develop an effective
way to promote and run this club.
Our goal was to create a userfriendly binder that we could give
to any teacher or student, from
any school, interested in starting a
similar club.
I
n School District 69, the
social justice committee has
been very busy. Three years
ago, we applied for, and received,
an Ed May grant in order to have
some funds to fuel the research
and development of a course
geared to middle-school students
called “Make a Difference.” This
course exposes students to the
theory and some case studies
about life in poverty. They then
have a chance to go out into
the community and help out at
various non-profits. One of our
middle schools picked up the
course and it has been operating
ever since.
We have been so inspired by the
students’ reactions to the course
that we wanted to figure out a
way to expose more students to
the concepts of social justice. We
wanted to reach students who may
Our first challenge was in trying
to determine how to promote
the club—social justice is a bit
vague and academic as a starting
point. We met, and brainstormed,
and decided we were trying to
reach kids who wanted to have
a voice and an impact on the
world around them—people who
wanted to make their mark. So,
we came up with “The Footprints
Club.” We made several giant
cutouts of footprints and wrote
open-ended questions on them to
get students thinking; questions
like, It’s hard to help everybody...
what about helping one person?
or, How do you turn an idea into
action? We left these signs up all
over school and started making
similarly cryptic announcements.
Finally, we announced that if the
footprints had made you think, to
please come to an initial meeting
where we will brainstorm ideas ☛
21
of how to go forward as a club.
We were so worried that no one
would show up. But that Friday,
at recess, the meeting room was
full.
We have a lot of support in the
schools and five teachers are
involved in the club. Each teacher
took a branch of social justice
(environmental, community,
global, etc.), and students signed
up with whichever group piqued
their interest. Then in smaller
groups, we brainstormed actions.
Some actions are year-long, some
are project-based, and some are
just a day’s worth of commitment
(like an environmental cleanup).
Over the course of the year,
depending on the energy and
availability of the teachers
running it, the Footprints Club
has been sometimes very active,
sometimes not so active. This
year, at two different middle
schools, the Footprints Club
has raised money for: students
afflicted by certain conditions;
Mayan Families Canada;
creation of a series of workshops
for Grade 7 girls called “Girl,
empowered;” planting a garden;
running a lunch program;
visiting seniors, and more!
Students know that if they have
an idea or they want to help
someone, they can come to the
Footprints Club and get support
actualizing their idea. There are
things we would do differently
next year, but we are very happy
with what has happened so far,
and we are all committed to the
idea that there will certainly be
a next year! Also, our “how to
start a social justice club” binder
is nearly complete, and will
hopefully be available in hardcopy
and via the BCTF website in the
very near future.
What’s next in school district 69?
We’re thinking about ways to
maintain Footprints as a club, but
also how to use the same
concepts in the development of
another exploratory class. We
have been so grateful for the
support of the BCTF and the Ed
May grants, and hope to continue
putting that support to good use
and providing more opportunities
for student and professional
growth in social justice.
Socializing justice in elementary school
—BCTF Ed May grant report
Sir Richard McBride Annex Elementary School, submitted by Janet Ko (Grade 2/3 teacher)
School profile
McBride Annex is a small Kindergarten to Grade
3 school with a diverse, multicultural population.
During this year, we began to co-create a school
culture that was predicated upon social justice values
and concepts. Older students typically stay with their
classroom teachers for two years, therefore social
justice (SJ) issues can be taught and built upon over
time. As a result, we are working to make systemic
change with these young learners.
Project results
We used the BCTF’s Social Justice Calendar to
plan our specific SJ events and themes throughout
the year. Each month or so a social justice and/or
social responsibility issue was taught school-wide
and highlighted in the school newsletter to keep
parents informed about what we are teaching. This
provided families with opportunities to compliment
22
our teaching via
conversations
with their
children about
accepting and
celebrating
differences. Our
shared goal was
to move beyond
the tokenism
of any SJ issue
by infusing
this teaching
throughout the
curriculum.
Our teacher-librarian taught all of the classes
throughout the year with a focus on the following
SJ issues—antiracism, antipoverty, peace, gender
equity, antihomophobia, environmental justice, and Aboriginal issues.
He team-taught with colleagues to help them to build their skills on
teaching about SJ issues within their classrooms.
Topics taught school-wide
Month
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
Theme or event
Antiracism
Thanksgiving
Peace
Winter celebrations
Antipoverty issues
Multicultural night
Love and family
Black History Month
Day of Pink (Antihomophobia)
Gender equity (fairy tales)
Multicultural night
Earth Day
Aboriginal Awareness Week
Celebrating differences
Virtue or skill taught
Courage and enthusiasm
Generosity and thankfulness
Peaceful problem solving
Acceptance of traditions
Consideration of others
Cultural awareness
Friendliness and caring
Acceptance of different families
LGBTQ acceptance
Gentleness and equality
Kindness and responsibility
Appreciation of others
Confidence and creativity
Student leadership on SJ issues
The Kids Helping Kids (Social Justice) Club was created by the viceprincipal and co-sponsored with myself. It was open to Grade 2/3
students who wanted to participate in a club which focused on social
justice projects locally and globally. These were aimed at assisting
others in a systemic manner with a focus on equity, rather than just
participating in charity events.
Student leaders were taught the differences between social justice, social
service, and social responsibility. The projects selected for student action
incorporated a combination of these three concepts and were based
largely upon student interest. Projects were also screened by adults to
avoid any corporate advertising, branding, religious dogma, or undue
influence of students.
Some of the student leadership opportunities included—food bank
donations, creating a Tree of Peace, collecting items for SMILE (which
assists teen parents and their children), writing letters to government
calling for an end to child poverty via the creation of a povertyreduction plan, planting a school garden, and participating in random
acts of kindness within the community. Two systemic change projects
are profiled in greater detail later in this report.
Parents, students, and staff worked together to create a beautiful social
justice quilt that now adorns the front entrance of McBride Annex.
Every child in the school designed
a panel of the quilt. Kindergarten
students focussed on family
diversity. Grade 1 students created
illustrations about their community.
Grade 2/3 students designed panels
on some ways to assist with global
issues. This quilt was unveiled at
our Multicultural Night in April
2013 and received rave reviews from
families. We were inspired to create
this based upon the SJ 12 quilt
profiled in the BCTF’s Fall 2012,
Social Justice Newsletter.
Social Justice lens
application
Students in the Kids Helping
Kids club worked with the viceprincipal to plan two systemic
change projects using the
modified SJ lens. These involved
our actions on antihomophobia
and antipoverty education.
For our unit on homelessness
and poverty, we read a number
of stories to develop empathy
for people on limited incomes.
Students took action via a
number of projects—collecting
food for the food bank,
learning about Hannah Taylor
who started the Ladybug
Foundation, writing letters
to the premier asking for
a systemic plan to address
child poverty. In their letters,
they posed ideas for what the
government could do to assist
homeless people. They are
now planning to plant a school
garden to help feed homeless
people. This is just one example
where students have shifted
their actions from a sole focus
on social service to one of social
justice. ☛
23
Our children
our future
by Patri Janyk, Salt Spring Island, BC
“There are only two lasting
bequests we can give our
children—one is roots, the
other wings” –Hodding Carter
During our theme on
antihomophobia education and
family diversity, we decided to
take a number of actions. These
included—reading a variety of
stories about LGBTQ people
(particularly on the topics of
same-sex marriage and family
realities) and doing a jigsaw
activity to teach others in the class
what the author’s key message was
from each book.
Students made posters to
advertise the Day of Pink. Grade
2 students also decided to do
peer-to-peer teaching about
colour choices and gender to the
Kindergarten and Grade 1 classes.
This became part of our Health
and Career Education curriculum
as we helped our older students to
become positive role models and
global citizens. Another group
of students worked with the
vice-principal to write a play reenacting the homophobic bullying
incident of a Grade 8 student
in Cambridge, Nova Scotia
that led to the original creation
of the Day of Pink. Grade 2/3
students performed this play at
an assembly for the school on
the Day of Pink. This was an
amazing example of students
24
wanting
to educate
their peers and
parents about the
harms of homophobia in school
and society at large. These are
just two examples of the many
projects that students initiated
during our year.
Student assessment
Students used a modified version
(primary-friendly language)
of the Social Responsibility
Performance Standards
(SRPS) to do self-assessments
of their learning. These were
initially done in preparation
for goal-setting conferences
in late September. This initial
benchmark focused solely
on social responsibility. Staff
used the Social Responsibility
Performance Standards (Quick
Scale—Primary) to evaluate
student understanding of concepts
and monitor their progress twice
during the school year.
Numerous studies indicate
that tax money spent on early
support services directed at
young families, youth, and
children results in positive longterm gains economically and
socially. The idea that society
supports families and children
proactively with a view to
future gains has been referred
to by some as “the efficacy of
investing in our human capital”
(A Comprehensive Policy
Framework for Early Human
Capital Investment in B.C.
2009). Human capital in this
report refers to the policy of
“investing in the potential of our
children.” Quite simply…it pays
to invest in our children because
our children are our future.
Indeed, any economists will
advise it is prudent to manage
our most important investments
with care. Without question
our community’s sustainable
economic growth and social
stability are both dependent upon
our willingness to invest in and
effectively develop our children
by prioritizing their needs and
the needs to their family.
Governments, like individuals,
do not invest in what is not
valued. Governments, like
individuals, make spending
choices. How we chose to spend
our money reveals our priorities.
Where do we spend? Where do
we withhold? Clearly, we cannot
have it all.
However, sensible spending
choices are not synonymous
with fiscal irresponsibility for
governments or for individuals. It
is a matter of view. For example,
our BC government has held the
highest after-tax child poverty
rate in Canada for the last eight
years (firstcallbc.org). Some
might regard the fact that BC
has the highest after-tax child
poverty rate in Canada as an
inevitable consequence of fiscal
responsibility while others might
regard the fact of child poverty
in BC as a political choice.
How can a society know which
spending choices are the best?
Social stability is one measure of
“societal health” and therefore
may be a good evaluation
of government spending
strategies and their results.
Social stability begins within
the family and is strengthened
within the community. Social
stability cannot exist without
stable families and stable
communities. Social stability
is perhaps more readily seen
when it declines or when it is
absent from a society and like
good health can go unnoticed
until it is gone. When social
stability becomes threatened
or diminishes the consequence
of this loss will be seen by an
increase in: corruption, fear,
desperation, crime, uncertainty,
unemployment, homelessness,
and poverty, and these losses
in society bring about the need
for more military, more prisons,
more policing, more severe
penalties, and more restrictions
on press and media. Indeed,
perhaps our best measure of our
provincial government’s priorities
can be revealed by scrutinizing
its spending choices.
• While our BC government
espouses a policy called
Families First, it still retains
its record in Canada with the
highest child poverty rate for
children living in two-parent
families. (Stats Canada 2010)
• BC has the second worst
child poverty rate in Canada
at 14.3 per cent ranking just
slightly ahead of Manitoba
this year after being the
worst in Canada for the
previous eight years. (Stats
Canada 2010)
• BC has the most unequal
distribution of income among
rich and poor families with
children. (Stats Canada
2010)
• Working women in BC
receive approximately $2,700
a year less than the national
average. (CCPA 2013).
• BC’s student-to-teacher ratio
is the highest in Canada.
(Stats Canada 2010)
• BC’s K to 12 public school
funding places BC
lowest in Canada.
(Ministry of
Education
2010)
• Education
has received
a steadily
diminishing
share of the
BC provincial budget, falling
from 19 to 15 percent in
10 years (BC Ministry of
Education 2010). Projected
enrolment growth for
students K to 10 will increase
by approximately 80,000
over the next 10 years (BC
Ministry of Education)
• In approximately 10 years
the BC government has
closed 197 schools, laid off
642 teachers, and eliminated
1,500 specialist teachers.
(Stats BC 2001)
• BC has the highest childcare
rates in Canada. (BC
Teachers’ Federation)
Further cuts to social programs
in this year’s provincial
government budget: Ministry
of Children and Family
Development/Child services/
Youth Justice Services—cut 5
percent in two years; youth and
mental health services—cut
seven percent.
Can we continue to allow our
provincial government to make
these spending choices knowing
the long-term consequences to
our children, our youth, our
families, our society, and our
future?
Clearly our future is
being built upon
the spending
choices
we make
today.
25
Respecting human rights can end poverty
by Megan Yarema, Director, Education & Outreach, Canada Without Poverty
E
very day, in classrooms
around the country,
children are struggling with
the effects of poverty and hunger,
they are unprepared for school, they
are tired and angry. These students
come from homes where families
struggle with low wages, unhealthy
housing, financial and personal
stress, and other circumstances that
are closely linked to poverty. Each
of these individuals is experiencing
a violation of their human rights,
and to remedy this problem
attitudes about poverty need to
shift from charity to justice.
related strategies and human-rights
implementation, setting goals
and timelines for measurable
results, integrating equality and
non-discrimination in all policy,
and providing mechanisms for
individuals to claim these rights.
Most importantly, a human rights
framework ensures the most
vulnerable are included.
Canada has ratified a number of
UN treaties, declarations and
conventions confirming a
commitment to civil and political,
iStockphoto/thinkstock
Conversations about poverty can
often come from a charitable
perspective—donations, food or
clothing drives. These efforts can
impact immediate needs, but they
do not affect lasting social change
that would ultimately end poverty
and hunger. If the human right
to adequate housing, food, and an
adequate standard of living was
respected (economic and social
rights as stated by the United
Nations), then poverty would not
be an issue. This requires a human
rights approach to poverty—
ensuring rights are entrenched in
law and policy, monitoring poverty-
“Overcoming poverty
is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice.
Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is
not natural. It is man-made and it can be
overcome and eradicated by the actions of
human beings.” -Nelson Mandela
26
as well as economic, social and
cultural rights. However, it is not
enough to sign a document—
that is only the first step in
acknowledging human rights.
The most important part of the
commitment is demonstrated
through action. Without
progressive implementation
(essentially making rights real),
human rights remain “good
intentions,” and that does not
put food on the table or a roof
over your head.
Recently, in Geneva, fellow
member-states of the United
Nations had the opportunity to
review Canada’s human-rights
record as part of the Universal
Periodic Review (UPR) process. In
total, 82 countries made statements
and offered recommendations to
Canada, echoing the concerns of
organizations in Canada that have
been dedicated to seeing human
rights fulfilled. Recommendations
made to Canada include:
• developing national strategies
on poverty, food security, and
homelessness.
• developing employment and
income supports for vulnerable
groups.
• taking all measures to combat
violence against women, and in
particular against Aboriginal
women and girls, and
developing a national action
plan for Indigenous peoples.
• continuing to engage with civil
society about human-rights
violations.
• improving the socio-economic
conditions of Aboriginal
In Canada, an estimated
250,000 people are homeless,
with another 1.5 million living
in inadequate housing and/
or facing a serious financial
burden that threatens their
housing security.
In October 2012, in the lead-up
to this year’s UPR, civil society
groups submitted reports to the
UN Human Rights Council,
commenting on the governments’
progress in fulfilling humanrights obligations. Despite the
fact that the federal government
has commended itself for
being a leader on human rights
(something the government
stated is a “strength of our
country” in their UPR country
report), the reality in Canada
tells a different story, especially
when you look at poverty.
Between three to four million
people in Canada currently
Hemera/thinkstock
peoples, and ensuring they have
access to education and health.
• ratifying the Optional Protocol
to the International Convention
on Economic Social and
Cultural Rights—a claims
mechanism for housing,
food, and poverty issues.
• creating a national plan
for water and sanitation
(which was in reference to
Aboriginal communities with
poor drinking water).
live in poverty—approximately
9–10% of the population.
If you are of Indigenous
heritage the rate is worse,
with approximately 25% of
the population in poverty.
Indigenous peoples, single
mothers, newcomers, people
who are racialized, persons
with disabilities, youth, and
children are most likely to
experience poverty, inadequate
housing, homelessness, and food
insecurity in Canada. According
to UNICEF, Canada now ranks
24th out of 35 countries in
terms of child poverty.
The human right to adequate
housing, food, water, and an
adequate standard of living
are not being fulfilled in
Canada. Worse yet, aside
from the court system, which
is extremely expensive, there
are no mechanisms accessible
to individuals to claim these
particular rights.
The Canadian government
needs to step up and show
commitment to fulfilling human
rights. Ending poverty is not just
about people of low income—it
benefits society and would also
be more cost-effective than
maintaining the status quo. The
government has until September
2013 to indicate which
recommendations it will accept
or reject. Only then will the
country see if this government is
ready to “walk their talk.”
Human rights education is part of quality public education
(The following are excerpts from an article by Rick Riel, posted on the Canadian Teachers’
Federation website on May 31, 2013, bit.ly/12KPyiu)
Strong support for human rights education
According to the results of several CTF surveys conducted since 2008, Human Rights Education has
consistently and overwhelmingly been supported by teachers, parents, and the general public. In the recent
2013 Human Rights Education Survey, 9 in 10 teachers agree it is valued by their colleagues, and a strong
majority of them believe the other major stakeholders including school administrators value it as well. ☛
27
Support from Teachers
Majority of Teachers Surveyed in 2013 Believe All Examined Stakeholders Value Human Rights
Education
According to the results of the 2013 CTF teacher survey on Human Rights Education, a majority
of the almost 2,600 teachers surveyed agree (“strongly” or “somewhat”) that each of the 7 groups of
individuals examined value Human Rights Education. Teachers surveyed believe they value it more
than any other group examined. Over 9 in 10 respondents agreed it is valued by their colleagues,
including almost half who strongly agree. According to teachers surveyed, it is also valued by a large
majority of the following groups or individuals: school administrators (84%), students (77%), school
board administrators (73%), the Ministry of Education (71%), community members (69%) and
parents (68%).
Values and ethical
behaviour
Human rights
Environmental
protection
Peacemaking
2010 CTF Teacher Survey on Fostering
Responsible Citizenship
Support from teachers was overwhelming as
virtually all of the over 1,700 educators surveyed
agreed (“strongly” or “somewhat”) that public
elementary and secondary schools should teach
their students about Human rights (98%),
Environmental protection (98%), Values and ethical
behavior (96%); Participatory democracy (96%) and
Peacemaking (96%). The share of educators who
reported that they “strongly agree” ranged from 8 in
10 with respect to Environmental protection (81%)
to two-thirds regarding Participatory democracy
(67%).
Support from Parents and the Public
Participatory
democracy
2010 CTF National Issues in Education Poll
An overwhelming majority of the almost 2,600
Canadian adults surveyed in 2010, including
589 public school parents, agreed (“strongly”
or “somewhat”) that each of the five surveyed
issues should be taught by public elementary and
secondary schools, including teaching “Values and ethical behaviour” (96%/96%), “Human rights”
(96%/97%), “Environmental protection” (95%/97%), “Peacemaking” (95%/96%) and “Participatory
democracy” (91%/90%). [Note: 1st % reported is for public and 2nd is for parents.]
2008 CTF National Issues in Education Poll
In 2008, an overwhelming majority of over 2,500 Canadians surveyed, including 607 school parents,
reported that they felt public schools should be required to teach their students four examined social
issues. Approximately 9 in 10 parents surveyed, and the same share of Canadian respondents overall,
indicated that public elementary and secondary schools should teach their students about Values and
ethical behavior, Protecting the environment, and Human rights, respectively. About 3 in 4 respondents
28
at the national level (73%), as well as three-quarters of parents surveyed, reported that public elementary
and secondary schools should be required to teach their students about Peace and the dangers of war.
Providing high quality public education includes instruction that goes beyond literacy and numeracy.
Teachers teach beyond what is in a textbook; they are often required to address and discuss a myriad of
social justice issues that are raised in an impromptu manner in the classroom by students themselves.
Discussing human rights and social justice issues with their students, whether it be conducted formally
through the curriculum, or on an ad hoc basis through informal conversation and instruction with
concerned students, is an integral part of quality public education.
Teachers address many important social justice issues including racism, sexism, and the stigma of mental
illness that provide intangible benefits to students. The benefits of such instruction extend beyond
what can be measured by a test. Human rights education fosters responsible citizenship and a socially
conscious and caring society. Among others, it also promotes critical thinking and collaborative learning
opportunities, which are considered as integral components of 21st Century learning skills [5].
Human rights education is and will remain a valuable part of a quality public education. Teaching and
modeling empathetic, ethical, and compassionate values to students is arguably as important today
as it has ever been, as children are increasingly influenced by consumerism and social media-driven
communication that promotes what many would perceive as being superficial goals.
A crash course on children’s rights
By Christina Thiele, Society for Children and Youth of BC
T
he United Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Child (UNCRC) is an international treaty
that sets out a wide range of rights for children
and the requirements for governments in promoting
and protecting those rights. The UNCRC was ratified
by Canada in 1991, and is the most widely ratified
convention in the world. In the UNCRC, children
under the age of 18 are guaranteed rights to life,
survival, and development to have their best interests
looked after to be meaningfully engaged, all without
discrimination of any kind.
The UNCRC specifically articulates the rights of
children. These rights are indivisible and inalienable
—a child can neither give up, nor lose, their rights,
regardless of their behaviour or social context.
These rights represent a global consensus on what
childhood should be. ☛
29
At the Society for Children and Youth of BC, we
often hear that the concept of children’s rights rubs
people the wrong way. Why should children have
special rights? Aren’t kids these days spoiled and
entitled? Don’t they have enough rights?
Let’s take a minute to examine some myths related
to children’s rights:
Myth: Child rights are not necessary for kids in
Canada because children here have it “pretty good.”
If anything, we should be focusing on children’s
rights in developing countries.
Reality: Rights are universal, and children in
British Columbia face many challenges, including
poverty, lack of access to the best healthcare
possible, racial discrimination, barriers to
meaningful participation in society, drastic cuts to
their education system, and the list goes on.
Myth: Children’s rights compete with adults’
rights, and if children find out they have rights
they will be more difficult to control and/or
discipline.
Reality: Children’s rights come with
responsibilities. Embedded in children’s rights
include the rights of parents, guardians, and
caregivers. Research shows that children who
learn about their rights also learn about their
responsibilities and are more respectful of others.
They are also less likely to be victimized and
more likely to stand up for others.
The UNCRC, however, is of direct importance for
children, and is a landmark document in the history
of childhood.
To be successful in implementing child rights
in BC, people in all areas of work—education,
healthcare, media, social services, government,
business, community development, and the judicial
system, need to know how their work directly affects
children’s rights, and what they can do to assure that
children’s rights are respected on a day to day basis.
In the next edition of our newsletter we will examine
why teaching children about their rights is so critical,
and how teaching the universal ideals of rights
increases a child’s respect for themselves and others—
not just in their school but in their immediate and
global community.
Check out scyofbc.org, everychild.ca, or follow us on
Twitter @scyofbc to learn more.
Christina Thiele’s background is in communications
and publishing work. She is an alumnus of United
Way’s Public Policy Institute, and serves on the Board
of Directors for the Environmental Youth Alliance.
She heads up the development of the Society’s child rights
projects and communications. Outside of SCY, Christina
works in a respite home serving some of Vancouver’s
most vulnerable children on an on-call basis.
Myth: Children have enough rights. Aren’t they
covered in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Reality: With the UNCRC, children are
elevated to full rights-bearing citizens. This is
an important status for Canada’s children. No
previous agreement has provided these standards
for children’s rights. The Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms has very limited applicability
to kids. The Charter is limited to rights that
protect against government action, and it does
not cover many rights specific to childhood.
30
2013–14 Committee for Action on Social Justice (CASJ)
•advises the BCTF on social justice issues
•reviews and promotes social justice workshops
•liaises with community groups and NGOs
•develops policy on emerging issues
•reviews and develops materials for classroom teachers
•develops and supports networks of social justice contacts in the following action group areas: Antiracism, Antipoverty, Status of Women, LGBTQ, Peace and Global Education, Environmental Justice
•co-ordinates the work of the six action groups
Antiracism Action Group
Gurpreet Mahil
Daniel Shiu
Amar Sull
Natalie Wai
LGBTQ Action Group
David Butler
Vanessa Liston
Lizzy Midyette
Joe Winkler
Workshops
Bafa Bafa/Rafa Rafa
Socializing justice: Taking
action against racism
Responding to racism: From
reflection to praxis.
Workshops
Breaking the silence:
Understanding and acting on
LGBTQ issues in schools
From silence to action: How to
be an ally on LGBTQ issues.
Status of Women
Action Group
Carol Arnold
Corie McRae
Kristin Quigley
Viji Shanmugha
Antipoverty Action Group
Robert Genaille
Annie Ohana
Debbie Sabourin
Sue Spalding
Environmental Justice
Action Group
Julie Johnston
Jennifer Jury
Shannon Lanaway
Richard Pesik
Workshops
Poverty as a classroom issue
Teachers can make a difference
for children living in poverty.
Workshops
Linking thinking: Integrating
environmental education into
all classrooms.
Workshops
Assertive communication skills
Thirsty for change:
The global water crisis
Resisting normalized sexual
violence against youth.
Peace and Global Education
Action Group
Dan Hula
Shannon Rerie
Deidre Torrence
Karen Whyte
Workshops
Bringing global education into
the classroom
Creating cultures of peace.
Important SJ dates to celebrate
Sept 21 UN International Day of Peace
Oct 02 Gandhi’s Birthday
Nov 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence
Against Women—16 days of action begins
Dec 10 Human Rights Day
Please note: The BCTF is not responsible for the content or links found on any external website. Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the author.
BC Teachers’ Federation
100–550 West 6th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Z 4P2
Editor: Susan Ruzic
Copy editing: Jeannine Albert,
Kathleen Smith, Vanessa Terrell
This newsletter is available on-line at
bctf.ca/SocialJustice.aspx?id=6352
Summer 2013, PSI13-0046
31

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