A PUBLICATION OF THE ALBERTA COUNCIL FOR GLOBAL COOPERATION
V O L U M E
SUMMER 2014
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Educator Profile: Jeff Goldie they will eat for a day, Teach a person to fish and they will eat for a lifetime” may be a pathway to meaningful change in this world. Presently, Jeff works with Sombrilla International Development Society, a local nonprofit organization that partners with communities in Latin America to improve quality of life by addressing needs such as food security, clean water, health care and education, allowing those communities to become self-sustaining. Jeff Goldie is a science teacher at Strathcona High School in Edmonton, Alberta. Jeff’s interest in development was encouraged when he and his wife decided to give their children a chance to see how really privileged they were by living for a time in a developing country. Living and traveling through Peru and Ecuador made real for Jeff the divide between the “wealthy”-those that have more than they need but less than they want; and the “poor” – those who merely want what they need. Working with the Canadian Teachers Federation delivering professional development opportunities to fellow teachers in Malawi and Nigeria has only reinforced a need to strive for a fair distribution of resources. In the years since that first journey Jeff has come to realize that the old proverb “Give a person a fish and
Jeff has found that students are passionate about the issue of global development, and for many, if not most of the students, that passion is sparked by personal experience with the developing world. Jeff has taken several student groups to South America, and recently he and his wife have traveled with students to engage with one of Sombrilla’s partner communities in the highlands of northern Peru. There, the students have had the opportunity to work alongside community members in the completion of a community development center. In their interaction with the adults, and especially the youth of the community the Canadian students have found that everyone shares the same basic hopes and dreams. Many of the
students returning from the trips have been energized to seek out and engage in other opportunities to make meaningful change in this world. The first few trips have been so successful at fostering a shared global identity amongst the students and the community that Jeff and his wife are hoping to make it a yearly activity.
“students are passi onate about the issue of global development“ During his many years as a teacher Jeff has observed an incredible surge in interest in global development and citizenship within schools across Alberta, however he also noted that there has, sadly, been few chances to learn more about the principles of effective development on a professional level. He was very pleased to sit on an advisory board for this summer’s Global Citizenship Summer Institute and considers this a unique and unparalleled opportunity for Alberta teachers occupied with educating students in the area of Leadership and Citizenship.
Sign Up: Global Citizenship Summer Institute! Look for more details inside this issue of ACGC Teach for our summer workshop designed for teachers and other professionals who work with youth. Out-of-town teachers are provided with accommodations. Lunch served during the 5-day Institute. Registration $120, but can be reduced if cost is a barrier to participation.
Visit http://akfc.ca/en/get-involved/gcsi to learn more and register! Deadline June 20.