March 2019 Volume 1 Issue 7

published by ZX Media Corporation

COMMUNITY N W! MAGAZINE

Volume 1 Issue 7 • March 2019

A Grassroots Magazine.

For Community

by Community.

Our imperfections make us great !

Every mother deserves to be celebrated on

Mother’s Day! Help Made by Momma make a difference on Mother’s Day by donating new items* to our gift bags. Your generous donation will go to single mothers facing hardship and mothers staying in local shelters.

Make every mother feel special this Mother’s Day!

Deadline:

Saturday, April 20, 2019 Check website for drop off times

Drop off location:

66 21 Street NW Calgary, AB T2N 4T9

For more information contact: info@madebymomma.org

Some suggested items: • Scarves • Jewelery • Gift cards

• • • (coffee, books, etc) •

Journals/books Bookmarks Comfy socks Self-care items

• Bath items • Lotion • Adult colouring/ activity books

For more information on how you can donate, volunteer or support Made by Momma, please visit our website. www.MadebyMomma.org • info@madebymomma.org * New, unwrapped and non-denominational items only

CONTENTS

Krista Malden

INNOVATION

COMMUNITY:

Re-imagining Our Identities In the Age of Tech 6

Organizations

27

Business

34

The Fashionable World of Wearable Tech 10

15

What’s Possible 17 Tell It Like It Is

Youth

44

Educator, Mentor, Leader 50

BUSINESS One-Piece IT

YOUTH FEATURE

18

Community Inspired

by Business 52

EDUCATION

COMMUNITY

Gaming Addiction & Kids 56

Cycling Throughout the City part 1 of 3

20

Who Do You Trust

58

Community Connector

Kenzie Webber Master Creator

CONTRIBUTORS Stacy Richter Jenn Crockton Jill Quirk Sophia Fairweather Adette Lacerte Zanika Malden Diane Swiatek Les Mottosky Peter Lafontaine Jade Alberts

Vanisha Breault Heloise Lorimer STEAM Team We Are Calgary Wendy Hutchins Marilyn Dyck Carol O’Dell Steven Archambault Al Del Degan Tracy Beairsto

Cover painting by “Alex’s Amazing Art”

For Questions, Comments or Information please contact publisher@communitynowmagazine.com Copyright 2019 ZX Media Corpoartion, Calgary Alberta Canada

Subscribe for your free issue of Community Now! At www.communitynowmagazine.com

Community Now! Magazine Copyright 2018, published by ZX Media Corporation.

Volume 1 Issue 7 March 2019

All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher and writer.

Credit to Errorist_Artist aka Zanika Malden

Our Mission: Promoting curiosity, communication and engagement in making Calgary a stronger and better place to live, to be educated, do business, promote innovation and community celebration.

Community Now! \\ 3

INNOVATION

Innovation \\ 5

Re-imagining Our Identities In the Age of Tech

I

Les Mottosky

nnovation is the driving force of our economy, society and of being human. This state seems almost inevitable when we understand what Charles Darwin’s work was actually saying. (Hint: it wasn’t “Survival of the fittest”). What his work pointed to was that survival and dominance is not the result of robustness of health or physical vigor, rather, species and individuals prosper and propagate based on their ability to adapt.

Innovation is an organization’s demonstration of this nimbleness and adaptability to emerging stimuli in society. And while these stimuli are the catalysts for the creation, production, and implementation of solutions intended to improve our world, it might be that we’re overlooking some important questions. Specifically, do we understand the impact of the solutions being produced?

6 // Community Now!

In the second episode of Should This Exist, they introduce an AI driven Cognitive Behavioural Therapy smartphone app called Woebot. (Yes, a therapist in your phone.) The app is experienced as texting with a supportive friend. While this designed conversation is shaped by the current limitations of AI, the user’s responses are, in large part, pre-populated by the app and offered as two or three response options. While the experience of Woebot is eerily human and does offer an “always on” voice of reason, it’s equally evident this app is no threat to conventional therapists dealing with deeper issues than a temporary disappointment.

Interestingly, this service may take some weight off the most repetitive and boring parts of a therapists job, so if Woebot offers relief and level-headed-ness to those with temporary challenges, perhaps this is a great application of tech? No doubt purists will point to the impersonal nature of a therapy app, but if we can use it to adapt to modern psychological pressures (many of which are driven by social media), perhaps the icon beside our Facebook and Snapchat apps is precisely where one of our mental health tools should be?

A deep-dive inquiry into this question is the point (and the name) of the podcast “Should This Exist?”. This recent entry to the podcast-sphere is the brain child of Caterina Fake. A Silicone Valley Web 2.0 veteran, co-founder of Flickr (and others) who is now a partner at Yes Capital and the host of this new podcast.

Taking a step away from our phones, it’s apparent, the first career positions at risk of being automated are those that are repetitive, risky, easy, dangerous or generally intellectually dull to perform. It’s predicted that the biggest initial job displacement will come in the terms of commercial truck drivers. Over a year ago an autonomous big brand beer truck traveled 300 miles on the highways of Colorado to deliver it’s load.

This makes sense: robot-trucks don’t get distracted while driving, require bathroom breaks, or are legally limited to drive a maximum of 10 hours a day. People are still required to get the pay-loads off of the trailers, so not all trucking jobs will go away immediately, but there will be a massive impact. A reason it’s predicted truck drivers will be the first big casualty of the rise of robots, is because there’s so much money to be saved by implementing such a change; a sum predicted to be in the dozens of billions of dollars per year.

(continued on next page) Innovation \\ 7

“

It’s more important than ever to replace those old narratives of “work” in our heads, take a step-back and look at the things computers, apps, tech or robots cannot do.

”

(continued from page 7...)

So if we North Americans are already seeing the beginning of task-loss (not quite job-loss) to automation, what should we do to adapt?

How do we recalibrate what it means to be a worker/employee/contributor in a robotic age? How do we compete?

Older, wiser versions of humans have claimed “the obstacle is the way” for hundreds of years, so perhaps it makes sense to begin by embracing the very force driving all of this change, we adapt. Strategically.

It’s more important than ever to replace those old narratives of “work” in our heads, take a step-back and look at the things computers, apps, tech or robots cannot do. It’s time to start re-building our identities not in terms of workers or employees but rather, as creatives, innovators, trail-blazers and inventors.

Now is the time to go into ourselves and begin to consider and understand the actual value we deliver to a task. What are we naturally good at? What are we intuitively drawn to?

What work are we energized by and where can we provide the best results? How do we design our work around those things that most light us up? How do we better lead when working with others and contribute 8 // Community Now!

to a healthy cultural tension that produces meaningful results? How might we listen more and talk less? Do our careers require a strategic plan? Do we have an understanding of our innate and individual value and are we on a pathway to delivering that to a market hungry for it?

These are the questions we have to start asking.

Now. It’s time to imagine bigger, create more boldly and make the impact only a lit-up, driven, contributing human can make.

We must strategically, considerately, imaginatively, intuitively and intentionally design our careers going forward.

We need to understand the game we’re playing is no longer about productivity, it’s about performance.

And we need to understand the best way to perform is to ensure we’re doing the things that light us up.

Computers compute, so let’s allow for that.

Better yet, let’s leverage it in a way that sets us free to choose what humans are uniquely suited for: being.

Being imaginative. Being creative. Being difference makers.

It’s time.

To stimulate

creativity

one must develop

childlike

inclination for

p l a y and the childlike

dfor erecognition. sire

- Albert Einstein Innovation \\ 9

The Fashionable World of Wearable

Tech

10 // Community Now!

By Stacy Richter

Fashionable and wearable tech are two terms rarely used in the same sentence. The innovation of modern wearable technologies has focused more on function than on form. It wasn’t always like this.

Wearable technologies date back to the first pocket watches and eye glasses though most would not look at them as ‘wearable tech’.

The first pocket watch emerged in the late 1400’s according to History O Watch and were made possible with the invention of the spring devices1. The invention of mainspring

by Peter Henlein meant that clocks no longer needed falling weights for power.

This innovation gave rise to wearable tech in the form of small face watches “worn as a pendant around the neck1”. Men would eventually fashion these into pocket watches which were used as jewelry as much as they were time telling devices.

Wrist watches today are used more as jewelry then they are a convenient means to tell time.

Most would not consider a wrist watch as wearable technology the way we think about it today.

Eyewear are another low-tech version of wearables that are considered fashion as much as they are function. The earliest known version of corrective lenses dates back to the late 1200’s in Italy when two ‘reading stones’ (magnifying glasses) connected with a hinge were balanced on the nose2.

Innovation in eyewear continued with the invention of the folding, hinged arms that extended over the ear to hold the glasses on your face followed by the invention of bifocals. By the 20th century, eyewear evolved into stylish rims or sunglasses and were being worn by movie stars and other celebrities as fashion accessories.

History, so it seems, is doomed to repeat itself.

Looking at wearable technology today, most would say it is hardly fashionable. The smart (continued on next page)

1) History ‘o Watch. (2019). History of Pocket Watches. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from http://www.historyofwatch.com/watchhistory/history-of-pocket-watches/ 2) Surrence, M. (2018, September 12). The History of Eyeglasses. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.zennioptical.com/blog/ history-eyeglasses/

Innovation \\ 11

(continued from page 11...) watches on the market today are all function and no form. Their look and feel has a long way to go before the Apple watch will be used as a fashion accessory like the Rolex.

Wearable technology today resembles the emerging stages of the wrist watch and eyeglasses; bulky and full of function. Much like the early adopters of the 12th & 13th centuries, people are choosing function over form for the modern day wearable technologies.

The human need to express themselves through individuality is strong. Wearable tech as we know it will give way to fashionable function just as the early developments of watches and eyeglasses.

MakeFashion is one Calgary based organization who is ushering in the age of high-fashion with wearable technology.

MakeFashion was founded in 2012 and brings wearable technology to the runway.

“We pair high-fashion designers with engineers, hackers, and makers to create beautiful, innovative, and functional wearables. Our mandate is to make wearable technology beautiful.”

– MakeFashion Website3

MakeFashion co-founder Shannon Hoover explained that they have done over 70 runway shows and have helped many girls and women move from users of technology to builders of technology. Through their affiliated organizations MakeFashion EDU and Fuse33 Makerspace, these inventors learn how to sauter parts, disassemble and reassemble mechanics or electronics.

Though the organization has worldwide appeal, they provide much support for local inventors and designers. One such project is called True North and is inspired by the Northern Canadian landscape. The design team of Kenzie Housego, Stacey Morgan and Sophia Amin, collectively known as Phi Illuminated Design, conceived of this unique piece of fashion and technology in 2017.

Inspired by our northern Canadian landscape, and the common fascination with the night sky “True North” explores the human relationship to the earth, magnetic fields, and Canadian climate in a delicately visual way.

“True North” is a 2-piece garment; the top portion will be composed of boning made from fibre-optic tubing, woven within into a delectae structure. Powered by high-bright LEDs this top portion cycles through a variety of colours emulating the northern lights.

The accompanying floor length flowing skirt houses an under layer of patterned paneled LEDs. This skirt is connected to a

3) MakeFashion. (2016, March 04). Press Kit. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from http://www.makefashion.ca/press-kit/

12 // Community Now!

microcontroller and an accelerometer senor, when the wearer is facing north the front skirt panel will light up, as the wearer turns away from north the light strip will fade with a delay. Visually the skirt is completely lit up followed by a sequenced panel slow fade when the wearer spins in a circle.

True North contains: • Arduino Mega Mainboard for underskirt lighting • Arduino Pro Micro for fiber optic top lighting • BNO055 Absolute Orientation Sensor for skirt direction • 600+ addressable leds for skirt and top (WS2812B)4 Design projects like True North along with many others, do more than combine the beauty of lighting and fabric to create an emotional experience with fashion. The technology becomes an integral component of the garments instead of a ‘bolt on’ accessory.

The intricate weaving of lighting, wiring and controls makes these garments ‘smart’.

Where do you see the world of wearable tech moving to in the fashion industry?

SH: Fashion is about story telling, wearable tech allows us to do that so much more effectively and gives users the ability to change how they express themselves depending on location, mood, external inputs. Imagine your clothing change depending not only on wind and weather, but if you’re in a club and surrounded by friends?

(continued on next page) Photo Credits: Kelly Hofer 4) MakeFashion. (2017, December 17). True North. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from http://www.makefashion.ca/true-north/

Innovation \\ 13

(continued from page 13...)

Why is it important to attract more women into tech and what do you think is the biggest barrier?

SH: Diversity is the flavour of humanity. It leads to innovation. The most important thing is that tech will benefit from people who don’t necessarily look at the world the same way as your typical engineer. You’ll get more imaginative, more diverse, more beautiful and easier to use products. I don’t really know what the barrier is. I guess society tends to divide people into artificial groups from a very young age. I don’t really think this type of arbitrary selection is very good for individuals or society in general. We find that when you make tech interesting and accessible to a wide variety of people, everyone benefits. We keep hearing from students who get introduced to tech through fashion that ‘nobody told them tech was that easy’.

What are 2-3 final points you would like to the young readers of Community Now! Magazine to know?

SH: The world has the potential to be a really interesting place. Everyone has a voice; a story. Find a way to tell yours. Get involved, make something.

You’d be surprised at what you can accomplish if you give yourself permission to play!

Though we have little way of knowing the limits of where high fashion and wearable technology can go, there is little doubt that we are just at a new beginning of the innovation curve in wearable technologies.

About MakeFashion MakeFashion brings wearable technology to the runway. We pair high-fashion designers with engineers, hackers, and makers to create beautiful, innovative, and functional wearables.

Our mandate is to make wearable technology beautiful.

MakeFashion was founded in 2012 in Calgary, Canada. Since then we have opened headquarters in Seattle, WA and our projects have toured internationally including Shenzhen MakerFaire in China, International CES in Las Vegas, and the Bay Area MakerFaire in San Mateo, CA. For more information, visit http://www.makefashion.ca.

14 // Community Now!

BUSINESS

Sponsored by Explorer Group Canada LTD

The Largest Multicultural Marketing Company in Alberta. Connecting you and your business with over a quarter million Chinese Customers�.

Phone: 780-340-8643.

While enjoying a beverage at Tim Hortons, waiting in the emergency at the hospital, or even during a long bus ride to another city; Wi-Fi has become a service we all expect. A simple entry of a username, password, and a click of the “accept” button to indicate you’ve read and accepted whatever terms of use are listed, and voila!

overages can be expensive; On average you could be paying around $10 for every 100MB you go over your data limit. Public Wi-Fi offers convenience and savings to your wallet, but have you ever thought about what kind of security is on these public connections? To be completely honest, there may be very minimal to no security at all. Often times public Wi-Fi connections are provided without any type of encryption, despite having you enter your usernamepassword combination to access. This can leave your device and the personal information stored on your device at risk to attacks like identity theft.

The above is the typical scenario we’ve all experienced at one point, not thinking twice about connecting to an openly available Wi-Fi connection.

In fact, according to a study performed by Norton by Symantec in 2017, approximately 55% of consumers globally admitted to connecting to any available Wi- Before you go beating yourself over your head, just Fi signal. How can you blame them? Costs for data know that you’re not alone. In the same report by Norton, they indicated that 60% of those surveyed felt their personal information was safe when using public Wi-Fi. But why is public Wi-Fi unsafe? There are 2 main reasons:

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An attacker will connect to the public Wi-Fi network.

Attackers can easily gain access to your devices, access the information they hold, as well as intercept and redirect your internet activities. So how can you ensure your connecting to a legit public Wi-Fi network, and protecting yourself while joined to these networks?

Let us tell you. Click here to Book your FREE IT Service Review. To read the full article click here.

WHAT’S POSSIBLE WITH SOPHIA Today I’m going to tell you the time when I

they started arguing again. I tried to calm them

tried to make a Girl STEM Camp kind of thing. down but they just ignored me so after an hour What I was hoping the camp would do is: when

or so of this I packed up my stuff and left. I’m

refugees and new Canadians come, they’re usually not sure if they noticed but at some point, they unemployed. What I wanted to do was get the probably did. refugee girls and bring them into the camp because they probably have good\ creative ideas to support their family. I could use these ideas and help them put a business around them and then they could hire their family so their family would be employed in a family business.

What is possible: Sometimes you can talk but no

one

will

listen.

And some people you

just can’t make work together, they have to want to themselves.

So, to make my idea come true I got two organizations together in the same room. When we started talking, I did my speech of what I wanted to happen and then the organizations started to share their ideas and thoughts. But then, after a while, they started arguing so I calmed them down and they started to share ideas. Soon after that

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TELLING IT LIKE IT IS #tellingItLikeItIs presents Mike McDonald owner of Orangetheory Fitness locations North Calgary.

1. How does having an improved fitness help your life and mental health?

A. Improved fitness and more frequent activity has long been linked to improved mental health, a general overall feeling of well being and higher energy levels

2. Do you have mini camps or team building sessions for small Business?

A. We offer Team building sessions as well as Lunch and Learns to local businesses to help educate them on the benefits of healthy active employees

3. Why is it important to monitor your heart rate during your fitness training to achieve your goals?

A. Heart Rate monitors allow you to train in the correct training zones for the results you are looking for. By using the research and science that has been well documented gives people the feedback they need to train to the goals they are looking to achieve.

If you are using a personal trainer or coach it allows them to help guide you towards better results 4. How long do you need to train to achieve your goals (minutes per day, times per week) to achieve your goals?

A. It is highly recommended that people are active everyday, typically 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise daily. Based on your goals, that will dictate how often you will need to train.

5. What can someone do in the office during the day to improve their fitness?

A. Sitting is now considered the new smoking, therefore it is extremely important to get up regular, walk around, stretch or squat to engage muscles to contract and increase blood flow and circulation. We recommend setting an alarm each hour to remind yourself to stand up and move for 3-5 minutes.

Jade Alberts Jade Alberts Consulting 403-771-1301 www.JadeAlbertsConsulting.com www.LinkedIn.com/in/JadeAlberts 18 // Community Now!

COMMUNITY

Business \\ 19

CYCLING THROUGHOUT THE CITY Meet Peter

Part 1 of 3

“Happy - Healthy - Wealthy” is Peter Lafontaine’s personal belief and how he lives his life every day. “I have always lived this way and in that order” stated Peter.

“

Happy: Happy is doing what you like” said Peter, who is an active, vibrant community member. Family man. A huge advocate for mental health. An innovator inspiring change within the city.

Peter has over two decades of sales and marketing leadership experience working for several international fortune 100 technology companies. It all started with a sales career as a Fur Trader for the Hudson’s Bay Company, (a real fur trader). Peter would get in his truck with cash and traveled around buying furs from the Farmers, First Nations, Trappers,

Hutterites, Store Owners. Going from small town to small town. Meeting people from various areas of life. He stayed on oil rig camps, on farms and in small towns. He sold trapping supplies and taught people how to use them. Peter loved every minute of engaging and learning from everyone he met.

Peter states “ Life is purpose driven!” so make sure you are doing or working towards what you like. Peter is always looking for his next project, the next thing or person that will inspire change and lead him to the next purpose driven job, project or mission. (continued on next page)

20 // Community Now!

“

Favorite quote:

Great cities with strong social and innovative backbones are the way of the future.

- Pete L.

22 // Community Now!

�

(continued from page 20...)

In 1981- Peter then got interested in computers and took programing at U of A, which led to a job with Apple Computers. For the next 9 years Peter sold and marketed products like the Apple II, the LISA (do you remember the LISA) and the Mac. “Apple had a better way of computing,” stated Peter. This was a purpose driven job where he was inspired, sold a product that would enhance lives and had the chance to work with and learn from Steve Jobs and many other talented people.

Peter later left Apple as he choose to stay in Alberta with his young family, and worked in enterprise technology development and systems. Co-founded Zymeta Media Systems and also worked for Microsoft.

Jumping a head Peter is now to be retired; but focuses on freelance sales, philanthropy work and being a voice and advocate for The Rainforest Alberta, and Mental Health.

He is involved with Data for Good, A

senior Advisor for the Osborne Interim Management, a partner at an investment fund called Metiquity and does local charity work.

When you meet Peter in his business attire you would never guess - he cycled to work, to your coffee meeting, to the charity event across the city. The weather could be plus 25 or -33 with windchill and Peter still gets dressed up and hops on his bike.

“A positive active brain is mental wellness” said Peter. Which leads us into the second step and belief in Peter’s daily living mantra.

“Healthy; healthy is both your mind and body.” Peter has been cycling for the past several years. “I had to transition from running to cycling and made it a commitment to cycle all of the time” said Peter. “Cycling is a daily routine for me” “Cycling keeps your brain in check and offers balance” said Peter. Cycling offers (continued on next page) Community \\ 23

Benefits of Cycling: ´´ Change of perspective and mode ´´ Nature and outdoors ´´ Fitness, Strength, Balance, Awareness, Stamina, Breathing ´´ Relaxation ´´ Environmentally friendly ´´ Saves on Gas, parking… Faster getting around in the core ´´ Builds a relationship with the city and communities

(continued from page 23...) many benefits, from mental health, fitness, to saving on expenses such as parking and gas.

“Cycling builds a relationship between you and the city” said Peter. When he’s not cycling to work you can find him mountain biking at COP, Bragg Creek or in the Mountains.

Being healthy is more than just fitness it is also about keeping your mind balanced which most of us forget to do in our busy everyday lives.

Said Peter “it’s making me younger longer.”

When talking about perspective Peter stated “people judge you differently and you get to see how people’s attitudes change based on appearance.” As he explained; when you wear biking gear and you walk into a building, security and other people want to know what you are doing in the building. But then when you come back into the lobby dressed in a suite and people see you their demeanor changes all because of your appearance! (Now...isn’t 24 // Community Now!

that something! *We will come back around to this in part 2 of Cycling throughout the city.)

Mental health, fitness, balance… leads us to Peter’s next step in his daily living mantra “Wealthy; wealthy isn’t just about money, it’s about engaging and being engaged with community.” said Peter From interacting with people without judgment on class or appearance to stepping up and helping the community face challenges. Along with building resources for people. Peter is always looking for the opportunity to help others engage with community, volunteer, connect, and to build on….strengthen and enjoy our city as a whole.

A father of two girls, and married for over 40 years Peter is very wealthy in life, knowledge and success.

In the June issue of Community Now! We will follow Peter Lafontaine as he shows us how he sees the community on his cycling ventures day in and day out.

COMMUNITY

YOUTH FEATURES Y

young people moving forward

O

outstanding as an individual

U

understanding the way forward

T

trying our best regardless of what it is

H

helping to mold the future by what we do Carol O’Dell

Community \\ 25

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Youth Feature: Organizations

“The Mission of Empowering Minds is to provide youth and educators with proven and innovative youth programs that develop the confidence, resiliency, and focus necessary to thrive in today’s world.” - Empowering Minds Empowering Minds started because of a vision Deanna Werklund had to provide leadership skills to young people across Alberta. After participating in a powerful leadership course and dealing with a child who was being bullied at school Deanna decided that there had to be a way to provide resources for young people to gain confidence.

“The leadership program I participated in was so powerful” said Deanna. Adults that were in the program with her said “if we only had this when we were young…imagine” and the idea was born….using the Werklund Foundation to launch a pilot and a study in 2006 the Teen Leadership Breakthrough program proved to be a success and in 2012 after more than 4000 teens went through the program, Empowering Minds was created to continue the good work.

Empowering Minds Values for Leadership Development • Value Based Leadership • Integrity • Empowerment

Deanna has currently returned as a volunteer President to support efforts and bring back her original vision of empowering young minds to build leadership skills and confidence.

Rappor Leadership International, proud partner of Empowering Minds and the leadership program Deanna first participated in, is bringing their Adult LEADERSHIP BREAKTHROUGH ONE to Calgary, Alberta.

“Unleash potential & build on strengths to eliminate barriers to personal effectiveness through a series of powerful interactive processes.” This is a highly recommend course and a great experience for anyone open to expanding their potential and for educators to see what could be possible for them and their students.

“I believe it’s important to offer and support resources like Teen Leadership Breakthrough because it’s hard to find experiences that actually make a positive lasting impact on our lives and show us that we really are capable of doing things we didn’t think we could.” Deanna Werklund This is an exciting time for Empowering Minds as they bring back their original vision, expand on their current programs and embrace and support the education system and young people within Alberta.

• Active Citizenship · • Self-Awareness

To learn more or get involved visit https://www.empoweringminds.org/

Community \\ 27

UP AND COMING EVENTS JUNE 2019:

AUG 2019:

Let’s Build Together

COME AND CELEBRATE WITH THE CN! FAMILY

LOOKING FOR SUBMISSIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY!

Come meet all our advertisers and sponsors, and learn about what they do.

In June 2019 CN! Would like to bring the community together to build a garden, restore a park, plant trees…..

Enjoy some amazing food and hear speeches from amazing community members. As well as an auction and door prizes!

Does your community need help with a project?

Money raised from the auction will be donated to Fresh Start Recovery. The money raised on Alex’s Amazing Art will be donated to Operation Smile.

Go online and fill out the CN! Submission form.

Aug 17 2019 More details to come!

Submissions deadline: April 1 2019.

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges and the winner will be announced at the end of April 2019!

To become a sponsor, donate prizes or auctions items please contact publisher@communitynowmagazine.com “Alex’s Amazing Art”

“Alex’s Amazing Alex wants to sell some of his amazing art (water colours & Limited Edition Art” Prints), to enable a child with a cleft palate to have Operation world - art he (water has such a huge heart!Edition Proceeds aretogoing to abuy a child smile, while Alex wantsSmile to sellchange some oftheir his amazing colours & Limited Prints), enable child with aacleft palate to you have anhave original artistic piece!

Operation Smile change their world - he has such a huge heart! Proceeds are going to buy a child a smile, while you have an original artistic piece!

Enjoy these unique pieces at just $75 per original canvas or $25 for Limited Edition Prints – and then select your own Enjoy then select your own frame to suitthese yourunique decor!pieces at just $75 per original canvas or $25 for Limited Edition Prints – and(more on reverse) frame to suit your decor!

“Alex’s Amazing Art” (more on reverse)

Alex wants to sell some of his amazing art (water colours & Limited Edition Prints), to enable a child with a cleft palate to have Operation Smile change their world - he has such a huge heart! Proceeds are going to buy a child a smile, while you have an original artistic piece!

Enjoy these unique pieces at just $75 per original canvas or $25 for Limited Edition Prints – and then select your own frame to suit your decor! (more on reverse)

Rainbow Heart

Rainbow Heart

To discuss his art, or book him to

speak, Yvonne To discuss hisplease art, orcall book him at: to 403.455.7344. speak, please call Yvonne at: 403.455.7344.

Pink Heart

Rainbow Waterfall

Pink Heart

Rainbow Waterfall

Proceeds from Alex’s Art go towards Operation Smile,Alex’s to help donate Proceeds from Art go towards enough money to help change a child Operation Smile, to help donate with a cleft palate’s world, by “buying a Alex Gorski is an “up and coming” enough money to help change a child smile”: artist, living in Alberta. He is a with a cleft palate’s world, by “buying a Alexunique Gorskiartist, is an who “up and coming” leverages his smile”: www.operationsmile.org artist, living in capabilities Alberta. He is a special needs to have unique artist, who the patience oftenleverages required his to www.operationsmile.org createneeds truly artistic work. to have special capabilities

“Alex’s Art”

“Alex’s Art”

Because Your Story Matters the patience often required to At age 21,artistic he is a social create truly work.and friendly young adult, who has a huge and generous (golden) heart, and is

Innovation isn’t a place.

It’s a state of

mind.

Rainforest.ab.ca

At age 21, he is a social and friendly always thinking how he can make young adult, who has a huge and someone’s day. His custom artwork generous (golden) heart, is already given as gifts, and and is now always thinking howavailable he can tomake making his work the someone’s day. available, His custom artwork public. Now new book already given as around gifts, and is now Creating Smiles the World. making his work available to the public. Now available, new book Creating Smiles around the World.

(Art requests to Alex at: alex.gorski@shaw.ca)

(Art requests to Alex at:

alex.gorski@shaw.ca) ORDER ONLINE (Donate) AT: https://alexsamazingart.wordpress.com/

ORDER ONLINE (Donate) AT: https://alexsamazingart.wordpress.com/

Rainbow Heart To discuss his art, or book him to speak, please call Yvonne at: 403.455.7344.

Pink Heart

Rainbow Waterfall

Proceeds from Alex’s Art go towards Operation Smile, to help donate enough money to help change a child with a cleft palate’s world, by “buying a Alex Gorski is an “up and coming” smile”: artist, living in Alberta. He is a unique artist, who leverages his www.operationsmile.org special needs capabilities to have the patience often required to create truly artistic work.

“Alex’s Art”

At age 21, he is a social and friendly young adult, who has a huge and generous (golden) heart, and is always thinking how he can make someone’s day. His custom artwork already given as gifts, and is now making his work available to the public. Now available, new book Creating Smiles around the World.

(Art requests to Alex at: alex.gorski@shaw.ca) ORDER ONLINE (Donate) AT:

www.CapturingLegacies.com https://alexsamazingart.wordpress.com/

“When a person realizes that the end of life is closer than the beginning, they often ask themselves what’s the legacy they’re going to leave behind” - Al Del Degan

403.879.9303

info@capturinglegacies.com

Community \\ 29

This morning it was - 27’C

by Marilyn Dyck

A person walked by our house about 8:30 a.m. wearing a canvas coat with a deep hood, a ring of ‘fur’ extending well out in front. I understood the back pack. It was sturdy, deep and wide with zippered compartments easily accommodating the necessities of a life unsure of where the next night might be negotiated and when a hot coffee would appear wherever the walk might lead.

Food was optional.

Listening to so many young people seeking a way to sustain their efforts to leave the streets, The Doorway community has learned much about the what, how, and often why, their lives play out in walking and navigating the streets. The sadness, frustrations, exhaustion, anger and despair of adults become the tragedies of young people finding ‘safety’, ‘relief’ and even ‘belonging’ on the street.

Walking in the cold is a preferred choice.

Our society understands all this with compassion. But once young people are out there, we seem to shift into the old stereotypes passed forward through history: that the young people who are on the streets must be ‘not-good’ people, and definitely not to be associated with ‘our own children’.

Academic Sociology has reinforced this perception by creating a science of labelling the behaviors of young people living outside and in public, and so youth become known to systems and persons by the names of their behaviors. Universities still teach the 30 // Community Now!

terminology: ‘juvenile delinquents’ and the study of ‘deviance’. This is in direct contrast to the sociology that explains that ‘If we become the messages we receive – then changing the messages changes what we believe about ourselves and who we are.’

One young person wrote what many have said out loud: “Street kids come from all walks of life and look to the streets for all different reasons, not one of these reasons is to be a deviant.”

The Doorway was created in Calgary in 1988 to test a different approach, a place offered by community people to these young people.

They are ‘our children’. The Doorway is a safe space. It is our priority role to LISTEN to young people, to RESPECT and TRUST them, and most significant, to BELIEVE in them.

Community people support and participate in learning with them what it takes and how we can help. Each person is offered a 24 month opportunity to plan their individual

step by step choices and strategies to achieve personal change to succeed in their own goals to exit the street. With self-determination and their own agency, they are accountable to themselves, take charge of their lives, build on their proven skills for survival, and transfer their learning from community people into how to participate sustainably in mainstream economy and community.

They learn to believe in themselves as we believe in them.

The Doorway is proud to be included with a growing number of international youth organizations who are identifying new evidence of hope for young people outside of traditional supports: the International Community Development and Resilience Consortium. The emerging research in our approaches to help identifies significant

impact of the relational role of community people in the integration of young people back into society. A critical piece that is vital to their ability to thrive and ‘belong’ in mainstream communities is to be welcomed in the ‘shared humanity’ of relationships to ‘people who are just people’.

Thank YOU for noticing, paying attention, listening to and including the children and young people you share space with in every possible opportunity you can. Young people understand they are wanted and loved if we live those messages out loud to them. We are their only messengers. As we are, they become.

The Doorway #10 2808 Ogden Rd SE Calgary AB T2G5H7 403.269.6658 thedoorway.ca

3K/5K Walk or Run April 14, 2019 10 AM @ Eau Claire Prizes for fundraising achievements!

Young people are worthy of more than a life on the streets. Enable their belief there is a way out!

Sign up or donate: www.thedoorway.ca

Community Delivered Community Funded

Our Community Needs You! Community \\ 31

If you’ve missed part 1 and 2, please check out CN’s December and February issue available online.

One Parent’s Story

with Vanisha Breault Part 3 of 3: Terminator

What made you want to start the Terminator Foundation?

I wanted to do something that could have a more immediate result. A few years ago when this all began, I had started/attempted the process of lobbying for change, writing letters, speaking to politicians organizing marches, anything to attempt to change the way our healthcare system had been functioning with how it addressed addiction, more so youth addiction and families. I thought that by engaging our government and getting them

the shame surrounding addiction became the highest priority for me.

to see the extent of this health issue and the need for more services and improved services and care that was going to be my best bet for change and to support those individuals that needed it the most.

Truthfully, I was scared out of my ever loving mind to start the first run. That first year I didn’t have a clue what I was doing or even where to begin. I’d never done anything like this in my life and didn’t know the first thing about organizing a run event. I literally flew by the seat of my pants and stumbled along learning as I went. It was overwhelming, scary, I felt in over my head and out of my league. I was terrified no one would even show up to that first run.

I felt discouraged and angry with that process, with our government and soon came to realize that, that path to change was not for me.

It was during that experience I felt even more drawn to just keep trying to make a difference with the 5km youth addiction awareness run.

I also felt even more compelled to share my story to anyone that might listen; terminating 32 // Community Now!

How did the idea come about?

I started all of this five years ago. We started with a yearly 5km run/walk for Youth Addiction Awareness. With a goal to raise awareness and offer supports to families, parents and anyone impacted by youth addiction. I was also concerned with being more pro-active when it came to awareness for our youth and this generation.

Over 100 people attended the first run/walk.

It was amazing!

We did the run/walk for two years and in our third year we became Terminator and officially changed the event to the Terminator Run for Youth Addiction Awareness.

How did the name come about?

As we were coming into our third year I knew I had to come up with a more formal name, I knew I had to start to think about branding etc.

So I had been praying about what to call the run, and how do I capture everything that this run/walk means to me, what it all represents, what we’re aiming to do, to make happen, to change…there was so much, I knew not just any old name would do.

I had been driving to the store one day listening to the radio, I hadn’t totally been paying attention because I had been literally praying again about the name, driving, sitting in my own thoughts and all of a sudden the radio announcer starts talking about the Terminator movie that was coming out again, and BOOM that was it! I heard the name “Terminator” and broke out laughing and crying all at once, I started yelling in my car, “that’s it, that’s it, that’s the name, it’s Terminator!!” I was crying and laughing, thank you God…it instantly felt like the name represented everything that Terminator was meant to do and be.

Little did I know at that time, that it was only just the beginning of where Terminator was meant to go.

In the Fall of 2016 the idea for Tri Terminator was born. In January 2017 we launched and Terminator Triathlon Programs began!

Terminator athletes crossed the finish line for the 70.3 Ironman in the summer of 2017. The revolution had begun.

Terminator Foundation Terminator Foundation is a collaboration of integrated health care systems who support

youth and young adults in their effort to recover from addiction and mental health issues. Our goal is to strengthen recovery through a continuum of care model that incorporates physical exercise in the sport of Triathlon training, personal coaching, and community engagement.

Our Vision: To reach all youth and young adults who are impacted by addiction and radically transform their lives using the sport of triathlon, education, awareness and compassion while working to terminate the stigma of addiction.

Who is Eligible: We encourage youth and young adults between 15 and 25 years of age, who are at risk for addiction, currently struggling to maintain sobriety or those in active recovery but who want more from their recovery.

WHY do we need to talk about youth addiction?

Quite simply, because it matters. More and more I’m hearing and seeing our youth falling into the clutches of despair, hopelessness and addiction. This generation is constantly being bombarded and enticed into a world that has glamorized and romanticized drinking and drugging without any thought or concern for the severe ramifications that this is having and will continue to have on our kids. As a society our desire to numb out, self-medicate and to console ourselves using whatever means possible has led to the crisis we now have today.

Part of Terminator’s mission is to revolutionize the way this generation thinks, the way they think about themselves, perceive themselves and the world around them. At Terminator we strive to reintroduce our youth back to their individual destiny, to their unique (continued on next page) Community \\ 33

(continued from page 33...) purpose in this life, their life! To help them to believe in themselves, that they are created for more! They can learn to live without any desire to be absent in their own lives, but to learn to be fully present and alive through all obstacles good and bad, through trauma and fear. We need to talk about youth addiction because there’s hope, there’s the other side and the grass is greener there. The truth is they can recover!

How can people get involved?

Email info@terminatorfoundation.com to register and participate for all levels of Triathlon training. Our Training season has begun!

Donations: please call 587-899-6800 or email info@terminatorfoundation.com Next Youth Addiction Awareness Run/Walk: September 29th, 2019. (More details to follow on Website) Terminator’s First Conference: The Truth is You Can Recover Conference, Saturday June 1st, 2019.

An educational, interactive all day event for parents, families and loved ones. Everything you need to know regarding youth addiction, what to do, where to go and to fully know; you are NOT alone!

• donate • register for a class • register their youth

Remember all the scales and rudiments you had to do before you could play a song you liked? Or those dreadful piano lessons you took as a kid? Our approach is the opposite to all of those music lessons you hated as a kid.

Q & A with Bryan Schaefer about The School of Rock and Importance of Music for young people.

1.) What makes the School of Rock different from other music studios?

The minute someone walks in the door, regardless of their skill level on any instrument, they are in a band!

Vanisha Breault Founder & Executive Director, Terminator Foundation 587-899-6800 | vanisha@terminatorfoundation.com www.terminatorfoundation.com www.vanisha.ca/ The Truth is You CAN Recover!

34 // Community Now!

We offer “Performance-based” music education; this means that our students learn how to play their instrument by learning a song and not just repeating the same notes over and over and over again. Also, these are songs that they will perform on a stage with their band.

Youth Feature: Businesses

We also do what we like to call “Song First� approach. To make it more fun for kids (or beginners), we want to teach them competency before we teach them theory. It’s about getting our students on to the instruments as quickly as possible.

We offer both group classes and band rehearsals for 2 to 18-year-olds. The breakdown is: ages 6 to 18-year-olds are in our season shows and are on stage performing; Students under eight years old are offered group classes. For those eight and up, we include a private lesson with band practice to help keep the students motivated.

We also understand that not everyone learns at the same speed, so we offer a one-on-one private lesson to help our students.

2.) Why is it important for young people to learn music?

Music is vital for kids. Regardless of the instrument, someone plays or the genre of music they learn to, music makes them smarter. While any genre of music education is beneficial, we prefer rock music as a genre.

Three Brain Benefits of Musical Training: 1. Musicians have an enhanced ability to integrate sensory information from hearing, touch and sight. (continued on next page) Community \\ 35

The best part for School of Rock students is being in a band and get to perform live onstage. We see the student’s confidence go through the roof every time they go on stage.

(continued from page 35...)

2. Beginning training before the age of seven has been shown to have the most significant impact. The age at which musical training begins affects brain anatomy as an adult.

3. Brain circuits involved in musical improvisation are shaped by systematic training, leading to less reliance on working memory and more extensive connectivity within the brain.

Our model is: Learning music in a group setting takes your music education even further.

Schools are starting to cut music programs, and that is very unfortunate. We feel the private sector has a role in providing music education where it lacks in schools. We have come up with a program to offer in schools.

See below for information about that.

3.) Why do you make Performances a part of the program?

“We do not learn songs to put on a show. We put on shows so that kids can learn songs.”

This is a quote from our previous CEO. Meaning, the way we teach music and songs is to get our students ready to perform those songs; this is the definition of “performancebased music education.” We use this approach so that kids are more motivated, engaged, willing to practice more and improve more quickly.

36 // Community Now!

We do three big school shows a year. We book large real rock venues where we get over 300 people in the audience. We have played at; The Palace, King Eddy, Festival Hall, The Blues Can and many other iconic venues in Calgary. .

4.) Do participants need to know how to play or sing before they join?

No. Any age and ability can join our school.

We have different age groups for bands.

Depending on their skill level, and age, they will be put into the correct program; this means that we have programs for beginner musicians. We chose songs appropriate to the skill level of the students so they can learn quickly and not get discouraged along the way.

Younger and less experienced kids also learn fewer songs in a show season. Our private lessons are very focused on songs played with the band so that they can learn a basic song in a short period.

The day a kid walks into the school they are not put on stage. Our bands rehearse for three to four months before they have to worry about that. In those few months, we can get any student--any skill level--ready to play songs live. We are all about preparing them and working towards that final goal: performing on stage.

5.) How can people get involved?

Please go to www.schoolofrock.com and schedule a free trial.

Or call us: 587-353-7625.

There are 2 locations in Calgary; I run the 17th Ave SW location.

We offer the opportunity to come into the school, meet an instructor and try one of our classes before there is any commitment. We guarantee when you walk in the door it will look and feel like no other music school in the world.

6.) Do you offer programs outside of the studio? (like to schools?)

Yes. We bring the music program to them!

We have several music programs in school and daycares. Right now, we are running an after-school program at Westridge school in Wentworth. We offer weekly band practice for kids right in the school.

WE MAKE

I know some schools have less funding for music programs. I am happy to offer a rock band program at any school. We also provide our Little Wing program in daycares throughout the city. This is our program for kids age two to five. We bring the music class to the daycare. We can customize the program however the client wants for length, content and the number of kids involved.

I am also in talks with several HomeSchool groups to design a customized program for HomeSchool kids during the day.

LEARN LIFE LESSONS THROUGH ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

SCHOOL OF ROCK | Calgary, Alberta 2707 - 17th Ave SW Phone: 587-353-7625 calgary@schoolofrock.com

www.schoolofrock.com

Schedule A Free Trial: https://locations.schoolofrock.com/calgary

Community \\ 37

Integrating STEM with Indigenous Wisdom to Co-Create an Innovative Future for All Two-Eyed Seeing in both directions will enable us to walk together.

38 // Community Now!

Youth Feature

by Wendy Hutchins

I

ndigenous Knowledge and Western Science represent two different ways of looking at the world around us. Indigenous people are VERY under-represented in STEM education and careers as many don’t see that STEM is open to them. Besides the goals of diversity in STEM industries, this is of concern to Indigenous communities towards building their future leadership and they are encouraging their communities, especially their youth to develop TwoEyed Seeing. The solution is not just STEM outreach programs to Indigenous youth, but ones that respect Indigenous perspectives, have Indigenous STEM role models and include the whole community (parents and elders) so that youth see this as important and for them. It is also important for the non-Indigenous STEM community to learn Indigenous ways of seeing the world.

IndigeSTEAM Society (IndigeSTEAM) is a new non-profit (Sept 2018) combining three previous STEM-based programs, thus we have a history of activities, but independent of each other. IndigeSTEAM combines Power to Choose (youth programs, founded by Alberta Women’s Science Network), GAIA (mentors’ network, founded by Deanna Burgart, “indigeneer”, Dene/Fond du Lac First Nation) and First Light Initiative (Indigenous community networks, founded

by Rob Cardinal, astrophysist, Siksika First Nation). Power to Choose (PTC) is a program aimed at indigenous youth recruitment to STEM careers through interesting hands-on/ minds-on STEM activities, STEM in context of and linked culture, and with Indigenous STEM mentors. GAIA was formed to provide a network for indigenous STEM professionals to link to and support each other, and find out about opportunities to serve as role models and mentors. FLI was started to promote youth

Currently, IndigeSTEAM is working in the three areas. GAIA: We are holding a retreat and dialogue April 10 and 11 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff. This retreat will link Indigenous and non-Indigenous people interested in STEM and STEAM outreach to develop practical solutions that work for teachers, communities and youth.

Community (FLI) - Currently members are serving as speakers for Indigenous and nonIndigenous communities, helping build research and education networks with elders and teachers, and we hope to be training more people, especially on reserve, how to support their youth in STEM. We are also working with the University of Calgary to prepare staff, faculty and students and with business and industry how to work with Indigenous people with respect for their perspectives.

Power to Choose (PTC) is a program aimed at indigenous youth recruitment to STEM careers through interesting hands-on/minds-

success through community involvement in education. The people from GAIA and FLI were advisors and mentors in the Power to Choose program, and all three organizations are now growing better together. The majority of the board of IndigeSTEAM are Indigenous scientists and engineers.

on STEM activities, STEM in context of culture, and with indigenous STEM mentors.

PTC has offered summer STEM camps for the past 8 years and currently working with Continuing Education at UCalgary for 2019’s (continued on next page) Community \\ 39

(continued from page 39...) camp. Our camp programs have ages 12 and up in overnight-stay camp; day camp for ages 9-12. We have also been doing many 1 day workshops in partnership with other organizations such as Community Now! and Maker Mind STEAM day.

Robotics has been a key activity in many of our camps and events as it is just plain fun, and a great way to bring in some engineering and math in practical ways. Many reserve youth in particular have not had robotics in school or in clubs, so this is their first opportunity to explore. In 2017-2018, Power to Choose was the only Canadian group supported by a grant from FIRST Inspires Diversity and Inclusion program. This has lead to a very strong partnership with FIRST Robotics Society of Western Canada to help develop robotics tournaments and teams on reserve and for urban Indigenous youth. We are currently promoting Robotics competition teams in reserve communities

and schools towards a 1 day invitational powwow and tournament in the spring. We provide kits, training for mentors, mentors and coaches, speakers, volunteers and funding/sponsorship if we can.

IndigeSTEAM has been active in the past year also making connections with other programs and projects developing new community-based programs that combine skills of non-Indigenous partners linked strongly to Indigenous community partners and elders for community STEM events involving youth and adults. Where ever possible, our goal is to support the success of Indigenous youth towards keeping them interested in STEM subjects, encouraging them towards STEM education and careers and helping them to develop two-eyed seeing towards being strong community leaders in the future. If you would like to help, we are seeking members and volunteers, sponsors and supporters. Reach out to us at info@indigesteam.ca or our website at https://indigesteam.ca to see what’s up.

Pictures below: Images from Power to Choose camps from various years

40 // Community Now!

Picture above: Power to Choose Camp 2017. Mentor Logan Arcilla, FIRST Robotics mentor, Alexis First Nation, IndigeSTEAM founding board member

About FIRST Imagine what it would be like if STEM was both a sport and entertaining, not just school subjects or a career path!

Dean Kamen (inventor extraordinaire) expressed this idea as one of the reasons for founding FIRST. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire interest and participation in science and technology in young people through a robotics competition that is a lot like a major sports tournament.

Based in Manchester, NH, FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in STEM, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills and does all this with excitement

and fun. FIRST is more than robots. See an awesome video at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=mtE6Va6oOhU that will show you just how much FIRST Robotics is not about just robots. FIRST participation is proven to encourage students to pursue education and careers in STEM-related fields, inspire them to become leaders and innovators, and enhance their 21 st century work-life skills.

More than ½ million youth and Ÿ million volunteers in 100 countries participate in building more than 50,000 robots and compete in events that make STEM as exciting as the Super Bowl.

(continued on next page) Community \\ 41

(continued from page 41...)

Photo above: FIRST Inspires promotional material Photo below: Three robots work as an alliance on the playing field during the second day of competition at the First Robotics Competition, Saturday, March 6, 2010, in Washington, DC. The theme for all levels in 2018-9 season is about space (celebrating 50 years since the first moon landing as well as 30 years of FIRST). See about this year’s competition challenge at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mew6G_og-PI Photo: By NASA/Paul E. Alers - https://www.dvidshub.net/image/835838/first-robotics-competition, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57424708.

FIRST Robotics locally In most regions, teams are hosted by schools or community groups who register with FIRST and compete at the regional competitions hosted by regional groups. FIRST Robotics Society (FRS) is an official FIRST partner organization dedicated to promoting and supporting FIRST programs at all levels throughout Saskatchewan, Alberta and British 42 // Community Now!

Columbia. FIRST Robotics Competition Canadian Rockies Regional is coming April 3-6, 2019. Saturday features the best viewing in order to see what all the excitement is about.

FLL and FTC will be demoing their robots and the FRC qualifications and playoffs continue throughout the day. Visit Technology Row and the teams in their pits.

Inspiring Indigenous youth success in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics through Indigenous-led and culturally-relevant programming

Our Events STEM Outreach Leadership Dialogue & Mentors Retreat April 11 - 12, 2019 Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff AB Masquerade Ball and Fundraiser April 12, 2019 7PM Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff AB Theme: Create your own adventure

Power to Choose Indigenous Youth Summer STEM Camp July 15-19, 2019 tbc University of Calgary, Calgary AB I ndigeSTEAM/Power to Choose Robotics Robots Powwow and Tournament Reserve and Rural teams Calgary Urban Indigenous Youth Robot Workshops

Partners and Sponsors needed: Sponsor a youth to Summer STEM Camp Sponsor a robotics team To nd out more: Partner or sponsor above events Visit indigeSTEAM.ca

 info@indigesteam.ca

 indigesteam.ca

IndigeSTEAM operated by Indigenous people with a STEM education/career.

SOPHIA Sophia Fairweather; business owner, home owner, speaker, innovator, creator, STEM and girls in STEM advocate….

10yr old!

As an adult it’s amazing, almost unreal to think a 10 year old owns a home, a business and is constantly looking for opportunities to encourage other youth, inspire adults and create opportunities for people to work together. But Sophia is real. She isn’t a cartoon or fictional character. She is a creative, young person who loves STEM especially engineering.

young people to get help with their ideas...along with creating products to better the environment.”

- Sophia Fairweather; Founder of Start up by Sophia; Author of “What’s Possible”, column and influencer of women and girls in STEM.

Connect with Sophia on LinkedIn To get more information about booking Sophia for a speaking opportunity, or to bring her in to work with your STEAM Team Email: startupbysophia@gmail.com

“Engineering allows me to build & create.” stated Sophia. “My goal is to promote STEM, Youth in business, and girls in the STEM fields. I believe one of the most important things is for people to share their experiences and knowledge.”

Her passion for art, engineering and change is unstoppable.

When asked what advice she would give to young people Sophia replied, “don’t let barriers or people bring you down.”

What’s Possible: “A business isn’t just about making money, it’s about changing the world: how the world looks at STEM, girls in STEM, and to inspire change in as many places as one can and to build resources for

44 // Community Now!

Photo Provided by Mattel, Barbie “As an emerging leader and role model for young children in STEM , Sophia Fairweather, age 10, believes that anything is possible because there are no limits to what one person can do. Sophia has worked with her local government to ensure more students have access to science and mathematics, in addition to raising thousands of dollars and mentoring her peers.” Barbie on twitter

speak, please call Yvonne at: 403.455.7344.

Operation Smile, to help donate enough money to help change a child with a cleft palate’s world, “buying a Youth Feature : Yby outh Alex Gorski is an “up and coming” smile”: artist, living in Alberta. He is a unique artist, who leverages his www.operationsmile.org special needs capabilities to have the patience often required to create truly artistic work.

“Alex’s Amazing Art”

At age 21, he is a social and friendly young adult, who has a huge and generous (golden) heart, and is always thinking how he can make (Art requests to Alex at: Meet Alex!

HE isday. His Community Now! Magazine is honoured someone’s custom artwork alex.gorski@shaw.ca) already given asto gifts, andhad is now an amazing young have the opportunity to meet Alex, making his work available to the man, whopublic. loves art and to have Alex take the time to help Now available, new book (Donate) AT: and has a passion to create smiles across designtheour March ORDER Cover.ONLINE The original Creating Smiles around World.

the world.

Alex recently opened his own art gallery online. He is creating original masterpieces and custom art requests.

Having such a big heart, Alex has dedicated the profits from his artwork sales to Operation Smile.

“For every painting sold, the proceeds go to Operation Smile – to help buy an operation for a child with a cleft palate – to help them smile again. He wants to “buy a kid a smile” states his mom Yvonne.

https://alexsamazingart.wordpress.com/ artwork of the cover will be for Auction at our August Celebration, where we will donate 50% to Operation Smile, with the remaining 50% to go towards his speaking career training and equipment, along with more art supplies. The Piece is almost finished - we have given everyone a abstract look into Alex’s art on the cover and a preview of the actual piece here.

Alex’s Amazing Art is beyond Amazing... let’s give smiles around the world and enjoy the beauty of his art.

According to the Operation Smile webpage one operation can cost up to $240. Alex is creating smiles with and because of his art, and has already paid for 4 children to have face altering surgeries.

Amazing!

His art is beautiful, creative and you can get limited edition prints ($25 each), originals, custom art or buy his book (with money from his book funding his Special Needs Toastmasters Program. He is in this program as he plans to be a speaker in schools soon, sharing a unique message that “anyone can make a difference, no matter what their circumstances are”.

Alex is already making a huge difference.

Eiffel Tower

Stairway to Heaven

Summer Rabbit

Community \\ 45

Heloise Lorimer STEAM Team

Why is it important to be creative?

Cause everybody would never have different answers. – Austin (Gr. 4) It’s good for your brain. Art, because it’s fun. – Carter (Gr.4) It’s important to be creative so you can use your brain and imagination. – Cole (Gr. 5)

46 // Community Now!

Why did you join the STEAM Team?

Because I was interested in learning how to code and do art projects and be a leader. – Avery (Gr.4)

Community \\ 47

What’s your favourite subject in STEAM ? WHY? Science because I love circuits and doing chemistry. – Bree (Gr. 5) Makers market. – Kamryn (Gr. 5) Technology. I love coding the BB8 and the dash. – Kelsey (Gr. 5)

48 // Community Now!

Why do you think it’s important to teach other people about STEAM? People can find what they like or what they are good at/what they are interested in. – Sanyati (Gr.6) So they can learn how to be creative and solving tough problems. – Devyn (Gr.5) So they can code and problem solve. – Liam (Gr. 4) Because everyone should have a creative side.

– Marissa (Gr. 6)

What do you do on the STEAM Team?

Create, think, learn, design and build. – Alex (Gr. 8)

Community \\ 49

EDUCATOR Diane Swiatek, Founder and Director of Banbury Crossroads School, has a passion for education! Banbury is a private self-directed learning school that allows students to work at their own pace and uses a tutorial method rather than lectures. Diane started the school in 1979, and was the sole educator for the first 8 years. “I’m a person who is driven by a dream, who will sacrifice for that vision.”

Why did you decide to establish Banbury Crossroads School?

When I read Summerhill, by Scottish educator A. S. Neill, I realized that adults choose how they treat children and how they design schools. It means that parenting and mentoring children is a matter of choosing philosophy and principles, and acting

so as to live out those principles.

A. S. Neill said that children have a right to be happy. He also said that children should have the right to determine the course of their own lives, as long as they do not interfere with the rights of others.

That is the basis of democracy.

It is mutual respect. That’s why I wanted a school where kids could live that way. I wanted to give them an opportunity for a different type of education, where they could be happy, engrossed in what they were doing and visible as individuals.

Quoted by Diane Swiatek.

For more information go to www.banburycrossroads.com

LEADER Adette Laceret has been a Girl Guider for over 28 years, currently as a Rangers leader. She is preparing her girls for adventure, debates, dealing with life & building self confidence.

Adette decided it was time to chase after her dreams and do what she is most passionate about: Helping and guiding people to be the best they can be.

Adette started Nine & Three Quarter Coaching.

Company Mission: To successfully work with parents and their teenaged daughters to empower

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MENTOR Carol O’Dell, Founder of Cardel Accounting has been involved with youth and community from the beginning.

Carol O’Dell’s interest has always been in helping companies grow into a successful and prosperous venture. One key step to making that possible is by working with youth and promoting opportunities in the workforce, peer support and mentoring. Being involved with various youth groups in all communities such as the LGBT youth to working with local community youth groups as Cardel Accounting and as Part of her Local Legion. Carol believes it is important for all companies to offer opportunities to the next generation because its an investment in our future and ecosystem.

Cardel Accounting Proudly Supports Community: • Maker Mind STEAM Day • Annual Children’s Gift Nite • Central Presbyterian - Vancouver • Cooke’s Presbyterian - Chilliwack • Co-Op Radio 102.7 FM • Grandview-Woodland Community Policing Centre • Kettle Friendship Society • Meal Programs for Homeless • Richmond Food Bank • Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Drive • Theatre In The Raw • Vancouver Food Bank • Wigs for Kids BC To Learn more about Cardel Accounting www.cardelaccoutning.com / carol@cardelaccoutning.com

young women to become independent, resourceful and resilient adults without the headaches of teenaged angst.

many years. Now was the time to save the parents and young ladies time, money, and angst as the young ladies transitioned into adulthood.

Company Vision: All teenaged girls are empowered to become independent, resourceful, and resilient adults

May 25, 2019 - Mother-Daughter Values Alignment Workshop - $99per mother/daughter pair

I loved working with this age group and always got lots of positive feedback from both the girls and their parents.

Now was the perfect time to fill the void that I had struggled with for so

People can contact me by email to pre-register adette.lacerte@nineandthreequarterscoaching.com

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Community: Inspired by Business

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Leaders, Innovators, and Big Ideas - the Podcast

by Al Del Degan

Some time in 2004 the term “Podcast” came about from the combination of the Apple iPod and the common term Broadcast. Essentially a podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files which a user can download in order to listen to. In layman terms it is like independent radio broadcasting, but without the radio.

Podcasting has had mixed success over the years. Early on it became fairly popular and then declined with some niche shows remaining somewhat popular. Over the past couple of years though, there has been a big resurgence. Some of the most popular shows boast regular subscriptions and downloads in the millions of listeners.

Al Del Degan has been creating podcasts since October 2009 and has recently come up with an idea for a new podcast. The show titled: “Leaders, Innovators, and Big Ideas - the Podcast”, is supported by Rainforest Alberta and showcases those who are contributing to and / or supporting the innovation ecosystem in Alberta. Al wanted to create a collaboration

54 // Community Now!

opportunity for those who want to be part of Rainforest Alberta but also contribute in some way to the group itself.

The idea is that the podcast doesn’t have a regular host or hosts, but rather has a multitude of volunteer hosts from throughout the Rainforest “membership”. Thanks to a generous contribution from Zinc Ventures, the podcast now has its own dedicated equipment that the volunteer hosts can borrow and use to record their episodes. Al and his team edit the shows, add the pre roll and post roll credits, and post the shows on the podcasting site.

The show launched on February 18th and a new episode is released each Tuesday morning at 8:00am. Listeners can subscribe on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes), or also in Google Play Music. The main feed for the show is available at: http://rainforestalberta. podbean.com If you would like to be a host, guest or sponsor of the podcast, send an email to rainforestpodcast@gmail.com

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EDUCATION THE GREATEST FUNDRAISER June 12 2019 @ Cardel Theatre 6:30

A show filled with The Greatest Showman tunes performed by the music students of Banbury Crossroads school CHOIR & DRUMMING! Tickets $10.00 each plus a non perishable food item.

All money raised goes back into school programs.

Gaming Addiction and Kids “It’s digital heroin’: How Screens turn your kids into psychotic junkies” - Dr. Nicolas Kardaras

by Steven Archambault

I found the above headline from a New York Post article written by Dr. Nicolas Kardaras in August 2016, while researching gaming addiction. Just reading the headline made me feel sick to my stomach. After reading the article the nausea did not go away. Not because it was a deeply thought out and accurate for telling of our future. But in my opinion; like the headline it was full of all the things we need to fear backed up by half-truths.

If you are going to use the headline with your kids as a way to get them to stop gaming then you might as well make up the rest of the information because that headline is fiction. In the article Dr. Kardaras claims that dopamine is increased while children are gaming and drugs have the similar effect. The half truth here is that everything we do that is pleasurable increases our dopamine what he fails to mention is that heroin, cocaine have a increase of 10 times normal. While video gaming rates are right up with eating a bowl of ice-cream at double. And we all know how ice cream turns people psychotic.

I am not saying gaming addiction to gaming does not exist; I am saying rhetoric does not help us identify real problems. It creates fear and people who are trying to find answers may be led down the wrong path. Imagine a parent who is struggling and looking for answers coming across that article?

In my practice I look at why we choose the addiction we choose. What makes someone choose alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling or food to name just a few. Why are people choosing games? For me the addiction is the symptom of a greater issue and we see addiction as bad but maybe why we started down the path is out of good and loving memories.

I have a client who has a strong draw to sugary food especially chocolate. This draw or desire to eat chocolate is so great that their weight is now an issue and is causing them extreme medical distress; according to their medical doctor. We discovered that food was a reward as a child for doing a good job, chocolate meant success and when they were successful at school they were doted on, they received praise from their parents and they also received

Clayton, N. (2018) Candy Crush games brining in almost 4 million a day, pocket Gamer Connects retrieved February 15, 2018 from https://www.pocketgamer.biz/news/68913/candy-crush-games-bringing-in-almost-4-million-a-day-in-2018/ Liftoff, (2018 Mobile Gaming apps report, 2018) 2018 user acquisition trends and benchmarks retrieved February 13, 2019-02-13 https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/434414/Reports/2018%20Gaming%20Apps/Liftoff_2018_Mobile_Gaming_Apps_Report_Aug.pdf

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chocolate. Their brain linked chocolate to love, affection, community and yes reward.

Now from personal research and from work with my clients gaming is tied to so many facets and depending on the game they choose can satisfy many internal issues. Here are my top 5.

1) Community: Community or belonging to a community is extremely important in our life.

As kids community is essential to our growth remember the saying “It takes a village to raise a child”. The online gaming world not only can you belong you are accepted for exactly who you are or who you want to be. Online in the gaming community lots of people care about you!

2) Success: Games are designed to give you success they are designed that if you play you grow and you feel that you are accomplishing some pretty amazing things. Especially when the online community cheers you on through the chat channels when you succeed at something. Games are not so easy that you get bored and not so hard at the beginning so that you give up.

3) Programed Rewards: This is where games are designed to directly hit your reward mechanism in your brain. The games are designed with several types of reward however the top three that keep you attached to the games are really well thought out.

The first type is timed rewards, think of Pavlov and his dogs, these rewards come at exactly the same time every few hours or daily to get them you have to be online at that specific moment or they disappear after a set time 10-30 minutes. Then there are the increasing time rewards, in a game you select a reward and in three minutes another one appears then in 6 minutes and so on and so on. This reward resets daily to keep it fresh. The last one is challenge rewards and you need to accomplish certain challenges to get these rewards and these rewards can be high value.

4) Disassociation: When people are having issues gaming allows them to shut off, not face reality and for the moments in the game they feel that nothing else exists, not the bullies, the shaming nothing.

This can be the hardest to overcome in my opinion.

5) World wide reach: In some of these games you can play with and chat with people from all over the world many of them have translation buttons so you can understand what Ingrid in Sweden or Tyler in Mexico is saying. Your community just got a whole lot bigger…

There are so many avenues that can be taken when talking about people and screen time, each person may have a slight difference as to why their gaming may have got out of control.

Although gaming or technology addiction is “not yet” recognized as a addiction in the American Medical Association or the American Psychological Association. Neither are many other things that cause us harm if we go to far.

My opinion is first find out why your kids’ play, what do they find as the most amazing aspect of a game. If the answer is “I don’t know” then ask the simple question if you could not play this game ever again what would you miss? Also remember gaming is also equally impactful to adults. And remember one thing always about gaming; it is designed to be addictive. Why? So developers can make as much money as possible. Gaming as of July 2018 in all it’s formats has become the number one money making entertainment industry (Liftoff, 2018). A simple game like Candy Crush and all it’s spin offs make almost $4 million a day (Clayton, 2018). The more ways they find to tie into your mental states the more money they make.

If you feel that gaming is a problem in your life reach out find help. Your future self will thank you.

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Who Do You Trust?

How Do You Know What to Believe?

M

By Diane Swiatek, Founder and Director of Banbury Crossroads School, Est. 1979

any of the questions faced by humankind are timeless, even if each age produces a different twist on it. Who do you trust? How do you know what to believe? Over the past 30 years, a deluge of information has become readily available, and a lot of it is contradictory. Moreover, propaganda can be interwoven with facts, manipulating our judgment filter, as it magnifies and harnesses a truth in someone’s favor. You are in trouble when you have difficulty determining whether information is pertinent and valuable…or not. This scenario gives us valid reasons for doubt and it breeds uncertainty. These questions are now being asked all around the world, as we wrestle with the concepts of “fake news”, political posturing and bipartisanship, populism, scandals, scams, and foreign bots that generate person-less online posts. We are also aware of information being subverted and suppressed and just disappearing from the common forum, from streaming services, books and documentaries. All of a sudden, controversial information just isn’t available. Government regimes, from autocratic to merely manipulative, hand out misinformation, disinformation or limited information. In the face of such information control, it is natural for us to wonder who should be allowed to decide which books have to be burned, in a metaphorical sense. If we value freedom of thought, we are likely to answer that there is no good answer.

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A thousand years ago, when news took a year to travel by word of mouth over a few thousand miles, we can easily understand that people were untimely-informed and under-informed. Lately, however, we have the opposite problem: through the pervasive availability of words and images to enter our minds from near and far, during every minute of our waking day, we have become over-informed. It is just as problematic, but for different reasons. Whereas a lack of information led to a very slow rate of social change and an inability to gain objectivity and agency in life’s circumstances, an overabundance of information is now glutting our systems, so that we feel overwhelmed

and confused. The interesting thing is that this glut also takes away a sense of objectivity and agency in how we experience our lives.

Grasping at straws in our attempt to capture the “truth�, many of us have given up trying to understand our multidimensional culture.

Even if we happen to be a select expert about one or two topics, we cannot have expertise in all of these various aspects of our modern world, and so many of us have developed a sense of fear and helpless passivity in trying to filter and make sense of the information that bombards us. It is common now for us to feel a pervasive distrust in any media (continued on next page) Education \\ 59

(continued from page 59...) whatsoever—in both the information itself and also in the information producers, the journalists, the politicians, the scientists, and even the intellectual specialists who attempt to analyze the material that threatens to engulf us all. There is a crisis in confidence and rational competence within our citizenry on all levels, which, in turn, impacts our decision-making, because we cannot easily get a grasp on the situation at hand. What suffers is our ability to be impartial, and to tie reason with emotion in order to make wise decisions; we really do need to be able to figure out what is actually going on. Even our emotional health affects our ability to interpret the significance of the input we receive from the outside world. If we already struggle with fear or greed or bitterness inside us, then we are more vulnerable to being scammed and misled by the messages we receive.

Historically, through whatever manner they have used over the ages, human beings have attempted to sincerely analyze the meaning and causation of the reality they perceived around them, to pursue what they could understand as the “truth”. This was the root of our endeavors in philosophy and science.

However, when doing so becomes utterly difficult, such as now, in our times, when so many of us have an endemic lack of trust in what we are perceiving, we can feel stymied and discombobulated, to say the least.

The sheer volume of the information disarray is new; what is not new is the fact that, ever since we developed the ability to talk, human beings have had to learn how to appraise new ideas about objective reality: to compare and digest opposing opinions and disparate facts in order to solve problems, to get along socially within their tribes, and to understand 60 // Community Now!

their physical environment. In one of the translations of the Kalama Sutta by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Buddha gave advice to his listeners who were confused when faced with teachers propounding only their own views and disparaging those of others. He told them to question the various views that they heard, and to not rely only on reason to evaluate them— such as historical reports or news, legends or traditions, conjectures or probabilities, analogies or inferences. Common sense could be a truth filter in this process. Yet, even if the views they were presented with seemed logical and coherent, or resonated with their own intuition and feelings, their beliefs about what was “true” must also be tested by their experience of the results it yielded when put into practice. In addition, to prevent bias or limitations in their comprehension of these results, they must test them against their observation of the experience of other people whom they were able to evaluate as reliable, insightful and wise, and who acted as mentors for them. Through their analysis, when they could identify results that were skillful and blameless, leading to wellbeing and happiness, they could regard those qualities as “good” and they could emulate them. When they identified results that led to pain and misery, they realized that they needed to avoid the qualities that produced that negativity. These results were the closest to identifying social “truth” that they could find. This advice is still valid today.

We need to adopt a rigorous process of logical reasoning and wariness in the face of the tsunami of information that surrounds and invades us; we need to keep our wits about us.

The first thing we need to do is to identify the source of the information. And yet, how can we know who is speaking the truth? People who lie and purposely mislead us may do so in a backhand manner—they may expound

and glorify their own ideas, while deprecating and showing contempt for the ideas of others.

This disparagement is not based on the facts of the matter; it is based on tribalism and persuasion for its own sake. It may be based on active deception, in order to gain ground for their own agenda and bias. Indeed, in many places, “tribalism” has reached a fever pitch. Whatever benefit there may have been in people supporting their tribe in ancient times, it seems counterproductive now, in our interconnected world, to have people only believe in their tribe to the exclusion of anyone outside it. Modern tribes may be based on a variety of characteristics, like race, culture, linguistics, gender, geography, religion or occupation. Although belonging to, and supporting, any particular tribe may create a sense of belonging within that group, it can also create enormous negative, and damaging, results for individuals relating to others outside that group. They may tend to jump to conclusions and not give the benefit of the doubt to anyone holding opposing points of view. Such thinking skills, themselves, become “deplorable”. Various kinds of deception may be engaged in, merely to cover up valid, observable facts, because the tribal point of view is felt to be necessary to preserve, against all reason and reality.

Of course, this leads to instances like the “emperor’s new clothes” situation, wherein people cannot admit to reality, for fear of opposing their peers (adult peer pressure), or for fear of exposing the holes in their argument to themselves. “To thine own self, be true” is a saying they do not value.

This is when our prehistoric impulses for tribalism become dysfunctional within the 21st Century. The truth is that all human beings occupy the same planet, and we all have responsibilities towards its environmental husbandry, its political possibilities for peace,

its scientific and medical research, and its universal humanitarian development. If there is to be any sort of progress at all for human beings, it will only come about if people can rise above their exclusionary, tribal instincts to realize that all humans need to behave as one tribe on one planet, Earth.

This leads us to a helpful question: if any tribe’s ideas were actually adopted, we would need to ask ourselves, who would benefit, and how? If the answer is only one-sided, a zero-sum game of winner-loser, then it would probably lead to resentment within the losers, and the winners would ultimately lose, too, in the same way that tyrants are always, ultimately, deposed. If the ideas being adopted led, instead, to mutual respect, reciprocity of opportunity, and health, whether economic or physical or environmental, then those ideas deserve consideration and discussion around their implementation. Decisions are clear when we evaluate the consequences as positive for all parties involved, or negative for at least some of the parties involved. That clarity is some help, at least.

The source of the information, and who funded it, are two of the most common characteristics that we evaluate in making preliminary judgments about any person or organization.

If the source is generally accepted as a knowledgeable and skilled “authority”, it tends to be believed; however, should that source betray us with unpredictably unacceptable behaviour, such as a doctor, priest or teacher who engages in sexual misconduct with a patient, child or other vulnerable person, then we are absolutely outraged. After all, one of the main purposes of designating some people as an authority is precisely to confer trustworthiness and (continued on next page) Education \\ 61

(continued from page 61...) believability upon them. Authority figures are only trustworthy and believable if they consistently behave honorably.

In these days of scandals left, right and centre on the world stage, this source of trust is tarnished almost beyond repair— at least with some people and in certain circumstances. It can be dangerous for us to simply believe in authority figures anyway, because some authoritative information is not necessarily right or wrong. It simply exists on a continuum of knowledge-gathering.

Furthermore, we need to be able to decipher the agendas of such authoritative institutions, like pharmaceutical companies or agricultural seed companies. They do have their agendas, and these agendas are not purely altruistic.

Authorities will sometimes approve a product, a medicine, a procedure that does have some benefits, but sometimes the potential longterm consequences have not been thoroughly tested. In fact, these authorities may be downright narrow-minded, and they are often self-serving and removed from having to listen and respond to the people affected by their services.

For instance, when Thalidomide was first issued to pregnant women decades ago, it was thought to prevent morning sickness.

At that time, there was evidence that it did that. However, the other side-effects were devastating and horrifying when they appeared. In another innovative field, authorities in the plastics industry produced plastic garbage and shopping bags that did solve the problem of leaking and breaking paper bags, but they created a huge mess in landfills and anywhere else they were casually disposed of. DDT is only one example of a scientific idea that went wrong, and even 62 // Community Now!

when it was outlawed in North America, it was still used in other countries. Not only that, but sometimes it is essentially economics that prevails, with disastrous consequences for people’s health. One major example of this was a nutrition issue involving the sugar lobby in the U.S. that influenced studies by Harvard to the point that sugar was promoted over fat.

This interference led to food products that are unhealthy being promoted for decades over ones that are actually healthy. This made for quite a splash eventually, when the fraud was exposed. The trouble is, of course, that getting the information out about such a fraud is difficult, because so many people believed the lies of the authorities in the first place. So, simply because the source seems reliable, we cannot automatically abdicate our reasoning and simply believe. It is interesting to note, though, that when we end up distrusting authority figures, it is predominantly those whom we do not personally know— politicians, CEOs of international companies, industrial scientists and financial gurus. They are distant figures.

Other authority figures and professional experts we do find trustworthy. We may undervalue and ignore them, because they are so common in our lives—we all know personally many who do maintain constructive, positive and reliable work in the world. Those are the teachers, fire fighters, nurses, musicians, architects, chefs, painters, astronomers, medical researchers, carpenters, plumbers, and so on, who are the daily reminders that good still exists in the world, and that some people can be trusted. We know this innately, and we do not vacillate in agony about their trustworthiness. They are intimate figures.

So, about whom do we agonize over their trustworthiness? Certainly not people

“

We are safer to believe in something that is arrived at through a scientific method than we are to believe in something that we are driven, through pure emotion, to believe.

”

who we already know from experience are untrustworthy. We give up on them. When we do agonize, it’s when we do not actually know them, and have such a rush of outside, conflictual or uncertain information that we get overloaded when we try to understand.

Sometimes, we feel like we could drown by over-information before we have any chance to make a decision about what we believe.

driven, through pure emotion, to believe.

Reason plus emotion leads to more positive outcomes than either of them, used alone.

At the same time, we need to remember that science is not dogma. It is merely a mode of inquiry that is open to questions and constant change. Scientific results are only valid until more information is discovered, and these discoveries are never-ending.

So, perhaps it is useful to address how we can handle the avalanche of information we receive. The first concept to support is that of seeing science as our fundamental approach, as opposed to superstition. Science is a constant search for what is true, through identifying or disproving hypotheses by repeatable and observable experimentation.

Superstition is closer to having a belief

Therefore, we need to gather information over time and from multiple sources. We also need to notice, and carefully examine, those particular sections of the research that contain red flags waving in our faces as indications of persistent and inexplicable results. We need to seek out further information. Yet, even after we have done our own research, we may change our minds later through discussion,

in some idea just because…just because it is tradition, or it is comfortable, or it is attractive or frightening or emotional. We are safer to believe in something that is arrived at through a scientific method than we are to believe in something that we are

outside input and more extensive research.

It’s all about critical thinking and staying open to new ideas. We need to preserve an open mind—but not so open that our brains (continued on next page) Education \\ 63

“

People can easily become negatively influenced in an emotional sense by becoming stuck in self-fulfilling

prophecies, and only “noticing” evidence that supports their pre-existing biases.

(continued from page 63...) fall out! My Father had a useful expression: “on the other hand…”. This preface to a sentence is purposely meant to examine the other side of the coin, the opposite of the previous argument, the multifaceted factors involved. If we can remember to periodically use such a preface to our speech, we will be less likely to dismiss others if they don’t agree immediately with our point of view. We may actually be able to LISTEN to the content and emotion within the person whose words we are hearing. We may actually become able to change our minds, given new information.

This is another nugget of wisdom.

To augment our other strategies to face this onslaught of information coming from individuals, corporations, and media of all 64 // Community Now!

”

sorts, we can use one of many published lists of logical fallacies, to have a standard against which we can evaluate any of these claims.

Logical fallacies are errors in reasoning that seem irrefutable, but prove nothing. Logical fallacies attack how people debate, and stymie sincere exploration of intellectual conundrums. Examples are the Red Herring, the Ad Hominem, the Circular Argument, the Straw Man, the False Dilemma, the Hasty Generalization, the Causal/Correlation Fallacy, and the Appeal to Authority. Other reasoning pitfalls also bring confusion, such as specious correlations that appear to be correlated, when they actually are not. The appearance of cognitive dissonance may confound our intentions and progress still further. People can easily become negatively influenced in an emotional sense by becoming stuck in self-fulfilling prophecies, and only “noticing” evidence that supports their

their world, and teach them how to solve problems collaboratively and empathically.

Youth need to learn not to make decisions too early—before they understand the scope of the problems, a range of options to deal with them, and the possible consequences of their decisions. We need to empower them to think for themselves. Our challenge is to design experiences that are likely to create those “Ohhh!!!” moments of sudden understanding. The essential purpose is to foster insight, and to nurture skill in critical thinking, that together lead to a constantly growing comprehension within children of life’s myriad meanings. Our purpose is to foster agency and resiliency.

per-existing biases. There are many ways to derail an argument or discussion logically and to lead us astray; we don’t have to fall for them.

And since education is my life work, I will

And once again, we need to provide youth with a living role model of how we do our own thinking. That’s right. We need to do our own thinking. Even if we find the most honorable, wisest and truest mentors, they will not always agree about what “truth” is, or what to do about any particular problem.

Ultimately, we still must figure out what to believe for ourselves, as well as how we are going to act in response to our beliefs. We still have decisions to make. And when those decisions involve our children, they suddenly become much more personal and crucial, and they require us to be calm and assured.

So, who do we have to trust? Ourselves. But humbly, because we can still be wrong.

mention that, throughout their childhood years, children need to engage in this same process of gathering information, evaluating the worth of it, and making decisions. That is what education means. It means to lead the learner out into the YOUNIQUE world so that they can face that ANGEL MCNEIL world, work and thrive within it, "Younique’s mission is to uplift, empower, "Ask me about my lashes" validate, and ultimately build self-esteem in and most of all, contribute to it. women around the world through high-quality We need to mentor our young, products that encourage both inner and outer beauty and spiritual enlightenment while also allow them to make decisions providing opportunities for personal growth and financial reward." as often as possible, give them feedback on the consequences of their actions, listen as they FB Personal: Madhatr Angel FB Biz: Angel's Beauty Market struggle with understanding www.angelsbeautymarket.com

Education \\ 65

innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business Jill Les Kenzie Tracy Zanika Jenn innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • business Jade Adette • education Stacy Sophia • community Diane Peter innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community •Albusiness Vanisha Al Brian Steven Carol & James innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business Alone, we can do so little; innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business – Helen Keller innovation • education • community • business innovation • education • community • business

together , we can do so much

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www.communitynowmagazine.com Facebook: @communitynowmagazine Twitter: @communitynowma1 Publisher@CommunityNowMagazine.com