published by ZX Media Corporation
COMMUNITY NOW! MAGAZINE
Volume 1 Issue 2 • Sept 2018
WE
AT BANBURY CROSSROADS TREASURE CHILDREN AS RESPECTED INDIVIDUALS, AND MEET THEIR DIVERSE NEEDS WITHIN A SAFE, FAMILIAL SETTING. WE ARE PASSIONATELY COMMITTED TO INCORPORATING INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL METHODS THAT FOSTER INTRINSIC MOTIVATION, LEARNING TO MASTERY, SELF-RESPONSIBILITY AND SOCIAL COMPETENCE.
DON'T miss our garage sale! 8 a.m. until 4 p.m! Saturday, September 29th we will be holding a family garage sale at the Staples parking lot on 9th Avenue and 11th Street S. W
CONTENTS INNOVATION
COMMUNITY
Krista Malden
Community Connector
Innovation Innovation Innovation Les Mottosky 6
Investment in your Community Tracy Beairsto 25
Kenzie Webber
Master Creator
Josh Clark
Marketing Guru
Building Silicon Valley of the North is a Marathon Stacy Richter 10
Event Announcement 29
CONTRIBUTORS
EDUCATION The importance of picking the Right Schooling for Our Children and how to do it Diane Swiatek 15 Calling all Dreamers Jill Quirk and the STEAM Team 18
Stacy Richter
Zanika Malden
Scott Pickard
Sandra Malach
Tracy Beairsto
Diane Swiatek
Jill Quirk
Les Mottosky
BUSINESS
Sophia Fairweather
Peter Lafontaine
What’s Possible with Sophia Sophia Fairweather 38
Adette Lacerte
It’s not mental health. It’s brain health Peter Lafontaine 30 Just Breath Adette Lacerte
37
Prof-it: Opportunity Search Sandra Malach 39 Machine learning and me Scott Pickard 40
Cover photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash “Our Mission” illustion by Errorist_Artist For questions, comments or concerns, please contact Editor in Chief at: publisher@communitynowmagazine.com Copyright 2018 ZX Media Corpoartion, Calgary Alberta Canada
Community Now! Magazine Copyright 2018, published by ZX Media Corporation. Volume 1 Issue 2
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 or writers.
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
WHY COMMUNITY NOW!:
COMMUNITY NOW! agazine!
More than just a m
This is a storytelling hub for our fast growing, ever changing innovation driven ecosystem! It is an opportunity to promote curiosity and engagement within all members of our ecosystem. “It has been said that next to hunger and thirst, our most basic human need is for storytelling.� - Khalil Gibran FOUR PILLARS: Innovation, Education, Community and Business. Innovation is limitless! Innovation: is changing so fast right now that we need to keep the conversation going on a non-stop basis about where, how, why and when innovation will enhance (or disrupt) Community, Business and Education. Education: is creating the next generation of brilliant leaders in Business, Innovation and Community. Community: is supporting and creating opportunity for leadership, change, education and growth within Society as a whole. Business: funds, promotes, mentors, creates and drives Education, Innovation and Community.
4 // Community Now!
Along with producing 10 issues a year online Community Now! Will promote curiosity, communication and engagement in making Calgary a stronger and better place to live, to be educated, do business, promote innovation and community celebration. On Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018 we will host a night of food, great conversations of storytelling and silent auctions to raise money and build awareness about Mental Health!
We will host 4 events a year 1 for mental health 1 for youth organizations 1 will be a hands-on event 1 for a grassroots organization
Become a sponsor of Community Now !Magazine and events.
Engage Inspire Educate Together. Community Now! \\ 5
INNOVATING INNOVATION INNOVATING INNOVATION INNOVATING
T
Les Mottosky
he term “disruption” has, in recent years, become synonymous with revolutionary innovation. It’s sexy. It’s extreme. It’s also accurate; industry’s are being flipped on their heads. Innovation is everywhere. But what is this “I” word?
It can be argued that innovation is equal to technological advancement. This limited definition creates an illusion that suggests innovation isn’t everybody’s ongoing opportunity. Maybe we’ve been perceiving innovation through too narrow a lens? Let’s take a deeper look: Innovation is not just smartphones, software, satellites or blockchain. It’s not just tech related or commercially focused. The reality is, the word — and the actual meaning behind it — is broader, deeper and more inspiring than a radical new programming language or a whiz-bang new wearable. The term innovate is a combination of the Latin words “in” which means “into” and “novare” which translates into “make new”, so we get “make into new”. This broader perspective allows 6 // Community Now!
Awareness is necessary because without it, “We’ve always done it this way” is the dominant mindset. Awareness is keeping an open mind to anything that might contribute. It could be interpreted that awareness is synonymous with focus. Ability is the team’s connection, execution, communication, collaboration skills and their unrelenting focus on what’s most important now. ‘Innovation’, then, is perhaps more accurately thought of as the result of a team’s efforts. For all the stories about robots, Bitcoin and space travel, we rarely get to hear the people stories behind those headlines. While the tech advancement is the “sizzle”, it wouldn’t be possible without the “steak” that is the hearts and minds of the people that strained, sweated and lost sleep to get it to market. Lost in these product launches are the tremendous human achievements of leadership, management and execution. Not just by individuals, but also by the teams. The cult of personality around business innovation has created a sea of familiar faces in memes with themes of ‘Hustle’, ‘CEO worship’ and ‘You can do anything’ cheerleading. us to see that it’s also an opportunity — for each one of us — to be innovators. So let’s define Innovation. This is a different version than you’ll find in a dictionary, because it includes the element of human contribution (most definitions focus on the action or the result):
“Innovation is the awareness and ability to make progress happen”.
But there is an oft-untold narrative of how those remarkable leaders were shaped by their teams. Insights, listening, bold opinions, push-backs, arguments and searingly honest conversations are the ingredients that shape and embolden the leadership. And it’s this combination of the team’s energy, their connection and the consistent focus on the most important goals that produces these advancements. This is the true heart of innovation. It’s human energy, human collaboration, human ingenuity and human focus. It’s an inspired culture wholly intent on making something into new. (continued on next page) Innovation \\ 7
(continued from page 7...)
If innovation requires a definition, then so does culture. We’re all familiar with a quote (mis)attributed to Aristotle:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Based on this definition it’s equally true that “sub-par”, “ineffective”, “losing” and “complaining” can also become habits, if we repeatedly do them. This broader perspective of repetitive actions and how they become habits, is a clear and simple foundation to define culture. So here it is: “Culture is how organizations repeatedly and collectively think and do.” Like the previous definition of innovation, this puts equal emphasis on the thinking and the doing because it’s the dance of those that most predictably produces behaviour. For over two decades we’ve been aware that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’. We’ve also known that a vibrant, healthy culture is the surest predictor of profit. Culture is the heart of mega-successful organizations like Disney, Google and Zappos. It’s also the driving force behind the fizzle of the Enrons, Blockbusters and Lehman Brothers. When many of us hear the brand name Nike, we think ‘athletic shoes’. Fewer of us think: ‘leaders in innovative athletic apparel and equipment’. Even fewer of us still— those who read Nike founder Phil Knight’s book “Shoe Dog” — understand that Nike probably shouldn’t exist at all, given the wild and perilous ride of their first decade. In large part, the reason they pulled through those early years was the resilient culture of persistence and innovation that was established. A culture that would later be codified with 3 iconic words: “Just do it.” A mantra that is also an appropriate attitude for all innovators. We are all innovators. And it’s the intersection of mindset and skill-set that will have us create something the world deems valuable. Innovation is a natural phenomenon. Innovation is human. Innovation is available to all of us. Innovation is pure, open-minded energy (ability, skill-set) focused on a visceral purpose (awareness, mindset). This fact remains hidden to most of us because our society celebrates the by-product of that energy. Without a culture of caring, driven humans there is no innovation to celebrate. 8 // Community Now!
Innovation is pure, open-minded energy (ability, skill-set) focused on a visceral purpose (awareness, mindset). Innovation \\ 9
Building Silicon Valley of the North is a
MARATHON By Stacy Richter
N
one of the great civilizations of the world were built in a day. Neither the Roman, Mayan, Aztec or British Empires were built in a day. They took centuries to build. You have probably heard the proverb ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. This usually comes up when you are trying to accomplish something difficult or complicated that takes time and an outsider tries to placate your frustration and says this followed quickly by you rolling your eyes. Silicon Valley is considered the ‘empire’ of the technology community and as fast as the tech
10 // Community Now!
community moves, not even this great empire was built in a day though it does feel that way by comparison. It has taken more than 100 years for the Silicon Valley to become the technology hub it is known for today. “In the late 1800s, San Francisco’s port helped make it a hub of the early telegraph and radio industries. In 1909, San José became home to one of the US’s first radio stations. In 1933, the Navy purchased Moffett Field to dock and maintain the USS Macon. This made Moffett Field a major hub for the early days of the aerospace
industry. Many scientists and researchers all found work in the area. In 1939, the Ames Research Center was founded in the area, and it became home to the world’s largest wind tunnel in 1949. Also in 1939, William Hewlett and Dave Packard founded Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, which originally made oscilloscopes. Then, during World War II, HP made radar and artillery technology. At this point, computers were about the size of a room.” Though many of the great civilizations have taken several hundreds if not thousands of years for their accomplishments, Silicon Valley seems to be an overnight development by comparison. The question we are really trying to answer here is how does a tech community model the development and accomplishments found in Silicon Valley? YYChain is one of those organizations who are working to build a Silicon Valley north of the border. “YYChain is a member-driven organization focused upon upgrading Calgary blockchain ecosystem from research, industrial and legal perspectives. Founded in 2018, YYChain acts as a keystone organization, drawing together the people and organizations from which new blockchain opportunities will emerge. YYChain works with its members to share opportunities and support a culture of trust inspired by the Rainforest.” Victor Hwang’s whitepaper ‘The Rainforest: How “Chicago Thinking” Explains Silicon Valley’ was written to explain how a tech community like Silicon Valley develops and thrives. Hwang compares and contrasts the agricultural/plantation model of development to that of a Rainforest. Where the cropland from a plantation is very carefully planned
and optimized for efficiency, the Rainforest provides more of a bustling environment for ALL organisms to grow and thrive and does so very unpredictably. The Rainforest model is often used to model how innovation systems evolve. This is what Terry Ross, the founder of the YYChain Innovation Association, is working to create. As a young man, Terry has always been interested in technology and innovation. After completing his degree in Psychology, he had met Dr. Robin Black, with the National Research Council at the time, who challenged him to educate people about business innovation. From there, Terry completed his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) and went on to work for the Alberta Ministry of Innovation and Science. Since then, Terry had worked with ICORE which was merged into Alberta Innovates and currently works with the University of Calgary at the Schulich School of Engineering. Terry founded YYChain early in 2018 and was started to “identify the enthusiastic and empowered people from industry and government and academia. The goal is to give them an education about Blockchain and its potential which is changing so rapidly and ensure they’re up on the basics to help connect them together so that they can explore their own opportunities.”
SPARK THE FIRE THAT RAGES IN TECHNOLOGY The tech industry in Silicon Valley is not the result of a single event, but a series of events that needed a spark as well as the fuel from industry, government and academics to grow into the raging technology fire that it is today. (continued on next page) Innovation \\ 11
What types of industry, legal, academic and policy leaders are involved and how does their involvement support YYChain’s reason for being?
Terry Ross; Founder of YYChain
(continued from page 11...) YYChain is well on its way to be the spark and providing the fuel needed to build the same industry in Calgary. “My goal is to try and create environments where people can understand what each other are doing and connect effectively. Then if there are sparks, to work and help support them to knock objects out of their way so they can grow initiatives” says Terry. He also suggests that this becomes far more challenging because part of this movement will require us to develop new opportunities and new markets. Especially when many of these opportunities and markets are found outside of Calgary. A problem that Silicon Valley had faced head on and solved. During the dot com boom, almost ALL of the markets and opportunities were outside of California and, as it turns out, worldwide. YYChain’s role in helping to build a Silicon Valley of the North will closely resemble that of the early adopters and supporters in the early stages of Silicon Valley’s development. 12 // Community Now!
TR: There are the initial champions that we have on our board now who have been supportive. So, we have people from the start-up industry who have been mentoring start-ups in various forms. People who have been involved in tech start-ups such as Imaginea AI, GuildOne and TerraHub. We also have representatives from Alberta Treasury Branch and the head of the Blockchain practice for Miller Thompson, a nationwide law firm. Right now, the people who supported YYChain with their time and treasure at this point are focused on getting the organization established and solving real needs.
In 5 years from today, what would you like to see accomplished in the innovation/technology space in Calgary (and Alberta)? TR: I would like the blockchain ecosystem in Calgary to be well established and well recognized globally. I would like us to have fairly strong niches of expertise and capabilities that are recognized as being valuable for a long period of time. I think after 5 years we will probably be set up for success. I don’t think we will have achieved the big successes yet. I think that is going to come 5-10 years from now. The 5 years that are coming are basically going to be laying the foundation, plowing the fields, fertilizing, getting the seeds in the ground, planning the sort of things to plant in the ground and after 5 years is when we will start to see significant sprouts and things grow that we can harvest.
YYChain Blockchain Event
What are the 1 or 2 important messages you would like to pass on to our young readers and their parents? TR: The first thing I would pass on is to make upgrading your skills and knowledge a lifelong endeavor and enjoy it. I think kids can realize that nobody wants to be the person trying to make something cool with obsolete tools. There is value in upgrading your skills and what you have going on as well. I think also learning to take smart risks. One of my favourite sayings is ‘that there is no growth in the comfort zone and there is no comfort in the growth zone.’ If you’re feeling comfortable, you’re not growing. Get used to the idea of being uncomfortable and don’t shy away from that. All great civilizations take time to build. Building them is not an accident or chance. It took Silicon Valley over 100 years to become an overnight success. It took a massive community to deliberately focus on the direction and forward moving action steps to build the tech community they have today.
With the help of organizations like YYChain and people like Terry Ross, Calgary is well on its way to becoming the Silicon Valley of the North.
About YYChain YYChain Innovation Association (YYChain) is a not-for-profit organization run by industry, legal, academic and policy leaders who are passionate about the opportunity for Calgary to lead in the strategic development and utilization of blockchain technologies. YYChain is committed to working with its members to achieve the following objectives: • Economic development activities that support the blockchain sector • Educating and mentoring individuals about the basics of blockchain technology • Providing support for emerging projects and researchers • Networking Alberta stakeholders with an interest in blockchain technology Innovation \\ 13
EDUCATION Have a Great 2018/19 School Year.
“
“Enjoy every moment. Find your people. Find your passion. Use this time to explore who you are. And I always recommend
getting
involved in debate class or club.” 14 // Community Now!
”
The Importance
of Picking the
“Right”
Schooling for Our Children And How to Do It
A
Diane Swiatek, Founder of Banbury Crossroads School
ll roads lead to Rome, as the old saying goes. In like manner, all of life’s experiences educate us. We learn from every experience, all through our lives. It is important to realize this, because it highlights that life, itself, is designed for learning. This may be somewhat reassuring for us parents, as September rolls around and we confront the myriad of schools available for our children. Even so, how do we choose between all of our options?
Schools are merely collaborative efforts by adults in any culture to specifically help children learn about the world around them. That is what schools are for. Just as all of those roads that lead to Rome will show a great deal of variance, all of those schools will show a great deal of variance too. The literal roads will be of varying length and smoothness and terrain. Some may be efficient, flat and easy. Some may take so long that we wish we had never started our journey. Some roads may (continued on next page) Education \\ 15
“
Children’s social connections with their peers also affect their ability to focus on their learning activities.
(continued from page 15...) lead to unexpected places along the way, both pleasant and unpleasant. In a literal sense, we first choose our path, and as we go along it, we keep assessing whether or not it is to our liking; if it is not, we change direction and take another path. But the roads all go to Rome, one way or another. In terms of choosing a route to educate our children, every choice, from conventional schooling to alternative schooling to home schooling to unschooling, will indeed educate our children, each one in a different way. It all depends upon what we want for our children, and what they need. The importance associated with our choices arises because every choice is part of a causeand-effect paradigm. So, we need to predict the possible outcomes of each potential choice of schooling, in order to be responsibly able to make that choice. Parents have this power and this responsibility. So, what is at stake for children, if we choose to send our child through a school’s doors? Much: their level of accomplishment, happiness, social connection, personal empowerment and experience of the real world. All children are different. Yet, their ability to learn will be translated into actual accomplishment dependent upon many factors. The social connections between 16 // Community Now!
”
children and their teachers have enormous significance for the learning outcomes of those children. The passion and interest teachers feel for their subjects, and the opportunities they present for children to construct their own meaning around new information, are both crucial elements in the learning that results. So, too, are the amount and quality of experiential learning and hands-on materials offered to enhance children’s exploration. The real-world connections teachers offer children to make their inquiries and learning relevant to their lives will also make a real difference. The creativity and sensitivity teachers incorporate into their attitudes towards outof-the-box thinking will affect children’s inclinations towards innovation and eventual entrepreneurism. The way teachers handle issues, both academic and social, will be a living model of their approach to rational thinking, logical and moral reasoning and principled behavior. The respect children encounter from adults will translate into the respect they show those adults in return. In general, the emotional atmosphere fostered within a school will be perceived immediately by children. When teachers naturally exhibit a non-anxious presence, they are best able to elicit
comfortable learning behaviour in children— and the reverse is true, too. Children’s social connections with their peers also affect their ability to focus on their learning activities. In this regard, teachers play an important role, because they are the moderators for children’s interactions. The period of childhood that is lived in schools—from 3 to 18—is rife with conflicts, misunderstandings and other communication errors. Their prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until they are in their mid-twenties, and this means that children will encounter difficulties with predicting consequences, moderating emotions, planning, and rationally thinking through problems. Adults are there for them to introduce those elements to their thinking. Children have a lot to learn when it comes to social behaviour. They need to communicate openly, analyse problems in depth, read faces (and this is hard, even for teens) and moderate their wishes to accommodate those of others. They need to learn that they are important, and so is everyone else. Teachers who are available to discuss these continual encounters will contribute to their learning. If they are not available, through large class sizes, situational roadblocks or lack of interest, then children are left to themselves to work out their conundrums. In those situations, such as on playgrounds with little personal supervision or intervention, a Lord of the Flies result cannot be unexpected. In addition, the more decision-making children are allowed will translate into their development of more self-responsibility, confidence and resiliency. Any school will create lifelong effects upon its students, each one mirroring itself. All children are different. Some parents want to homeschool their children, or follow an unschooling model. These parents either cannot find a school that fits their philosophy of child rearing, or they simply prefer to do it
themselves. Homeschooling and unschooling parents take on the same responsibility that schools do, and their effect upon their children rest on the same principles—the quality of their social interactions, their interest and engagement in the concepts being learned, their thinking style, their connections with the outside community—indeed, everything that matters in teachers and in schools. The good thing is that each choice need only last for one year, or less, if we parents feel desperate when seeing the daily results. But herein lies the first hint of how to make that choice—we can familiarize ourselves with how each school operates, its educational atmosphere, its attitude towards the rearing of children, and its results in all aspects. This involves reviewing the school’s website, social media and printed material, participating in an interview and information session, going on a tour of the facilities when in operation, and, if possible, speaking with several parents of current students. In some cases, schools will allow for a try-out period, which can be illuminating. We can ask for that. Most of all, our exploration process necessitates becoming clear about our own philosophical expectations and goals for our particular children, in all their diversity, especially taking account of their specific emotional, intellectual, creative, physical, and social needs. It is important to seek congruency between our approach to life within our homes and the approach to life taken within the school. Then, we need to monitor our children’s reactions during the year, so that we may make a change during the following school term, if we need to. It’s simple. And yet, it is the most significant decision we can make in our children’s lives. And it’s never completely “right”. Still, we need to remember that all educational roads lead to learning, one way or another. Life is complex as well as simple. Education \\ 17
Calling all Dreamers… There are two types of beliefs that discourage girls from pursuing STEM at an early age: a) negative stereotypes about their intellectual abilities, and b) stereotypes about the people who work in STEM careers as being ‘nerdy or socially awkward’. Quote courtesy of http://theconversation.com/heres-how-to-encourage-more-girls-to-pursue-science-and-math-careers-98229
I
remember sitting at a special dinner and my grandparents were there (on my mother’s side). My grandpa, who was an immigrant from England, was a man who everyone admired. He was a principal, a war vet and someone who people respected, and he would always say to me, “Jill you are from outer space”. I guess it was my wacky ideas and how I liked to look at things differently that made me sometimes “different”? Teenage girls want to fit in, not feel different. It can often be a long journey trying to understand the world and find other dreamers like you. It is sometimes difficult to fit in to the “norm” of what society places on 18 // Community Now!
us, especially the gender expectations. I wish I had could’ve been part of a STEAM Team growing up. The STEAM Team at Heloise Lorimer School in Airdrie creates a place to explore and unleash the creative dreamers in all of us, and allows for those who love to learn and explore. The STEAM lab is a safe place to explore ourselves and find solutions to problems that face society. The STEAM Team has so many unique members, that each member can provide something special to the team. The STEAM Team needs dreamers and students who are not afraid to be themselves… and one of our goals is to help students stand up and love themselves.
On August 29th and 30th Heloise Lorimer School in Airdrie and an ED Tech Team hosted a summit to help teachers think about infusing more technology into our classrooms for our students, “Generation Z”. “Our students are the first real digital natives born into a world with computers, smartphones and tablets. The problem is they are tech dependent but not tech savvy, and we must teach them the ways in which they can amplify their learning using the tools of technology”. Holly Clark is the co-author of the Google Infused Classroom. She lives and works in San Diego, California. She delivers professional development to schools internationally and speaks at conferences about empowering teachers and students with iPads and Google Apps for Education.
What was unique about this experience for me, was that five STEAM Team members helped me to present at the summit. It was great because the students were learning together with some of their teachers. When students are a part of the Professional Development in schools, something magical can happen. The STEAM Team members are so good at learning. They are not afraid of something new, and these STEAM team members can help teach us teachers how to learn better. Some members of the STEAM Team did not hesitate to come and volunteer their last days of summer to help teach teachers to learn how to infuse their classrooms with technology at the Ed Tech Summit. The STEAM students explained their favourite robot or tool in our session called, “so you hear coding is important to teach”. In the STEAM lab, when we have a Design Challenge, students are asked to find a solution to a problem by building something with technology. It helps when the STEAM team can guide their peers to learning new ways to code or use the technology efficiently. Teachers from Tsuu T’ina Education came to our session “so you hear coding is important to teach” to learn more about where to start with technology in their schools. They were blown away by the knowledge from the STEAM Team. A lot of the gap in learning about the technology they say comes down to funds available for a school board and a school. Administrators must see the value in having access to technology available to students. Talking with the teachers from Tsuu T’ina Education, we see the value in finding a way to connect their students to our students. This is not only to learn about coding and Design Thinking, but also to have a unique experience to share and grow from each other. Our community is beyond the borders of a city. “Alone, we can do so little: Together we can do so MUCH” Helen Keller. If you are in any way able to help connect these schools together, especially funding, we would greatly appreciate any help with this. In the next few months we are going to work on connecting our schools together to have an opportunity to learn from each other. (continued on next page) Education \\ 19
Introducing a few of the dreamers of The STEAM TEAM, each member provides skills that make the team thrive. (continued from page 19...)
Alex Designer
Alex joined us at the first Girls in Tech session N o v e m b e r 2016. She was in Grade 3 at the time (November 2016). What really inspired me about this girl is she took each challenge and really reflected on the whole process. For example, Alex wanted to make her paper airplane fly as far as she could, using paper, glue and popsicle sticks. She discussed each time she made a new addition to her airplane why it improved her design. Seeing how her brain worked – at such a young age – blew my mind. I knew she was something special! She didn’t just jump in and create, she thought about her choices. She then went on to teach the school about how to make the best paper airplanes, teaching kids from Ks to 7s. I choose her, one of 4, to do the STEAM Challenge at Rundle College in March 2018 because she has such unique ideas to address any challenge. “I like STEAM because you let your imagination run free and you can make whatever you want and all you need is patience. Another thing I love about STEAM is not everything will work and you would always need a plan A and a plan B. there are so many possibilities but you just can’t make up a plan because you just don’t know how to start. What you do in STEAM. is my favorite thing, you turn total trash into treasure!” Alex Steffler Grade 5 20 // Community Now!
Maddie The Go Getter Maddie is an original member of the STEAM Team. She was at the first meeting (November 2016). Maddie loves to think of new design challenges. Maddie, Sabrina and Natalie were the brains behind the most popular STEAM challenge last year, The Brain Challenge. This challenge, students were challenged to find out the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Maddie loves to take charge and teach. She loves to organize the stations and make sure everything runs smoothly. This does not come without drama. One of the main issues of the STEAM TEAM is that we have a lot of leaders, so often there are disagreements. Maddie, wearing her heart on her sleeve, often finds it is hard to work alongside her peers, however these girls always persevere and figure out a way to make everyone happy. So, the STEAM TEAM is not just about creating and designing – it’s about how do we learn to listen to each other. “I like STEAM because I love teaching! I have been in STEAM for two years now. I love coming up with ideas for challenges and I like helping students with solving problems when they need help. I love making things and building unique things out of recyclables. Coding is the best part, because it is so fun to learn about robots and new technology. Robots are so fun to teach coding with. Dash is my favorite robot. I’m excited to learn more about new robots this year and teach young kids how to code”. Maddie Quirk Grade 5
Ammalee Miss Reliable The STEAM Team cannot run without people like Ammalee. Ammalee is a girl who wants to make people happy and always finds ways to make things run smoothly. She is someone who epitomizes what integrity should look like. We always joke, saying that I owe her millions, because she has been the back bone of the STEAM Team this year. Her gentle nature allows for people to come to her with ease and not feel intimated. She is always cleaning up after students, mopping the floor, whatever grunt work needed. She also loves helping with the STEAM design challenge videos. Acting or editing whatever is needed to make it successful. Ammalee is a girl who we all can depend on no matter what. “STEAM is a program for teaching kids in grades K-6 about coding and controlling robots, engineering new things and believing in the impossible. When my school first opened my STEAM coach Mrs. Quirk gathered some students to be part of the program, sadly I wasn’t able to join until later in the year. This program has inspired me to be a teacher when im older, and help kids of all ages. I would recommend STEAM to all kids because is helped me build new friendships, learn new things and teach kids. In STEAM we do a new challenge each month, so my challenge to you is to encourage your teachers to put this program into your school”. Ammalee Grade 6
Talia Tech Warrior Talia is a girl who wants to be challenged. She is mature - beyond her years. A lot of the STEAM girls look to her for help and encouragement. She is someone who can learn technology so quickly as shown in her ability to edit the STEAM Team videos. She wants to be challenged. So, at a “Girls in Tech” workshop in March, Talia was asked to be the videographer for the Girls in Tech video Rocky View Schools was making. She filmed it using a high-tech camera, edited the video on Imovie and published in on the Rocky View website. Talia was in grade 5 at the time. Talia also offers help to teachers to help them create cool green screen videos for their students. One of the Grade 2 highlights last year was seeing their puppet shows come to life and then published on YouTube all possible because of Talia and her technology skills. “I’m in STEAM because it’s really fun and we get to learn how to code and teach other classes in the school. It is a great opportunity to learn new things. I got into photography and videography for STEAM and I film and edit most of the videos we do in STEAM. We have gone to Telus Spark for STEAM to present and it was amazing. We get to teach adults about STEAM and how fun it is. I want to learn more about STEAM and hopefully continue coding and learn to do cool things in STEAM”. Talia Smith now Grade 6 (continued on next page) Education \\ 21
(continued from page 21...)
Keira – Coding Enthusiast
Rayne – Master Builder Rayne is another original member of the STEAM Team. She loves making things extra interesting with adding locked boxes and coming up with extra riddles. Rayne is a very creative girl, so she always thinks of new ways of presenting information. I love how she made a locked box where students literally were in a box and had to find all the riddles to get out of the box. Her space themed escape box was a hit and made our Spring Space Challenge engaging and fun. “My name is Rayne and I am a Grade 7 student and part of the STEAM team at Heloise Lorimer School. I like doing STEAM because of all the exciting energy. Everyone gets so into things, and it makes everything exciting. Another reason is because of all the things we learn. All the coding, playing with the robots and designing our own things. STEAM helps girls empower themselves and get into an industry that is lacking in women. I love STEAM and enjoy trying new things every day”. Rayne Grade 7 22 // Community Now!
Keira’s strength is a remarkable quiet leadership. She finds a way to reach in such a special way. She is also not afraid to be extremely silly and make people laugh. For example, she likes to be our STEAM mascot Cookie Monster. A lot of STEAM’s success is because it is not your typical robot club. We are so much more because of girls like Keira. She mastered coding with the Dot and Dash and seems to enjoy teaching little kids about how to code. “I joined STEAM in 2016 because I wanted to show people that girls can make great engineers, most girls are intimidated by boys when it comes to engineering and science. It all started when we went to a girls in tech meeting, soon enough, we sparked an idea, what if we made a STEAM team? We promoted girls to join the team. The word STEAM stands for: science, technology engineering, art and math. Our little team grew larger and larger we were invited to Telus Spark, the Rocky View Center, and more! We presented our ideas and challenges, we had a lot of fun! (So did the adults.) At our school, we all make monthly challenges, challenging the younger grades to use their imagination and the world around them. Our challenges included, making a colony and a garden on mars, coding challenges, and virtual reality games and lessons. My favourite part of the STEAM team is seeing the joy on the kids faces as they walk in the room and seeing all the robots and technology. I enjoy leading kids and teaching them new things. Our STEAM team has run into issues, like kids not agreeing, too many members, and timelines, but in the end, we overcome them all. My hope is that with our leadership, that girls can change the world and make new and great Inventions”. Keira Grade 7
EVERYBODY IS A
GENIUS.
FISH BUT IF YOU JUDGE A
BY ITS ABILITY TO
CLIMB A TREE,
IT WILL LIVE ITS
WHOLE LIFE
BELIEVING THAT IT IS
STUPID Albert Einstein
Education \\ 23
COMMUNITY
24 // Community Now!
Investment in
YOUR
Community! by Tracy Beairsto
Y
ou might be wondering what I am meaning by this title – but the fact is, each and every one of us each has an opportunity to play the role of investor in all areas of our lives, including our community.
Vibrant, safe and caring communities rely upon many different types of organizations to thrive and grow. As was pointed out in Issue One of Community Now! magazine, non-profits are important to the “richness” of our communities. When most hear the word “investing”, though, most think of the stock market or real estate. You can invest your financial resources in for-profit public companies through the stock market, for example, but you can also invest by buying shares directly in or making loans to a forprofit private startup. Another example gives you the opportunity to invest in via purchase a property to renovate and rent out, with the goal that your hard work will generate an income stream or a capital gain to reward your investment. With these kinds of investments, we have informational resources available that tell us how our investments are doing – some of them formally measured by the minute, such as the TSX reports on trades.
Investments of this type imply “risk” – there is always a chance that what we invest in may not succeed in the way we thought or generate the “returns” we had hoped for and in the time that we had hoped. Returns can take the form of money, opportunity, achievement (such as earning a master’s degree or being promoted to vice-president), love and friendship (yes, we do invest in our relationships), health and well-being (such as lowering your blood pressure through investing in more exercise), spiritual and personal growth (such as having courage to stand up for ourselves) and social capital (helping out at our community association, running for public office, organizing block parties, volunteering at charities or helping out our friends who may need a hand with moving, for example).
(continued on next page) Community \\ 25
IN
D U CI N O R T G
M AKE R LAB Discover the fun in science, technology, and engineering!
Coming in
September 2018!
(continued from page 25...) The most important investment we can make is that in ourselves – we do this when we take the time, dream of and create new plans for ourselves or spend our dollars to take good care of our bodies, our relationships, our education, our work, our play, our dreams and our ambitions – and the community in which we live. All investments require us to consider a timeframe – this might be what we think we will achieve from today’s investment tomorrow, many months or many years from now. Our expectations as to our “returns,” of course, are impacted by the timeframe involved. Whether we are investing time, financial resources, steps in a plan or imagination and creativity, we should take the time to ask ourselves what we are invested in, why we are invested (i.e. what outcomes do we wish to attain through our efforts), take time to measure how we are doing (we get feedback in as many informal ways as we do formal measurement systems) and what other outcomes may result to those who participate in doing what we do as we become who we want and hope to be! In making your investment choices in your community, remember that non-profits can have investment of financial resources (the most common being donations given to registered charities with income tax receipts received in return) as well as time and talents given by volunteering (also donations but income tax receipts will not be received). I have heard donations of money, in particular, referred to as “treasure” – I find this term now odd – is it used because we don’t give “treasure” when we expect something back, like a “return”? Is it because it seems crass and awkward for those who donate to give money and for charities and non-profits to
be asking for money (seen implicitly as being in a lower societal position because those organizations are asking, having to justify their “begging”)? Why don’t public companies feel embarrassed or somehow look like “less in society” because they are asking for money too? Do the returns have to be monetary to be of “value” then? But isn’t that good feeling we get when we volunteer or give to a charitable and community cause important to us also a “return”? Isn’t that something to also be treasured? While this may not be a return to our pocketbook, we will get a return to our hands for satisfaction of a job well done and to our hearts for knowing that we made a difference and contributed to positive impact in our own way. So, as you take stock of your goals and activities today, take stock of the investments you have made (that may be where the phrase “taking stock” has come from) whether they are through your financial investment plan, your educational and spiritual self-growth plan, your exercise and nutrition plan, or your plan for how you are going to give forward! (I don’t say give back, because that implies we always need to give having to repay something as an obligation instead of a heartfelt choice and so many people get caught up in the game of determining whether or not they have
gotten enough today and got enough first to give something back). Giving forward means we have the chance to make an investment of our own choosing, right now, today and assumes that we are have enough resources available to give in a meaningful way – your time and my time are as precious to ourselves individually as that time is collectively – it is the same with our unique talents and our wills to get out and do something, just as it is with our dollars! So today, remember to be more purposely mindful of all of your investments, don’t risk more than you can afford to lose, of course, but remember that you can make daily choices (or not!) to make prudent investments in yourself, your friends and family, and your community. Make that investment in yourself by giving your time, talent, passion and dollars in community organizations that can benefit from your showing up at their door, ready to invest in them. My Challenge to you this month is to make an investment in your community, in your own way... tell us how? How much in time or money or value of skills you gave was given? Is it a short-term investment in timeframe or part of a larger plan? How did you measure the success of your investment? publisher@communitynowmagazine.com
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SOMETIMES MOMS ARE THE ONES WHO NEED TO BE TAKEN CARE OF.
H elp m a k e su re th a t e ve r y mom has t he s u pp ort t h a t she ne ed s. M a d eB y Mo mma. o rg
LET’S ENGAGE, EDUCATE AND CELEBRATE COMMUNITY TOGETHER.
MENTAL HEALTH DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE!
COME AND BUILD AWARENESS, NETWORK AND RAISE MONEY FOR A GREAT CAUSE.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018, at 6pm - 8pm Craft Beer Market Calgary 345 10 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0A5
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IT’S NOT MENTAL HEALTH. IT’S BRAIN HEALTH.
A NEW CONCEPTUALIZATION OF MENTAL HEALTH.
By Peter Lafontaine
K
now anyone who is hyperactive or has problems learning in traditional classroom-style training? Know anyone who has become addicted to drugs, alcohol, gaming, gambling or is unmotivated, struggles with getting or keeping a job, has an eating disorder, has become abusive or has become estranged from their families?
30 // Community Now!
If you do and or it is you, you’re not alone. In this short article, I hope to provide a new perspective on what is happening in the human brain and society; facts about the brain, mental health and what you can do about it. My sources are evidence-based research, clinical and client impressions; for a combination of research and practical application. Innovation in Brain Health is critically important, and it is often said to be at the beginning of this new frontier. When I suggested you are not alone, here are some facts: • Currently, in Canada, the economic burden of mental illness is estimated at $51 billion per year. • This includes health care costs, lost productivity and reductions in quality of life. 1 in 2 people suffers at some point from Anxiety, Excessive Worry, Depression or Sleeplessness. • The largest percentage of the population goes undiagnosed and without treatment. This can lead to anxiety, worry, insomnia, irritability, anger, depression, abuse, divorce, isolation, substance abuse, job loss, crime, incarceration, and suicide; all burdening our families, community and current systems like our first responders, clinics, jails, hospitals, etc. • And this just isn't only a Canadian thing. It exists all over the world and North America is at epidemic levels. Like I said, you are not alone. Our current health care system of waiting until you feel broken and then we’ll fix it, cannot even begin to keep up with the need. It is not sufficiently sustainable, affordable or accessible. Recent research
indicates that substance abuse clinics and treatment centers have high relapse rates and indicate low levels of long term success. So, what can we do about it? Start by understanding it. In our opinion, humans are an evolving social animal made up of inter-connected systems including how we connect. We develop our IQ, as well as our physical intelligence, mental intelligence, emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence. (Check out work by Cindy Wigglesworth.) What we now know about the human brain suggests a great deal of what we call psychological or mental health disorders are actually brain variations; including OCD, Anxiety, ADHD, Depression, Bipolar Disorder. There
are
genetic,
inherited
pre-wired
conditions originating in the brain They are often accelerated, not generated by learned behavior, stress and trauma. Additionally, these conditions are often accompanied by a very smart, competent, creative and sensitive brain. Most importantly, these disorders are often very treatable, despite being inherited and genetic. We can see these disorders manifested in the brain. OCD, Anxiety, ADHD and Depression may be better viewed as on a continuum of symptoms rather than as discrete diagnoses; e.g. along a continuum from a touch of OCD to mild to moderate to severe OCD. Rather than OCD or no OCD. Many people appear to carry these brain tendencies to varying degrees. We often refer to them as our personality. But much of it is the Brain. And that’s good news because we can impact and change the brain. (continued on next page) Community \\ 31
(continued from page 31...) Due to the traditional perspective that these are “psychological" disorders in origin, we have often only approached them as a parenting issue or a personal failure. This generates stigma. Yet it’s not Mental Health. It’s Brain Health. Anxiety, OCD, ADHD, Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Addiction are medical illnesses that have medical, psychological, cognitive, behavioral and relationship impact and solutions. Most healthcare systems wait until conditions become extreme before treatment is mobilized. If most people have some distress over their lifetime and if these brain disorders are on a continuum from “A touch of it” to “Disorder" (think anxiety, obsessiveness, depression, procrastination, lack of motivation). We can’t keep waiting until mental health problems become extreme. We can’t afford to keep thinking of mental health as psychological, rather than biological and brain oriented. Parents, children, teachers, professors, psychologists, physicians, first responders and the military all need the same education. We all need sufficient understanding of the brain and it’s trip-wires to symptoms in order to sufficiently recognize developing disorders in ourselves, the people we work with and those we love. As a community, we need to recognize them at any stage of suffering prediction, prevention, and intervention. 32 // Community Now!
A first responder or veteran should not take his own life because of a lack of knowledge of what is happening to him, what treatment options exist and before we realize he was suffering. And she should not go into her training without sufficiently understanding the brain so she can recognize problems before they even develop in herself and others . A child should not drop out of school in grade 10 due to undiagnosed ADHD, boredom and academic failure or die of alcoholism or drug addiction at age 15 or 35 or 55. A sensitive University student with undiagnosed OCD, perfectionism and straight A’s should not crash and burn in University due to burn out and never fulfill their promise. Anxiety, OCD, ADHD, Depression and Addiction are often discernable and therefore predictable far before they become extreme, if we teach and understand the brain. So, we all need to understand it. Not just professionals with 20 years of experience. Not after the symptoms are already compromising quality of life. But starting as children with ongoing therapeutic education, throughout our lives. It’s visible to the trained eye, so we all need a trained eye. That’s why we are creating Online Therapeutic Education on the Brain and it’s Impact on Psychological Disorders. If we continue to treat Mental Illness like we do, with individual clinicians, medication, and therapy there is no way we can train enough people and have services accessible to everyone, including the largely ignored disadvantage populations such as our indigenous communities. Economically the costs are prohibitive and yet it is critical that we address this if we are going to lift our impoverished, have a strong middle class and have strong sustainable healthy communities. (continued on next page)
(continued from page 32...)
Here’s the formula: Technology, Therapeutic Education and Good Habits for All. The keys to this are very practical and available to all of us at very low relative cost, especially when you consider the alternatives. We are currently working to bring this all together on one Internet site. Stay tuned on this.
Know your own brain, Know the brains around you. Currently, you have to hunt around a bit but you can get a profile of your brain. We are working on a comprehensive online assessment.
Nutrition and Exercise. It is estimated that 50% of brain health is related to nutrition and exercise. Sugar is not a good brain food, Juice is not a vegetable regardless of whether it counts as a green serving on Canada’s Food Guide. Look into it. Juice for your children at breakfast, lunch and before bed is not a good idea! Canned fruits and vegetables are often loaded with sugars and preservatives. Learn to read labels. We probably don’t need to say much about alcohol that you don’t already know. Moderation anyone? By the way, water is almost free and very good for you! Finding an exercise that motivates you is key; One that involves, strength, flexibility, balance and accelerated heart rate, on an ongoing basis. Walking and biking fit the bill for all 4 of these goals. Enjoy the outside. Build it into your day. Put it in your calendar. Find a partner to support you. Aim for 30 mins a day. Don’t be afraid to change up the routine.. Walk to the bus or transit and save a ton on parking and gas. Get off the bus two stops early if you want to ramp up your walk. 34 // Community Now!
Medication and supplements are crucial for many people. Don’t be afraid to look into all your options. Gather information from a wide number of sources, over time. Non-pharmaceutical interventions are available like targeted magnetic stimulation, homeopathic remedies to calm the brains to reach homeostasis (a naturally chemically working brain). The newer field of CBD may hold promise, for some.
Cognitive Learning. Self-talk and the development of new neural pathways through Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). There is endless resources online in the form of videos (Youtube), games, books, and manuals. You might want to find a therapist or psychologist to guide you, as well.
Emotional Learning. Kindness, empathy boundaries, courage, apologizing, forgiveness and grief management are all learnable and best of all tend to become a reward in and of themselves. These are crucial skills in life and we should be teaching young people throughout their education with increasing levels of depth and complexity. This might be a good time to talk about ScreenTime for kids. We are learning so much about the application development companies and
their focus on what makes people stay connected to their app without regard for what is healthy or not. Limit screen time, a lot of advisors say take the phones and tablets out of their bedrooms at night. Many adults can take a lesson from this. Does the news make you anxious? It is meant to.
Personal Purpose career, gifts, and passion. Notice that when you do something you love, time flies by? You might not have the perfect job but it is very important to understand what you like and what you are good at. I often ask at the Rainforestab.ca meetings, “what is your personal superpower, what can you teach others about that power”, their eyes light up and their excitement grows. Work on discovering the things you love. Think about working or volunteering in that space. Pitch in on a neighbour’s project. Your brain will love you for it.
Community and Friendships. The Bluezone, is a study that looked at longevity, healthiness, and happiness in key zones around the world, where people live the longest. They discovered that financial wealth was not at the core, nor was a corporate success. In fact, purpose, community, and friendships were the common factor. Retirement does not exist in their vocabulary. Every job was viewed as respectful and purposeful. Young and old are mixed in homes and communities. They did not shuffle elderly into containment centers. Everyone pitched in. Know your community, get involved, pitch in, you might be surprised where you will find new friends with common interests and that are willing to challenge you in a friendly way. Or just be a great friend! (continued on next page)
References and Useful Sites. • World Health, Mental Health Statistics Around the World ourworldindata.org/mental-health • Centre for Addition and Mental Health www.camh.ca/en/driving-change/thecrisis-is-real/mental-health-statistics • Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/whenyour-adult-child-breaks-your-heart/201705/ mental-health-awareness-month www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/themoment-youth/201403/does-nature-makeus-happy. • Aspinall Foundation blog.aspinallfoundation.org/why-doesnature-make-us-happy. • WebMd www.webmd.com/mental-health/mentalillness-basics#1 • American Psychological Association, Roots of Mental Illness www.apa.org/monitor/2012/06/roots.aspx • Brain & Behavior Research Foundation www.bbrfoundation.org/healthy-minds-tv www.pbs.org/video/obsessive-compulsivedisorder-o06mx9/ • Bluezones www.bluezones.com/ • Contemplative Life Org contemplativelife.org/practice/sq-spiritualintelligence/spirit/environmental-practices)
Community \\ 35
(continued from page 35...)
Faith, Spiritual Intelligence, Meditation. Faith and spirituality are deeply complex areas of life. There have been increasing writings on Physical Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Mental Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence (Cindy Wigglesworth). As a “Catholic in Recovery”, I have found particular comfort in these writings and in quantum science where particles that we have yet to understand, race in and around the universe. There are so many ways to explore your own sense of faith or spirituality. There is a crucial principle that connecting human beings emotionally and intelligently, knowing that if we work together and have respect and love for one another, we and our communities become stronger. Getting up early each day with enough time to meditate or pray from the heart can produce positive results, even asking for things is good. Look into it. Be true to yourself. Community churches can be wonderful places, for many. The contention is that this is a key component to a healthy brain, no matter where you find your sense of peace. 36 // Community Now!
Nature. Here’s a quote, “There are three main things that make people happy: close relationships, a job or past-time that you love and helping others. On the other hand, money and material things do not have a lot to do with happiness. There are many studies about how interaction with nature makes us happy. Enjoying actives, sitting quietly, or watching nature is described be people as their happy place, more than anything else. More green spaces, even indoor plants can help. One study that looked at what makes people happy: https://blog.aspinallfoundation.org/whydoes-nature-make-us-happy. Search “what makes people happy”. Enjoy. That’s all I have for now. I hope we have clarified a new perspective of mental health to some degree and given you a bit of path to follow. Stay tuned for our website further articles that will bring this all together. We look forward to your feedback and thoughts. Peter Lafontaine Social Good Interloper Rainforstab.ca, Host of lunch without lunch. Peter.lafontaine@winhelix.com
Just Breathe!
H
ow many times have you found
yourself completely stressed out and someone told you to “just breathe”?
What was your initial reaction? Did you want to tell them to just back off or maybe you just wanted to lash out and scream at them? This is all too common. We are often being told to just breathe, but we aren’t even sure what that means and we are so stressed we really don’t care. We think of breathing as an auto function, but when we are in a stressful situation it’s like our brain forgets how to breathe properly as it sends all of its energy to our fight or flight responses. If you read last months article you would have learned some tapping techniques that will help bring down the immediate crisis stress to a manageable level. Now, your brain has been given the calming sensation that it needs and you can look at your breathing. It’s one thing to breathe under normal conditions but it’s another thing when we are stressed. So what is the difference? Normally our breathing comes naturally and relaxed. Our brain works in a sort of cruise control type of mode where it knows how to draw the air in, how much air to draw in, how long to hold it in the lungs and how to release it with ease. That isn’t the case when we are stressed. When we are stressed there is the tendency for our bodies to take short shallow breaths. Sometimes we take them in rapids succession resulting in hyperventilation, while other times we take in the breath, but forget to release the air as if we are holding on to the “life-giving energy” that oxygen provides.
To breathe consciously and get the necessary oxygen to By Adette Lacerte your brain Traditional Life Coach you can Nine and Three Quarters Coaching follow these steps. First, take a moment or two to become aware of your current breathing pattern. Second, count how many seconds you are currently breathing in. Third, as you begin to exhale start counting and exhale for one second longer than you inhaled. Your exhale should be slow and drawn out. Continue this process until you have found a rhythm to your breathing. If possible, extend the inhale and the exhale each by one second longer. Your breathing should become more rhythmic and you will find your stress and anxiety levels will also decrease. Gradually work to be able to take in long deep inhales with slow marked exhales. As you become practiced in this breathing technique you can say to yourself, “I breathe in good healing/calming energy and I breathe out all negative energy”. It is through this process you will be able to get a healthy amount of oxygen to your brain to give it what it needs to function and get you safely through your stress and anxiety crisis. Breathe consciously and carry on, you got this!
When someone tells you to breathe it is important to reframe the words for yourself. Instead of hearing “just breathe” reframe it to “breathe consciously”. So, what does that mean? Breathing consciously means that you are aware of your breath and that you are breathing in a meaningful way. Community \\ 37
BUSINESS
WHAT’S POSSIBLE WITH SOPHIA When I first started my business, I never
in the room. Now, ever since that day,
thought I would become a leader of any
when people ask me “What have you
sort. But, little by little, people would
accomplished?” or “What is something you
follow me and look up to me. People followed
have become?”, I usually say, a leader.
me and looked up to me because I showed them that kids and girls can create products and businesses – called StartUpbySophia - and I talked about it on social media and in public. When I actually realised I was becoming a leader, was when I got my Alberta Science and Technology award. I won the award for a good product and being a good leader for women and girls. People were cheering and were excited for me. I felt joy and support from everyone
What was the good product that I won an award for? Two of them: my decals, which are beautiful and use hooks and loops to grip things, and my Nano Bridge, which prevents chips on windshields from turning into cracks. What is possible? Never think you can’t do something if you haven’t even started. If you have a passion for something and work hard, you can achieve it.
PROF-IT:
Opportunity Search
By Sandra Malach, Sr. Instructor, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary
T
errific business opportunities arise when someone discovers a real solution to a real problem. The problem is not always a difficulty but the possibility for a new business to arise because of the constantly changing and exciting world in which we live. Social changes can give rise to an opportunity. An excellent example was Celestial Scoop Iced Coconut Cream featured in the last issue of Community Now! Magazine. Shawn Gravel, the Co-Owner of Celestial Scoop believed in the concept because he realized there was an unfilled market trend for non-diary, plantbased products. Economic Change, positive or negative can give rise to opportunities. For example, when Revelstoke, B.C. expanded the ski hill, more tourists were attracted to the former railway town. There was a lack of places for skiers to eat and sleep that was solved by entrepreneurs who opened great restaurants and cozy B & B’s. New markets arise every time a new community is built, and residents need handy access to a gas station and milk but also many other community services, such as yoga studios. New markets can also arise from demographic changes like the rising number of senior citizens who require help with many daily chores like housecleaning and driving to the grocery store and doctors’ office. A third way that new markets can arise is by distributing a product or service in a new way. For those of us who have always dreamed about writing a book the difficulty of finding a publisher for
print has been reduced with online platforms. The cell phone is one of the quickest evolving pieces of technology that we own. To alleviate boredom, tons of great video game apps have been developed but the incremental innovation in battery technology continues to allow consumers to have more fun with their phones for more time every day! To sum it up: problems that give rise to business solutions can arise from: Societal Changes and Trends, Positive and Negative Economic Changes, New Markets and Distribution Channels and Incremental or Radical changes in Technology! Take a look around you and see what changes you notice!
Business \\ 39
MACHINE
LEARNING AND
ME
40 // Community Now!
By Scott Pickard
A
s you navigate your daily lives and travel to and from work, to dance practice and the hockey rink, to the mall and the seemingly never-ending errands, you are being tracked. Most, if not all, of your movements are being recorded by cameras, cell towers and other asset sensors you pay no attention to or do not even realize exist. This data is being analyzed and manipulated, dissected and assimilated for many purposes. We live in a world of data aggregation where machine learning is becoming more relevant to our lives and businesses than many people realize. Machine learning are algorithms and data models that learn patterns in data and then use that data to predict similar patterns in data sets. Though machine learning has become a buzz word as of late, like crypto currency, artificial intelligence and marijuana, it is not a new concept and has been around for decades. The difference today is accessibility and the amount of data available, processing power that is more affordable and storage for data is less expensive. The combination of these factors enables machines to predict patterns and provide better information to make decisions. Most of this sophisticated data is tracked in urban centers, however rural communities also benefit from the spins offs and outputs of the manipulation of data. (continued on next page) Business \\ 41
spending, or 40% of the provincial budget. An amazing $2.4M every hour goes to healthcare. Almost every business has a healthcare cost for operations, directly or
(continued from page 41...) Machine learning allows for better management and utilization of resources by using collected data from citizens, connected devices, and other assets to better manage traffic, transportation systems, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals and more. Our local businesses, large or small, are connected to this infrastructure in many ways and the impact has immediate effect on our personal lives and well being. Health care is a big budget item in Alberta, totalling approximately $22.1B of government
indirectly. Hopefully your people in your business are your biggest asset and justify the expense. People are complicated and require a tremendous amount of resources and attention to maximize productivity. Employee costs are often one of the largest line expenses within a business and the costs of employee absenteeism or low productivity are concerns for every business owner. There are many aspects to healthcare, including physical disablement, chronic disease and mental health issues to name a few. There is a ripple effect of poor employee health that has a significant impact on employers of all sizes. Right here in Alberta, there are machine learning projects that are directly impacting healthcare and improving
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patient outcomes. There is research into diagnosing psychological disorders and developing patient specific treatment plans for conditions including ADHD, depression, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Alzheimer’s Disease. There are projects investigating rehabilitation and artificial limbs and how machine learning can assist with customizing and controlling assistive biomedical devices. There is research into cancer detection and augmenting physicians’ decision making around predictions for patients. Machine learning will continue to have an impact on healthcare and either directly, or indirectly, on businesses biggest asset, their people. Expanding product and service offerings as part of this new era of business is very compelling. It allows for growth within current business and for new companies to start to build products for the new economy. The business of data, from machine learning, to artificial intelligence, to smart cities and IoT
are creating massive market opportunities. Business stagnation and old methodologies need to change. It is going to take bold leadership in traditional business to shift strategic plans to integrate with the new opportunities. Experience in navigating the business landscape is critical. The younger generation are in high demand because they understand the technologies to enable these new products and services. It is one thing to have a revolutionary product, but there is no value created until there is execution on commercialization. The new era requires all ages with multiple skills to be successful. Get active in planning for your business. Deliver cost-savings, create more efficient operations and improve utilization of assets and people in your business. Work to improve quality of life, allow citizens to connect and engage with infrastructure in entirely new ways. It is happening all around you whether you decide to actively participate, or not.
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Business \\ 43
THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY Sandra
Josh (Mj)
Tracy
Stacy
Zanika
Adette
Kenzie
Sophia
Scott
Diane
Peter
Les
Jill
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