Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015 by BC Teachers' Federation

NEWSLETTER IN THIS ISSUE

SUMMER/FALL 2015

A Season of Non-Violence: 64 Ways for 64 Days 1 Think Peace 2015

Sanctuary schools: Working toward inclusivity

Teaching democracy with a Social Justice Lens

What’s at stake for women in the next election?

Violence against women and bullying: What is the connection? 12 Bountiful, BC: Heaven on Earth? Not for everyone!

Teachers care about public health care in BC

The Road to a Poverty Free BC

The dire state of BC’s poor and what we can do

Uplifting young voices

Social Justice Beyond the Classroom Conference 2015

Excerpts from “Beyond fearing the savage: Responding to Islamophobia in the classroom”

Rainbow clothes

Steps to making your school trans* and gender inclusive

Interrupting the single story

How can I “help?” Lessons from a global water charity

Flood of Change: Water documentary by Nepalese youth 28 Just eat it!

Eco-literacy in the 21st century: Exploring place- and competencybased learning 30 Embracing labour’s heritage in BC 32 Climate change education in BC: Why are we dragging our heels?

CASJ 35 Peer-led social and environmental justice education 36

A Season of Non-Violence: 64 Ways for 64 Days Excerpt from the book by Pummy Kaur, best-selling author of What Would Gandhi Do? Simple Solutions to Global Problems “Margaret Atwood is right; your work is thought provoking and much needed!” —His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General “This is really wonderful. Pummy Kaur has, in sixty-four down-to-earth yet spiritually uplifting steps, distilled the essence of what it means to be a genuine human being. A Season of Non-Violence is a life-enhancing guide that should be read and consulted every day.” —Dr. Gabor Mate

here are 64 days, and twenty years, between the anniversaries of the assassinations of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. These 64 days, between January 31st and April 4th, are becoming a globally recognized Season of Non-Violence. The violence we witness, or inflict, in the world is a reflection of the violence, and violations, we carry within each of our selves. Certainly there are forms of violence in the non-human world; however, they have not driven the entire life sustaining biosphere of our only Earth to the brink of annihilating all signs of life as we humans need them to be in order for us to continue to be. We can not survive outside of our biosphere, without going to extraordinary lengths to take it with us (E.g., submarines and space vehicles). Our violent ways have put the very existence of our species at great risk. For many, in the modern world, the moment of our birth has become a violent, brutal, and unnatural experience, which began when control of child birthing was viciously wrenched from women during the witch burnings. As children we bear witness to violence, if not the innocent victim of it, through the media, and through the forms of entertainment provided by the adults in our lives. Our schooling institutions (as distinguished from genuine education*) promote competition, and lack of concern for the well being of others, even of our own selves. Most of the current forms of entertainment, communication, and information gathering are not only solitary, but also have greatly contributed to feelings of isolation in modern people. Few business or industries provide goods or services that are truly life affirming or life enhancing. Our political systems are generally adversarial. Many religions promote hatred, fear, intolerance, British Columbia Teachers’ Federation • 100–550 West 6th Avenue • Vancouver, BC V5Z 4P2

exclusion and violence. The continuous denigration of the feminine perpetuates the violence against girls and women. The outdated preference for the masculine continues to encourage the emulation of only masculine values, such as domination. The glorifying of war and violence desensitizes us to the death, destruction, and devastation which they produce in the world, and subsequently in our own psyches. To exacerbate the matter further we have made the fatal error of believing peace is simply an absence of war, and have devoted too much energy to either protesting wars, or promoting wars, in order to stop wars and violence. When, in fact, it is the way that we chose to live every day that is the root cause of all violence, with wars being only a small portion of the violence perpetrated every moment in the human world. It is our insatiable greed, and our addiction to convenience that gives impetus to ruthless men, and occasionally women, to continue to wage wars, make profit and have economic and military control. It is our own internal conflicts that create the external violence we witness, or perpetrate. Few of us are not complicit. Peace entails a great deal more than the absence of war. It means freedom from want of basic survival necessities. It means personal security of body and mind. It means safety for women and children in their homes and lives, day or night, alone or in crowd. It means equity, justice and belonging for all beings. It means no further need for crime, nor further need for the the highly profitable judicial complex created for punishment of crime. It means an abolition of the violent military industrial complex in favour of an altruistic industrial complex of young men and women doing good through non-violence. It means perpetual access to a clean, safe, nurturing biosphere. And, perhaps most of all, it means having good reason to hope for a better world for all Beings. What is offered is the suggestion to focus for 64 days on ways to bring peace into oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own life, for there will be little or no global world peace, until there is peace in the lives, hearts and souls of each of us. This list offers 64 suggestions to contemplate and implement into ones life during the Season of Non-Violence. It was written to honour the two leading non-violent peace activists, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Both assassinated violently!

while increasing your personal peace. There is no prescription mandated. What is asked is that each of us do something to make more peace in our own lives. Regardless of whether each action is taken for a day or for a lifetime, the difference will not be just personal, it will be global, and hopefully permanent. Some of the wisest words of peace ever uttered were by my late maternal grand-mother; however, I expect they hold little of interest to anyone other than me. She would never have been recognized for her contributions to peace. She is one of the millions of unsung peace heroes to whom this book is dedicated. Those who have received the prize, and many of those nominated are eminently deserving of the recognition. None of them began their peace work with the intent of receiving recognition for doing what is right and good. They did what they did because they could do nothing less and still maintain their integrity. May you find here inspiration for what you may wish to do because anything less would be unthinkable for you.

The Global Education Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pummy Kaur has produced a new teaching resource to accompany the best-selling book A Season of Non-Violence: 64 Ways for 64 Days. The poster folds into an 8.5 x 11 lesson aid, containing the 64 ideas for each of the 64 days of the season on the front side. On the reverse side there are many ideas on how to implement the season into the classroom (see pages 3 & 4). The poster and the book are available for $10 and $20 respectively, or $28 for both plus shipping and handling. Contact Pummy Kaur at wwwgdo64@yahoo.ca. For other books and services offered by The Global Education Center visit http://globaledcenter.ca/. Reference Pummy Kaur. A Season of Non-Violence: 64 Ways for 64 Days. (First Choice, 2013).

There is no particular chronology to the suggestions that follow; though each and every one will make a dent in reducing violence, war, and insecurity, 2

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

Think Peace 2015 by Dan Hula, Committee for Action on Social Justice, Peace and Global Education Action Group

eptember 21 is the International Day of Peace. Please consider participating or celebrating peace this year. Here are three resources available for you immediately: 1. The Peace and Global Education (PAGE) Action Group of the Committee for Action on Social Justice (CASJ) has a set of six peace posters for your classroom that can be found with lesson plans on the back. • Respect all life: Respect the life and dignity of each human being without discrimination or prejudice. • Reject violence: Rejecting violence in all its forms: physical, sexual, psychological, economic, and social, in particular toward the most deprived and vulnerable such as children and adolescents. • Share with others: Share my time and material resources in a spirit of generosity to put an end to exclusion, injustice, and political and economic oppression. • Listen to understand: Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, giving preference always to dialogue and listening without engaging in fanaticism, defamation, and the rejection of others. • Preserve the planet: Promote consumer behaviour that is responsible and development practices that respect all forms of life and preserve the balance of nature on the planet. • Rediscover solidarity: Contribute to the development of my community, with the full participation of women and respect for democratic principles, in order to create together new forms of solidarity.

Download or order these free posters today at bctf.ca/ SocialJustice.aspx?id=20254. Other excellent lesson plans from the Peace and Global Education (PAGE) Action Group can be found on the BCTF website at bctf.ca/SocialJustice. aspx?id=20244&libID=20244.

2. Peace is good all year. People still want to wear poppies other than on Remembrance Day. (See how to order or make your own: bit.ly/1Iajh7m) This year wear a white poppy... • to commemorate all victims of war • to mourn the environmental devastation war causes • to reject war as a tool for social change • to call for dialog and peaceful conflict resolution • to show your commitment to building a better future ...because remembering is important, but it isn’t enough. White poppies are a symbol of peace and were originally designed in 1933 for Remembrance Day

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

in the UK by the Co-operative Women’s Guild. The International Day of Peace is also an appropriate time to wear a white poppy. White poppy website— www.members.shaw.ca/ peacepoppies/ White poppy resources for schools— bit.ly/1RHY2y3 To order email us at peacepoppies@shaw.ca and let us know your location and the number of poppies you are interested in, or download this PDF order form (which lists suggested donations): bit.ly/1AJMDtC 3. Global Peace Initiative— globalpeaceproject.net/ or on.fb.me/1AJOjmO “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.” – Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) The event I am planning is a continuation of the World Peace Club initiative I began years ago (except now I have kids old enough to help me with social media). In a nutshell, my goal is to have 1% of the world’s population join this quarterly event within three years. The event itself is simple: take the first two minutes of each equinox and solstice to consciously think about achieving world peace. This can take the form you choose: from just thinking, to singing John Lennon’s “Imagine,” to repeating the universal phrase, “May peace prevail on Earth,” to whatever you like.

This is not affiliated with any church or political party, government or corporation. It is based on various concepts of what thought itself is actually capable of, but what originally caught my attention was a Yoga Journal article my wife showed me. A study was done in the ‘80s in Lebanon that statistically showed a measured decrease in violence as a result of trained meditators being onsite and actively focusing on peace. What if collective thought really makes a difference? We have everything to gain and nothing to lose by finding out. At worst, some people will think more about peace for a while. At best, we could save this planet from our current unpeaceful and unsustainable ways. I have included a couple of links if you want to get more involved, but all I ask is that you let me know (though Facebook “likes” or on Twitter) if you participate, and when that hits 70 million, we all win.

Where? Anywhere you are (office, driving, eating) When? September 23, 2015, 1:22 a.m. P.D.T. December 21, 2015, 8:49 a.m. P.S.T. March 19, 2016, 9:31 p.m. P.D.T. www.globalpeaceproject.net/ www.invincibledefense.org/ www.slideshare.net/sorinelb/hoe-1612496 Thank you for checking this out. If you do participate in this, please share this with your community or network. Reference John L. Davies and Charles N. Alexander. Alleviating political violence through reducing collective tension: Impact assessment analyses of the Lebanon war. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 17(1), 2005, pp 285–338.

Sanctuary schools: Working toward inclusivity for students with precarious immigration status by Nassim Elbardouh, Committee for Action on Social Justice, Antiracism Action Group

“Just the feeling that they might tell me ‘Sorry. No.’ Just a fear of neglect. Because you feel like a nobody in this country. Even like when I went to have my baby here, they put a tag on my arm: ‘Non-Resident.’ And you carry this throughout the hospital … and that’s what it felt like walking through the principal’s door … Will I feel that feeling again? But after she [the principal] smiled, the lady smiled to me and it felt … the fear faded away”

—A non-status mother describing her experience of trying to enrol her daughter in a Toronto school (Sidhu, 2008).

This quote reflects the fear that many families with precarious immigration status endure when they attempt to access basic services such as health care 6

and education. The Committee for Action on Social Justice (CASJ) Antiracism Action Group has been collaborating with Vancouver-based migrant justice organizations such as No One Is Illegal—Coast Salish Territories (NOII) and Sanctuary Health to develop a sanctuary school policy that we hope will alleviate some of the barriers that families with precarious immigration status face when attempting to register their children into public schools. We acknowledge that we undertake this important work on the unceded, shared, and traditional territories of the xʷməθkwəy?əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx?wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl?ílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. I use the terms “precarious status” and “non-status” to refer to anyone with different configurations of

citizenship rights for different periods of time (Golding et al, 2009). For example, a person who has received a deportation order but is appealing it, somebody who has overstayed a work visa, a family with a failed asylum claim but with Canadian-born children, etc. Increasingly regressive Canadian immigration policies (not to mention climate change, military conflicts and occupations, and global poverty and inequality) have resulted in more and more people being forced to live with precarious immigration status. Recent immigration trends reveal that while the numbers of people allowed to work in Canada temporarily is increasing, fewer people are able to gain permanent residency and citizenship. Permanency, stability, and citizenship rights are being replaced with temporariness,

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

precariousness, and reduced rights. Indeed, 2008 was the first year ever that more temporary residents entered Canada than permanent residents. This means that many families who may have Stock vector © Sigal Suhler Moran previously qualified for permanent residency must navigate increasingly difficult this information with immigration pathways to citizenship. Although authorities (“don’t tell”). The Canada claims to be generous DADT policy was formulated after toward immigrants, the facts speak Toronto immigration officials otherwise: Canada accepts less apprehended two non-status than 0.1% of the world’s refugees. children (Kimberly and Gerald The Canada Border Services Lizano-Sossa) from their classrooms Agency (CBSA) deported 12,485 and subsequently deported them people last year alone. and their family members. After a concerted community effort, According to Harsha Walia from the Toronto School Board District NOII, “enforcing flawed and (TSBD) unanimously passed a DADT discriminatory federal immigration policy on May 16, 2007. This policy policy and taking on the role of states “all children who are qualified border agents should not be part to be resident pupils of the Board, of the teaching mandate. Teachers including those who are without are at the forefront of protecting immigration status in Canada, shall the safety, well-being, and futures be entitled to admission to school” of children and youth. This should (TSBD, 2007, sec 3.1). And, that include ensuring and protecting “all children shall be welcomed, access to education for all residents regardless of immigration status, of the province, regardless of their and information about them or their immigration status.” families shall not be shared with Immigration authorities” (TSBD, In February 2014, the BCTF 2007, sec 3.2). Posters that read, Executive Committee approved the “All children living in our community, following motion: including those without immigration “That the BCTF encourage locals to status in Canada, are entitled to work with school boards to adopt a admission in our schools” have ‘sanctuary school’ policy.” been put up in almost 600 Toronto This was inspired by migrant justice schools. groups and students in Toronto requesting all basic public service While British Columbia does not providers to sign on to a don’t have a similarly publicized case, ask don’t tell (DADT) policy. This many families face similar situations policy means that service providers to those in Toronto: they are afraid should not ask to see immigration to send their children to school documentation in the case of basic either because the guardians don’t services (“don’t ask”), and should have status, the children don’t they happen to acquire knowledge have status, or both. In Toronto, of an individual’s immigration the policy was named “don’t ask status, it is not their job to share don’t tell” and in Vancouver we BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

are pushing for the same thing but under the label “sanctuary schools.” An explicit sanctuary school policy that ensures schools will not ask for, or share information with the CBSA, would help to ensure that what happened in Toronto to the LizanoSossa children does not happen here in BC. While the policy is largely preventative in nature, it has also been formulated in response to the fact that families in BC have been denied access to education on the basis of their immigration status. For example, in an exclusive interview in 2014 by David Ball for The Tyee, a non-status father shared the following: “[E]ven though my children were born here and are Canadians… all the different people I talked to when I called different schools, and went in person, said it was necessary to prove my own immigration status when we tried to register for schools here.” When I met with Pedro’s partner (who will remain anonymous for her and her family’s privacy) in 2014, she expressed to me her fear that her accent would prompt school authorities to inquire about her immigration status. While the Vancouver School Board (VSB) eventually admitted her children on a case-by-case basis, a sanctuary school policy would have greatly mitigated the barriers they faced when trying to access the schools in their catchment area. According to Alejandra Bravo Lopez, a founding member of Sanctuary Health, “We need to have a policy in place where the school system champions the principles of Sanctuary City, provides education without proof of status, and creates schools that are free of immigration enforcement authorities. Teachers and school 7

Stock photo © monkeybusinessimages

administrators should feel empowered to create spaces of learning for all and not put in a position of deciding who is deserving of the basic human right to education.” The sanctuary school policy that we have put forward to the Vancouver School Board to consider includes the following directives: 2.1. All children who are qualified to be resident pupils of the board, including those who are without immigration status in Canada, shall be entitled to admission to school. 2.2. All children shall be welcomed, regardless of immigration status, and information about them or their families shall not be shared with immigration authorities. 2.3. Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials and outside immigration authorities shall be strongly discouraged from entering public schools. All public school employees shall be informed of the board’s commitment towards non-cooperation with the CBSA. Instead of asking for immigration documents, school personnel can ask for any documents that have the student’s legal name, date of birth, and current address. There are a number of important reasons to advocate for a sanctuary school policy in your district, however, many of them boil down to simply this: education is a basic human right for all children, regardless of their immigration status. According to Canadian Federal law, all children must attend school at the ages of 4 or 5, and continue to receive an education until the ages of 15 or 16, depending on the province or territory 8

in which the child lives (Canada, 2014). In addition, Canada has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that “all children have the right to a primary education, which should be free” and that “young people should be encouraged to reach the highest level of education of which they are capable” (United Nations, 1989, Article 28, emphasis added). However, while international and federal laws clearly state that all children have a right to be included in education, provincial and local practices have created situations in which certain children—particularly those with precarious immigration status—are excluded from accessing the public education system. In the words of migrant justice advocate Harsha Walia, “children who have trouble enrolling in public schools include undocumented children or even Canadian children whose parents are undocumented. This, despite the fact that these families are residing in and contributing to our communities and economies. All across the US and in municipalities like Toronto, teachers and school boards are passing sanctuary school policies to affirm the role and dignity and rights of undocumented families. I hope that school boards across the province follow suit.” We hope that you consider advocating for a policy that would work toward inclusivity for students with precarious immigration status. There are three simple things you can do to get started in advocating for a sanctuary school policy in your district: 1. Review informational material on the subject. CASJ’s Antiracism Action Group has developed a PowerPoint presentation that you can access at https://bctf.ca/myBCTF/content.aspx?id=36664, and here is an excellent video outlining the DADT movement in Toronto: vimeo.com/7698225 2. Contact local migrant-justice community groups who may wish to join you in advocating for a sanctuary school policy. 3. Speak, along with interested community groups, at your next school board meeting. Let your local teachers’ association know you’ll be doing so. Email us at nelbardouh@bctf.ca or nwai@bctf.ca to request a copy of the PowerPoint and additional materials we used to present at our first meeting with the VSB. Education is a basic human right that should be afforded to all children, regardless of immigration status. Why create unnecessary fear and anxiety when there are other ways to prove residency? There is no reason for schools to ask for, or share, immigration information and many schools do not ask for it. A BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

sanctuary school policy would simply ensure that they don’t. In the words of Alejandra Bravo Lopez, “as we move toward Greater Vancouver becoming a Sanctuary City, we are asking municipal governments, community organizations, and the different sectors to create safer access to services for all based on need rather than status.” We encourage you to advocate for a sanctuary school policy in your district and are happy to offer support to teachers wishing to advocate for a policy that welcomes all children in our schools, regardless of their immigration status. Thank you to Natalie Wai, Harsha Walia, Alejandra Bravo Lopez, and Tom Malleson for their help on this article. Former CASJ Antiracism Action Group members Daniel Shiu and Amar Sull were instrumental in drafting the original motion that was sent to the BCTF. References David Ball. “Vancouver’s Hidden Children.” in Status: Inside Vancouver’s Sanctuary City Movement. The Tyee, Vancouver, 2014. thetyee.ca/News/2014/07/18/VancouverHidden-Children. Accessed on July 18, 2014 Government of Canada. Education: All children in Canada receive an education. 2012. www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/aftereducation.asp. Navjeet Sidhu. The Right to Learn: Access to public education for non-status immigrants. Toronto, ON, Community Social Planning Council of Toronto. 2008 Toronto District School Board (TDSB). Students Without Legal Immigration Status. TDSB, Toronto, ON, 2007. www2.tdsb.on.ca/ ppf/uploads/files/live/98/1555.pdf. Accessed on July 13, 2014 United Nations. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). New York, 1989. www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/ crc.aspx Vancouver School Board (VSB). Student Enrolment Form. Vancouver, BC, 2014. www.vsb.bc.ca/school-registration

Teaching democracy with a Social Justice Lens by Janet Nicol, secondary school teacher in Vancouver

onsider participating in the Teacher Institute for Parliamentary Democracy program. As a Social Justice 12 teacher, this was an opportunity I took in February, travelling to Vancouver Island to join seventeen elementary and secondary teachers from around British Columbia for an intensive, four-day schooling on how government works. I wanted to learn how to teach democracy and use a Social Justice Lens. Our group stayed at a hotel in Victoria’s historic James Bay neighbourhood, within walking distance to the Legislature. In the capable hands of Legislature education outreach staff Karen Aiktens and Jennifer Ives, and with three returning teachers working as facilitators, we listened to a series of one-hour presentations by a panel of MLAs, several civil servants, as well as journalists, educators, and a judge. Most activities took place in various rooms in the Legislature. We also went on “field trips” to the courts, downtown, and Government House where we enjoyed a tasty three-course dinner and a teacher-honouring ceremony conducted by Speaker of the House and Liberal MLA, Linda Reid. Deputy Clerk Kate Ryan-Lloyd started the program with a history lesson, taking us through the evolution of British democracy. When King John signed the Magna Carta on June 19, 1215, at Runnymede (800 years ago this year) he was consenting to legal equality for all. This event can be a starting point for classroom discussions about democracy and social justice. Students may want to consider how Western democracies expect to “transplant” democracy to countries (some ravaged by war) with different traditions and histories. Why and how have Americans departed from our British-based political system—and is their system more democratic? The financial role of parliament has been key to shaping the institution, a point that came to the fore when Gord Enemark, Executive Director of the Treasury Board, presented pie graphs on government revenues and spending. He provided us with excellent materials for classroom study. How are our values and priorities reflected in our tax system and government spending? We learned about the duties of the MLAs and the role of the party “whip,” the MLA who keeps track of attendance, who is especially important during a vote on a bill. Members of the caucus and the media can apply pressure when MLAs are remiss in their duties too. But how effective is the media’s “watchdog” role and other “checks and balances” in our system, both essential to maintaining transparency and accountability in government? A panel, composed of TV and print media journalists, had many perceptive observations. We learned fewer reporters are assigned to cover the Legislature. Having once appeared in the press gallery during important political debates, journalists now only attend question period.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

Another issue MLAs raised was the effectiveness of question period (we had already sat through a lively session in the public gallery, as opposition NDP MLAs and two independents addressed several “hot topics” to the governing Liberals). We heard positive and negative responses from MLAs and journalists to a question well-worth posing to students too: how authentic and impactful is this sparring? Legislature sittings are televised and they are also transcribed in Hansard and posted online. Accessing video clips or print copies reflecting the discussions of MLAs on a social justice issue, would make for an excellent classroom lesson. The role of our Lieutenant Governor, a five-year position currently filled by Judith Guichon, was outlined by Jerymy Brownridge, the Director of Government House. He called the 36 acre residence the “ceremonial house of all British Columbians.” The Queen’s representative is host to many, from student groups to royalty. As Premier Christy Clark is elected to deal with wideranging government business, the Lieutenant Governor is appointed to perform ceremonial duties and “celebrates, inspires, and connects British Columbians” according to Brownridge. The positives and negatives of Canada’s connection to the British monarchy would also make for a good classroom discussion. BC citizens under 35 are less likely to vote, according to Keith Archer, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). He supports removing barriers, as outlined in his presentation, to encourage voter participation. The CEO is also responsible for guarding the integrity of the voting process. Online voting is not currently a “secure” option, Archer contends, though if implemented in the future, would potentially increase voter participation. Students can research more about who participates and who is marginalized at the voting polls. Further, why are there not more women in Canada elected to government?

The MLA panel explained some of the challenges: fundraising, juggling domestic responsibilities, and the necessity of networking. Our group collaborated to create lesson plans on democracy. Some of us infused a social justice component, suggesting students work through the steps of formulating a bill after choosing a topic such as violence against women in BC’s North, the pipeline, and land claims. Currently, a private member’s bill is before the legislature on voter registration of 16-year-olds in BC, so they are “voter-ready” at 18. Members of our group set up a Facebook page (BC For Vote Registry at 16) to support this initiative.

LoweStock/ iStock

A panel of MLAs raised an interesting fact: about twothirds of all bills passed are agreed to unanimously, while just one-third involve debate and dissenting votes. Some opposition MLAs voiced a desire to contribute more to the shaping of government bills. We learned that when locked into an adversarial system, collaboration is not a political option. Those MLAs outside the “ring of power” told us their most satisfying work is among their constituents. Our adversarial parliamentary system, given these criticisms, can make for interesting class discussions and students can research more about other types of governance.

More than half of all countries in the world are democracies. Despite imperfections, an authentic democratic structure presents the best form of government to date—or does it? Posing this question to students—some of whom may have knowledge of a contrasting government system—makes for rich discussion, and more importantly, opens students to a future of critical thinking and democratic participation. For more information about the BC Teacher Institute for Parliamentary Democracy, go to www.leg.bc.ca/. Links on youth and voter participation include apathyisboring.org, civix.ca/democracy-bootcamp, and studentvote.ca.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

What’s at stake for women in the next election? By Donisa Bernardo, Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) Financial Secretary. Reprinted from HEU’s The Guardian

f we’re truly committed to women’s equality, sisters and brothers, we cannot let Stephen Harper continue with his antiwoman agenda.

A century ago, Canadians were still recovering from World War I. Technology was rapidly advancing, but women’s rights were not. In an era of tremendous change, Canadian women weren’t even recognized as legal “persons” until 1929. They lagged behind as marginalized, second-class citizens. But in solidarity, Canadian women organized through the women’s suffrage movement, a national campaign to win voting rights. They demanded and won equality. In 1918, federal legislation gave women, over the age of 21, the right to vote in general election—effective January 1, 1919. However, it wasn’t until 1960 that our First Nations sisters were given the right to vote. Over the decades, women have fought hard to achieve significant gains—socially, economically and politically. But today, after nearly a decade under the Harper Conservatives, those strides have been severely eroded, turning back the clock on women’s equality in substantial ways. Here’s a brief snapshot. After taking office in February 2006, Harper immediately launched a clear assault on women’s rights. He targeted organizations that research, defend, advocate and lobby for women’s equality. Threats of audits on charities, such as women’s non-profit agencies, silenced many stakeholders who feared losing their charitable status, which would undermine their ability to deliver critical services. Further stifling women’s organizing, Harper closed most Status of Women regional offices, and slashed the budgets of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women and the National Association of Women and the Law. He cut back transfers that support health care, education, women’s shelters, welfare, housing and Employment Insurance, and scrubbed plans to establish a national child care program. BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

The Conservatives also abandoned the mandatory long-form census, ending the critical collection of data on women with disabilities and “unpaid work” (domestic duties, volunteering) that’s essential to planning social programs. They eliminated the Court Challenges Program, a valuable funding source for Canadians (mostly women) filing human rights claims; and mounted an attack on unions which has reduced women’s job security, human rights protections, wages, benefits and pensions. Despite ongoing violence against women and girls, Harper dismantled Canada’s long-gun registry— making it easier to acquire firearms, and he hasn’t created a national action strategy to eradicate violence against women. Equally disturbing is how he has steadfastly ignored the demand for a public inquiry into Canada’s missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls. For all these reasons, HEU has endorsed the Up for Debate campaign, calling for a national all-party leaders’ debate on women’s issues during the upcoming election. We owe it to our sisters who paved the way for women’s justice and equality to continue the fight, and I urge our members to vote for women’s equality in this year’s federal election. Donna Bernardo. What’s at stake for women in the next election? The Guardian. V. 33, no. 1. (Spring 2015), pp. 6. The BCTF has endorsed the Up for Debate campaign too. If you have a few moments, please call your MP and let them know about your support of this national debate. It’s in every Canadian’s interest to know where the Federal leaders stand on all kind of issues from discrimination to violence, leadership, employment, sexual harassment, or child care. If you have not yet signed the petition asking for a national debate by party leaders, please sign below: English petition: change.org/upfordebate French petition: change.org/placeaudebat upfordebate.ca 11

Violence against women and bullying: What is the connection? by Pat Kelln, Director, We Can End All Violence Against Women and Andrea Thompson, Children & Youth Services Co-ordinator, BC Society of Transition House

e Can BC (admin@WeCanBC. ca) would love to connect you with an experienced Violence is Preventable/We Can BC facilitator in your community to discuss presenting a free workshop and/ or resources appropriate for your students, staff, or parents. To end violence against women society’s attitudes need to change— including those of children and youth. The BC Society of Transition Houses (BCSTH) recently did a survey that confirms the strong connection between violence in the home and student bullying. BCSTH supports Children Who Witness Abuse (CWWA) and Violence Is Preventable (VIP) programs across BC. These community-based antiviolence prevention and intervention services exist to promote the safety and well-being of children and youth in the context of violence against women (VAW). As you are probably aware, there are wellestablished connections between children’s and youth’s exposure to VAW and their experiences with bullying. Recently, BCSTH conducted a surveyed to explore how CWWA and VIP programs are positioned to address these linkages. Scope and magnitude of the issue Most survey respondents reported that they frequently see bullying behaviours in their program clients (often = 55.6%, sometimes = 40.7%). The most common

behaviours, from the perspective of service providers, in order of frequency were found to be (1) verbal bullying, (2) relational bullying, (3) physical bullying, (4) cyberbullying, (5) threats of bullying, and (6) bullying based on ability. “Children may see the need to be tough themselves in order to be able to take on their mother’s abusers...” —CWWA counsellor

We asked service providers, “What does bullying mean to you within the context of CWWA and VIP programming?” “It is a control issue. If a child is in a violent home, then they have no control, the one place they might feel like they gain some kind of control could be on the playground at school or with their siblings.”

“A young boy that witnessed his father abusing his mother and experienced spiritual abuse himself by his father admitted to cyberbullying others because it made “Bullying is a symptom…” him feel better to not be the one hurting.” “I see that some kids have low self—CWWA counsellor esteem so they allow for people to push them around because then at Children and youth attending least they are being looked at and CWWA programs are victims and/ aren’t invisible.” or perpetrators of bullying on a frequent basis. “In the case of many clients, there “We had a male client (14) who would is a clear correlation between the aggressive behaviour of the child talk about how much he hated his (client) and that of a caregiver, dad’s behaviour of intimidating which I examine with the client.” and name-calling his mom. Mom had advised us that he was bullying “To me bullying means that kids at school and his siblings… When are learning their behaviours at we asked if he’d ever done those home. They learn that screaming, things he said no, [but] he admitted put downs, name-calling is a way of to trying to control his siblings and getting their way.” maybe he might have behaved that way, but didn’t know what else to do. BCSTH has heard from the sector We discussed that his “role model” that adults in their local community (dad) behaved this way and he rarely (42.3%) or only sometimes needed to learn another way.” (42.3%) consider children’s family —CWWA counsellor context or home environment

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

when responding to bullying behaviours. “One of my clients [has] recently become a bully, as her home situation changes all the time. She has witnessed a lot of verbal abuse at home and she is verbally abusing her classmates. She is working on her anger management skills. I am helping her teacher and her mother [in] understanding the impact that violence at home [has] on kids.” —CWWA counsellor “Child who was suspended from school due to bullying behaviour was a victim of domestic violence, by witnessing his father being physical with the mother and also experiencing violence himself. There were other mother’s boyfriends who modeled this behaviour.” —CWWA counsellor

Community-based approaches Many service agencies are utilizing psycho-education and advocacy methods in CWWA and VIP programs around the province. The issue is generally being explored through four avenues: • individual counselling sessions • group sessions, most commonly in school settings • school presentations, to students, parents/caregivers, and teachers • dialogue with and support to parents, school staff, and other community members. “Bullying is as much a piece of the work we do in CWWA and VIP as teaching the topic of abuse is: same [behaviours], dynamics, cycle, goals. Addressing bullying with young children should be a vital piece of the work CWWA and schools do together.” —CWWA counsellor Here are some of the strategies that CWWA counsellors and VIP facilitators are using: • Discuss power and control in adult abusive relationships, which often leads to children making the links to power and control tactics that bullies use in child and youth relationships. • Enhance children’s skills and knowledge to manage emotions, reduce helplessness, increase self-esteem, explore alternative coping strategies, and relate to others without resorting to violence. • Focus on labeling the behaviours rather than labeling the person a bully.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

• Help children to understand how bullying may have been modeled by a caregiver. • Build empathy among young people for both victims and perpetrators of bullying, by increasing understanding of multiple perspectives in the context of witnessing VAW. • Empower children to break the generational cycle of abuse. • Explain to children that witnessing abuse can send children a message that it is okay to be abusive. • Talk about risk and protective factors for the multiple roles that children can play in bullying. • Supply materials to school counsellors. • Link the cycle of violence in VAW with the cycle of violence in bullying. • Debrief and problem solve reallife and hypothetical bullying situations with children. • Cover the topic in a childfriendly, age-appropriate manner with each child attending a program. • Examine the impacts of witnessing VAW, which can indirectly lead the conversation to bullying. • Reinforce the importance of assertiveness on the playground. • Frame bullying behaviours as a way that children and youth are trying to express themselves. • Outline how bullies can be invisible to adults if popular or responsible and challenge adults’ assessments of children’s social situations. • Discuss healthy relationships and communication. • Make the comparison that what children call bullying is similar to what adults call abuse.

“Children and youth understand what we are saying and want to live abuse-free lives. Once they understand their triggers we can teach them how to deal with them effectively.” —CWWA counsellor “The validation of the victim of bullying and talking about ways to protect themselves goes a long way to bring healing into their lives.” —CWWA counsellor Recommendations The importance of prevention and early intervention efforts cannot be overstated. CWWA and VIP programs are uniquely situated to help stop the cycles of violence within schools. Survey respondents were emphatic about the opportunities to educate parents/caregivers, teachers, and school counsellors, and ultimately effect positive change in the lives of children and youth. “We can have an impact on future abuse rates through prevention. When a child learns to communicate assertively they no longer feel the need to use physical force or hurtful words. When a child learns what is healthy and unhealthy in their relationships they will be able to leave them before they feel trapped and if they do end up in an abusive situation they will know how to get help.” —CWWA counsellor From Fernie to Masset to Fort Nelson, CWWA counsellors and VIP facilitators are available in your region to deliver free programming in schools, including We Can BC and other workshop presentations to students and adults, individual counselling, and group sessions. Please contact We Can BC (admin@WeCanBC.ca ) for referral to your local facilitators. “I have a particular client who has become very aggressive, verbally and sometimes physically. She has [endured] a lot of changes in a short period of time. She has been working on anger management and we [discussed] bullying. She is a very smart little person that needs a lot of support and understanding. She feels bad when she bullies her classmates and she [is] working on making better choices every day.” —CWWA counsellor

Bountiful, BC: Heaven on Earth? Not for everyone! by Kristin Quigley, Committee for Action on Social Justice, Status of Women Action Group

s a member of the BCTF Status of Women Action Group, I wish to add my voice to those striving to raise awareness about the plight of the women and children living in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) Mormon community located in Bountiful, BC, near the town of Creston. This article has been challenging to write because their situation, and the blind eye our government is turning on these women and children, is so wrong. Journalist and author Daphne Bramham has conducted extensive research for her book The Secret Lives of Saints, published in 2008. This book offers an insightful exploration of the ramifications of the polygamous marriages practised by members of Bountiful’s FLDS Church community. The research finds that most families are involved in the ongoing pattern of plural marriages and her account illuminates the destructive effects on the lives of many members. Plural marriages put women and girls at risk for different forms of exploitation such as, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and human trafficking. It’s stunning to learn that they are encouraged to break Canadian marriage laws. Further, there are harsh consequences for members who don’t comply with plural and childbride marriages. Women may be afraid to protect their daughters from marriages to the men who lead these communities, particularly as they risk being ostracized. Moreover, the blatantly illegal transportation of “child brides” across the Canada-US border seems to be either accepted or ignored by authorities. These illegal activities, which constitute sexual abuse and human trafficking, have occurred within this BC FLDS community for several decades with few attempts to protect these women and children. In fact, no legal action to date has succeeded. Apparently, we are witnessing British Columbia’s own “homegrown” example of a flagrant abuse of human rights and yet it rarely makes headline news. BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

The Bountiful community has a long history in BC. This group lives adjacent to other communities near Creston and they participate in the local market economy, offering services such as construction, transportation, and manual labor. Unfortunately, women are not encouraged to take part. Girls rarely complete their education to the Grade 12 level. Caring for the home and bearing children take priority. Still, these “religious” schools (Bountiful Elementary Secondary School and/or the Mormon Hills School) receive BC taxpayer funding because of their ability to “prove” that they follow the provincial curriculum. Auspiciously, the board overseeing the approval process for these private schools is made up of individuals appointed by the provincial government. Bountiful has two independent or “private” schools, the Mormon Hills School and the Bountiful Elementary Secondary School (BESS). Both receive public funding from the BC government. Year after year, since the 1980s, these religious schools receive support in excess of one million dollars per annum. Their independent/private school status hinges on their ability to show that they follow the BC Ministry of Education curriculum. However, Daphne Bramham provides evidence that these students are educated in classrooms that fail to deliver standard BC curriculum. It seems that very few of these FLDS Church member students actually complete their Grade 12 education, let alone pursue post-secondary training. As Bountiful’s pupils grow into adulthood, they are offered fewer opportunities than those available to all other BC students. The conditions that exist in their selfsegregated community are accepted since these children never expect to join wider Canadian society. Not ever. How can these schools be accredited and continue to receive funding? As a BC public school teacher, I am appalled. This appears to be a story of abuse and victimization even though it may not be intentional. The religious beliefs upon which this community is founded seem to favour the rights and power of a very few men, such as James Oler, Brandon Blackmore, and Winston Blackmore. Younger men must compete to marry the necessary three wives, so that they can also assure their place in heaven. Since wives are in short supply, young female members, often not yet adults, are transported between Bountiful and a “sister” colony of FLDS Church members living near Salt Lake City, Utah. These methods of achieving the religious goals are accepted among the members. However, many are unable to

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

meet the required marriage quota and they run the risk of being shunned or expelled from the community. Winston Blackmore is a prominent Bountiful citizen and sometimes Pastor. “Plural marriage, celestial marriage is a very basic fundamental part of our written law that was published and laid down by the founding fathers of our church,” Blackmore lectured reporter Clive Jackson in 1990 (Bramham: pg. 222, 2008). In the late summer of 2014, Blackmore was once again charged with violating Canadian laws for practising plural marriages. No one knows for sure, but there is evidence that Blackmore has married more than 20 wives and fathered more than 100 children. Some of his brides were very young, possibly underage. Bramham recounts a specific incident in which Blackmore appears to have publically admitted at a conference in 2005 that he is aware that girls possibly not yet fifteen-years-old have entered into marriage and then engaged in sexual intercourse (Bramham, 2008). This incident is yet another example of an FLDS Church member breaking Canadian laws and not being held accountable. Three other members of Bountiful’s FLDS Church are also charged with polygamy and/or child trafficking for sexual purposes. Another article written by Daphne Bramham, from The Vancouver Sun on February 28, 2015, states that Blackmore recently petitioned the BC court to dismiss his criminal charge of polygamy based on the previous legal action that occurred in 2008. On May 1 of this year, the province reopened the case because of new police evidence collected from a ranch in Texas, as well as constitutional certainty following a 2011 BC Supreme Court decision that confirmed polygamy violated the Criminal Code. Perhaps, this future legal battle could be an opportunity to begin to address this ongoing abuse of human rights for many living in Bountiful and possibly result in changes that improve the lives of all its members.

Teachers care about public health care in BC by Shanee Prasad, Committee for Action on Social Justice, Peace and Global Education Action Group, and Trina Moulin, secondary school teacher in Burnaby And, we want our students to care about public health care, too. Here is why:

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A CBC television series “The Greatest Canadian” was created to determine who could be considered the greatest Canadian of all time. The year was 2004, and the winner was Tommy Douglas because he made public health care a national institution. He, like all public servants, advocated on behalf of others, especially for veterans returning from the war and their families who needed support. The 91-year-old British veteran and author Harry Smith eloquently explains this need while sipping a pint: www.youtube.com/watch?v=huWBcsQS2vE

As teachers in BC’s public education system anxiously await a third decision from the BC Supreme Court, we understand what’s at stake. Public health care, like public education, depends upon necessary resources so that everyone in society can have equitable access to shared benefits and freedoms. It is our shared understanding that each member of society can live with dignity and build a bright future for themselves and those they care about. After a busy week at school, Trina and I have met for a coffee to discuss why the assurance of a public health care system is so important for both of us personally, and how this issue intersects into our classrooms. Here are some excerpts from our dialogue:

Shanee

Trina

• With universal public health care, if any of my students were to become hurt or ill, I am assured that their families would not have to carry the burden and pain alone. • A vibrant public health care system means that more people can find meaningful work. With that knowledge, it means that my students seeking future employment have good options in their future to consider and work toward. • As a new teacher, I came into this profession during its longest labour dispute. I recognized how important stability was for my students, as well as for my colleagues and myself. The only way to achieve this stability is to restore the previous collective agreement and implement adequate funding. The same can be said for public health care. If it is properly funded, both health care workers and patients will benefit from better physical and mental health.

• I fear that, like the money in BC that subsidizes private education, a private health care system would further deteriorate an already struggling public health care system. I want things to improve, so that the gap between those who have means and those who do not doesn’t grow any further. • Having taught for 20 years, it’s apparent that my students (as I did) consider themselves invincible to a certain extent. You don’t realize you need a social security net until the need arises. A society, rich with experiences and knowledgeable of its history, should plan ahead for its citizens. • A phrase repeated at our last Representative Assembly for the BC Teachers’ Federation was, “Our budget reflects our values.” I believe this to be true for all British Columbians and Canadians, and not just teachers. When we look to government budgets (our tax dollars at work), we want to see a reflection of our values and of ourselves.

We are front line workers for our students. We hope the best for their educational experiences and their futures. Therefore, we intimately understand why it’s important that the voice of public health care workers advocating on behalf of all of us be heard, respected, actively supported, and implemented into public policy. We don’t just come to this shared understanding as fellow workers, but as their current and future patients.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

The Road to a Poverty Free BC: Connecting Communities for Upstream Action

The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) is pleased to support the Road to a Poverty-Free BC tour happening from May–June 2015. The intent is to listen to stories from across BC and report out the results of the tour in the fall of 2015. Please check out the links and dates the tour is in your area. Hearing stories from across BC are important as we work toward a poverty reduction plan in BC: bcpovertyreduction.ca/poverty-free-bc/ The Road to a Poverty-Free BC: Connecting Communities for Upstream Action is a series of workshops where local community members can share their knowledge and strengthen their ability to work for meaningful change. The workshops can also set the stage for a dialogue between communities in BC.

Everyone welcome! • people living in poverty and their allies • service providers, community organizations, or others who work directly with those in poverty • anyone who wants to make meaningful change!

Kelowna September 17, 2015—Details coming soon! Co-hosted with Canadian Federation of University Women Nanaimo and Abbotsford Fall 2015—Details coming soon! Trish Garner Community Organizer BC Poverty Reduction Coalition trish@bcpovertyreduction.ca 604-801-5121, ext. 241

Lunch will be provided and other supports to attend are available on request. The current schedule of events is below (check the website for more events and details as they are added and confirmed). Please contact Trish at trish@ bcpovertyreduction.ca if you wish to offer support for the tour in your town. Offers could include billeting, names of community groups that could be invited, putting a poster up in your school, etc.

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Trish Garner will facilitate a community workshop on storytelling and effective advocacy, providing an opportunity to

strategize about how we can work together to make systemic change in tackling poverty. These events are part of a provincewide tour. Come and hear success stories, learn practical skills, and connect with other communities around BC.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

The dire state of BC’s poor and what we can do By Bhearni McAleer, Committee for Action on Social Justice, Antipoverty Action Group

ow is it that our country, which counts itself as a first world country, has such appalling levels of poverty? And BC is in dire straits on its own. The statistics from www. bcpovertyreduction.ca state that over half a million British Columbians live below the poverty line. Poverty is a gloomy reality in BC. For example, just take a walk along a downtown street in Vancouver and see the multi-million dollar high rises juxtaposed with a homeless person on the street playing the guitar for a few coins. This scene shouldn’t exist in BC, or anywhere else in Canada, for that matter. Here is a link to First Call Coalition’s 2014 Child Poverty Report Card: bit.ly/1FjQgEB Poverty is pervasive, not only in urban settings, but in the rural ones, too. In rural Vancouver Island North, where I’m from, poverty is not as stark as it is in the big cities, where people walk the streets with their life’s belonging shoved into garbage bags in a grocery cart. It is hidden, or at the most, subtle. At my secondary school in rural Port McNeill, we initiated a breakfast program several years ago. We would like to think that this service is for students who just don’t eat before they come to school, (we are a district school, so many of our students have a bus or ferry to catch) but for a number of them, this breakfast holds them together for a larger part of the day. Yes, some of them simply don’t bother to pack a lunch, but others have nothing to bring to school. They don’t want to tell us that Mom

or Dad is waiting for a pay cheque or welfare stipend in order to buy groceries.

• provide universal child care • support training and education • enhance community health care.

I have a daughter and little granddaughter living on disability funds; a second baby is due this fall. It is a struggle for her to get by each month. She is lucky because she has some programs and family to help her out. I cannot imagine what it is like for a single mom and kids with few outside support structures. Services that we take for granted, like dental care, are a matter where she has to decide to get her teeth looked after or use the $60 to access a service for groceries.

It is a decided anomaly that while those parents on social assistance are given subsidies for child care, these subsidies are not sufficient to cover the actual costs. How can they get an education or a job? It is often hard to access health resources when living in poverty. For example, many minimum-wage workers and people living on social assistance do not get the dental care they need because of the costs that are incurred.

It is important that teachers include the issue of poverty in our classrooms. The future leaders of this province need to know that the growing number of poor is a troubling situation that needs caring, compassionate, and decisive citizens to help eradicate it. We need to let our students know what they can do to help with this social crisis. We need to give our students opportunities to learn about what it is like to live in poverty. We need to teach our students the steps to take to encourage various levels of government to increase funding for the poor, so that they can become viable members of society. BC Poverty Reduction Coalition (bcpovertyreduction.ca) is a group that has encapsulated the needs of the poor with solutions that would cost taxpayers less in the long run: • raise income assistance rates • raise the minimum wage • improve food security • build more social housing

It is difficult to find affordable housing. Families in need spend most of their monthly stipends for rent. They often have to wait a year or longer to get into BC Housing units. It is interesting to note that it costs taxpayers 8 to 9 billion dollars per year to deal with poverty, but it would only cost 4 to 5 billion dollars per year to put a poverty reduction program into place (www.policyalternatives.ca/ costofpovertybc). Right now, the incredible measures taken by various poverty groups help to give the poor resources to survive. Why not give them a leg up to economic freedom? I would like to see this stain on our progress as a civilized society discussed more frequently in the classroom. Please find some resources listed at the end of this article to give you some ideas. Remember, February is Child Poverty Awareness Poverty Month!

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

The following motion passed at the BCTF 2015 AGM: “That the BCTF encourage members to recognize every February as Child Poverty Awareness Month and take steps individually and/or as part of their Social Justice network to help eliminate child poverty in BC.” Become more knowledgeable about poverty resources for your classroom. For example, introduce a short story or poem about experiencing life with poverty, or have your students calculate how to feed, clothe, and house a family of four living below the poverty line. There are two BCTF social justice workshops that are available for professional development days: Poverty as a Classroom Issue and Teachers Can Make a Difference for Children Living in Poverty: bit. ly/1IdlXUC Contact Ashley Gurat at agurat@ bctf.ca for information on booking Professional and Social Issues workshops.

2012 Poverty and Education Survey— www.bctf.ca/PovertyResearch.aspx Some resources for your classes: Poverty lesson plans— Data and resources— www.bcpovertyreduction.ca Vancouver living wage— livingwageforfamilies.ca/ Links to poverty lessons/ resources for elementary and secondary students— http://bit.ly/1KEgF1W bit.ly/1FsaHxp bit.ly/1MhRTG3 bit.ly/1FSg4bM Resource for students Grades 5–8—bit.ly/1HJ4JZG Book appropriate for Social Justice 12 students or teachers— bit.ly/1cwgKsI There are so many novels that have poverty as one of their central themes. Here are a few that look interesting. Make some part of your

reading plans! Novels are for ages 12–18: The Truth about Us, Janet Gurtler Safekeeping, Karen and Hermann Hesse Unreachable, Katie Leone Trash, Andy Mulligan Can’t Get There From Here, Todd Strasser Novels for ages 7–10: Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan The Magic Beads, Susin NielsonFernland Books for ages 4–8: Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen, Dyanne Disalvo Lily and the Paper Man, Rebecca Upjohn There are a lot of materials out there. I’ve just given you a miniscule “assortment” of possibilities. Poverty is alive and growing in our province. Take steps to educate our students to help defeat poverty!

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If you have used some resources/novels on the theme of poverty that you’d like to suggest, email me at bmcaleer67@gmail.com and I will see that they are posted on the BCTF Antiprovery Action Group web page. Also, if you would like me to research resources/information for you, let me know!

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

Uplifting young voices by Maisaloon Al-Ashkar, former Social Justice 12 student in Burnaby

“No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them. Nobody is going to teach you your true history, teach you your true heroes, if they know that that knowledge will help set you free.”—Assata Shakur

s a displaced Palestinian and a Muslim woman of colour, dominant Western discourses devalue the cultural knowledge, worldview, and well-being of the communities I identify with. Legal systems, institutions, and mainstream media uphold oppressive ideals that allow for the endurance of such colonial hegemony. I graduated from secondary school a year ago, and as I reflect on that journey with the awareness I have now, I realize that even the education I received in the public school system generally perpetuated these structural injustices—with the exception of a particular class that triggered this insight. My textbooks overflowed with colonizers and patriarchs portrayed as heroes, yet there was no sight of people who looked like me or represented my lived experiences. I rarely learned about the indigenous communities on whose unceded Coast Salish Territories I live and learn. I even became part of the problem, as I was another youth who got sucked into the glamourized idea of “changing the world.” Even though I thought I was moving forward long-lasting, positive change, the opportunities for involvement that I was exposed to and absorbed by were charityoriented. In social justice class, however, my oblivious little world was shattered—in the best way possible. I have always loved learning and being in school, but my education felt particularly personal, relevant, and transformative in that class. For once, I learned about diverse activists and local change-makers that I could identify with. My hyperbolic ideals about leadership and activism—which reflected the colonial, capitalist, oppressive standards I was accustomed to—were finally tossed out the window. I developed the vocabulary and thought process for conceptualizing social and environmental justice, through which I was encouraged to think critically, challenge institutions, and re-evaluate my own preconceived notions. As a person who identifies with racialized and marginalized communities, the topics addressed were reflective of my lived experienced, providing me with an insightful 20

lens through which I now see the world and my role in it. It is the class that sparked my activism journey and paved the way for discovering my passions, realizing my potential as a young activist, learning how to effectively mobilize my aptitudes for the common good, and gaining a greater appreciation for my purpose. My parents immigrated to Canada in hopes that their children would have a better education; I believe their hopes were fulfilled by the awareness, empowerment, and voice I acquired through social justice class. This would not have been possible without the teacher activist who cultivated a safe space for me to thrive and exemplified the concepts of social and environmental justice he taught passionately. Aside from social justice class, Assata Shakur’s words hold true within my overall personal experience of the public school system. I remain optimistic for a near future in which this reality is holistically acknowledged and meaningfully deconstructed, where decolonized anti-oppression education is representative of and accessible to all youth, and through which social justice is a valued mandatory subject that each student can carry beyond the classroom. Through this necessary shift, the public school system can encourage critical minds, nurture compassionate hearts, and dismantle the roots of systemically embedded forms of oppression.

Social Justice Beyond the Classroom Conference 2015 by Maisaloon Al-Ashkar, former Socials Justice 12 student in Burnaby, and Daniel Tetrault, secondary school teacher in Burnaby

ver 300 students attended the annual Social Justice Beyond the Classroom conference in Burnaby on April 9, 2015. Thanks to support from a BCTF social justice grant, the Burnaby Teachers’ Association, the Burnaby School District, and CUPE, it was a success once again! The Social Justice 12 course has grown in popularity in Burnaby and now runs in almost every school. This conference engages students by giving them an opportunity to explore social and environmental justice, develop an aptitude for activism, and connect with fellow youth. Not only social justice students, but students from across Burnaby secondary schools experienced a fun day of interactive learning by attending various workshops of their choice. The event encompassed a wide-range of topics and speakers, including Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Mayor Derek Corrigan, Omar Khadr’s lawyer Dennis Edney, and indigenous hip hop artist JB the First Lady. The day concluded with an uplifting slam poem by Jacqueline Lee-Tam accompanying a musical chant led by Vanessa

Richards. The space illuminated as students stood and joined together in singing “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For,” making beautifully loud and clear the voice of youth!

Vanessa Richards leads a workshop where students learned and sang 20th century freedom songs.

The conference ended with students standing fists in the air singing together “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For” led by community activist/artist Vanessa Richards.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

by Dr. Özlem Sensoy, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education Associate Faculty, Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, SFU

What Is Islamophobia?

slamophobia is a form of religious and cultural intolerance of Islam and Muslims. “While this might serve as a useful shorthand definition, the actual meaning of the term is more complicated. Some scholars have argued that the phenomenon the term tries to capture is less a phobia (or “fear”) and more a cultural intolerance, a rejection that is rooted in race and ethnicity more than religion (Modood, 2003).” “In order to be responsive to dynamics of Islamophobia related to religion manifesting in the classroom, educators can take action, including: • Treat students from nations associated with the Middle East with as much cultural specificity as possible, remembering that students may be of Middle East background and also be white, of color, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheist, bilingual, multilingual, middle-class, working-class, more secular than orthodox, veiled or not, and so on. • Use the confusion that

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Excerpts from “Beyond fearing the savage: Responding to Islamophobia in the classroom”

undoubtedly emerges from a developing study of Middle East/ Arab/Islam as an entry point for exploring how “confusion” itself can often be the first step to understanding complexity. Students must be prepared to engage with the complexities of identity. One fruitful entry point might be to use a curriculum such as Scarves of Many Colors (Bigelow et al., 2000) to help understand how a cultural practice that on the surface is seemingly simple (such as veiling), is in reality reflective of very complex and culturally situated circumstances tied to Islam but also to other preIslamic religious and nonreligious traditions. • Acknowledging that classroom resources are often underdeveloped, access the many wonderful Web resources that are connected to universitybased Area Studies programs. These outreach centers, initially developed during the Cold War, have resulted in rigorously reviewed, academically sound materials developed by

university scholars for schools. The Middle East Outreach Council (www.meoc. us/) is the U.S.-based national network of regional outreach centers. Their Web materials are terrific resources. Additionally, Saudi Aramco World (www.saudiaramcoworld.com) makes the materials of their cultural magazine available online and is great professional development reading (on topics such as the history of Islam in China, contemporary architecture in Jordan, the history of Arabian horses, music, food, and culture, and many other topics). The Web site also includes virtual walking tours and other materials that can be used as curriculum with students.” “For educators who want to respond in constructive ways to Islamophobia in their classrooms and schools, the work is difficult, complicated, and in many ways a political minefield. However, from a social justice perspective, to know about inequality is not enough (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2012). We must act on that knowledge. The classroom is not now nor has it ever been a neutral space. School has always been a site of ideological struggle; the end of legal segregation and residential schooling, the inclusion of greater diversity and the voices of absent histories, and the reintroduction of missing contributions by marginalized communities are necessary means to expose how political and value-driven public schooling is. Just as schools are places where social injustices are reinforced and normalized, they are also places where the seeds of social transformation are planted and nurtured.” Reference: Özlem Sensoy. Beyond fearing the savage: Responding to Islamophobia in the classroom. In E.W. Ross (Ed). The Social Studies Curriculum: Purposes, Problems, and Possibilities, 4th edition (NY: SUNY Press, 2014) pp. 289-312.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

iStock. by Getty Images

Rainbow clothes

by Richard Pesik, Committee for Action on Social Justice, Environmental Justice Action Group

love to wear colours. Not just the ordinary ones, but bright and sometimes shocking ones, and in various combinations. One of the main reasons that I do it is to break the “shades of grey and black” that many of us are unable to divorce ourselves from. It has to do both with my European heritage and my rebellious way of thinking. But breaking the “shades of grey and black” is not easy. Many people cannot understand my deviating from norms dictated to us by others’ perception of what is acceptable or normal. As artists express themselves through their art, I feel that we should be able to do the same, not only by our behaviour, but by what we wear without being perceived as being different.

or feminine. This may create problems for some people. For example, my son who figure skates is perceived by some of his classmates as not masculine enough because he does not play hockey. Figure skating is labeled by many as a feminine sport, whereas hockey is thought to be masculine. There were times when he wanted to stop skating. Then he decided to continue and to complete his dream to one day represent us on the international scene. He still has a long way to go. To accomplish it he not only needs the understanding and support of his classmates, but from adults as well.

My everyday clothes reflect my love of colours. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues and sometimes students, cannot understand this. Not that long ago, one of my colleagues said to me, “So, finally you came out.” On another occasion a student said, “I hate gays.” Sometimes I get strange looks when I’m in public. All those assumptions are based strictly on the perception of what I wear. I feel that the expression of masculinity or femininity should not be based on cultural norms that prescribe what the correct clothes for either sex are. This misconception becomes even more visible if somebody breaks these norms. In addition, labeling is not only based on what people wear, but many times on their activities that may deviate from peoples’ perception of what is masculine BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

Free-spiritedness sometimes creates problems for individuals. This leads to bullying and labeling that may have grave consequences. We must understand that not only LGBTQ+ people and their friends go through numerous kinds of discrimination or bullying, but others who do not fit the norms our society prescribes often experience these things as well. I love colors and, although it sometimes hurts not being understood, I will never stop loving them. I believe that breaking norms is important for the development of an all-inclusive society and I will continue to do so.

Steps to making your school trans* and gender inclusive by David Butler, Committee for Action on Social Justice, LGBTQ Action Group

here is a very powerful scene in the new Amazon Primetime series “Transparent” (winner of two Golden Globe awards in 2015) where a trans* person and her two daughters enter a public washroom. Another person inside verbally harasses them as soon as they enter (trans* is the preferred term by the transgender community). To avoid further confrontation, the trans* person leaves. In the next scene we see her dying to pee and pulling over at a vacant construction site so she can run to the portable toilet. This is a situation that many trans* people know well. Of trans* people surveyed on Vancouver Island, 62% said they avoided using public segregated washrooms out of fear of being verbally or physically harassed (Vancouver Island Transgender Needs Assessment, 2011). The Ministry of Education’s mission statement indicates that its purpose is “to enable all learners to develop their individual potential.” Trans* and gender expansive students face significant barriers to reaching their full potential because of systemic non-inclusive practices of schools/school systems. Such practices can result in learning spaces that are very unsafe for some. Bathrooms especially are potential landmines of harassment and violence. We have a duty to create a safe school environment for all students. Toward this end, here are some straightforward changes you can implement to make your school more gender inclusive and equitable.

Bathrooms/change-rooms How do single-stall, non-gendered bathrooms benefit trans* and gender expansive people? • People can enter without fear of harassment or violence. • Health problems related to not going to the washroom for extended periods are avoided. How single-occupancy, nongendered washrooms benefit cisgender (non-trans*) people: • People who prefer privacy have access to the single-occupancy non-gendered stalls as well. • Cisgender people who don’t believe in sex segregation are not forced to participate in it simply because they need to use the bathroom. What teachers can do to make school safer for trans* and gender variant students: • If your school has a singleoccupancy male and single-occupancy female bathroom, consider making space for others by redesignating each as singleoccupancy open for all. • If you are part of a school community planning a new school construction, push strongly for at least one single occupancy bathroom and change-room. • Avoid referring to a designated washroom as “for trans* people.” Respect trans* peoples’ confidentiality. Make sure the bathroom is for all if it is single-occupancy. • Allow students to change in private if they prefer. Make sure a single-occupancy changeroom is available. Don’t bring attention to students who wish to use these. • Allow students to use gendered bathrooms that match their identity. 24

Other school systemic practices • Stop addressing the class with “okay boys and girls.” Would you start your class with “okay Aboriginals and Caucasians?” Not only would this change in language support any trans* students you may have in class, the shift in language sends a message to students that gender is not the most salient identity for you. • Permit students to play on a gendered sports team that matches their gender identity. • Question any school activity that makes gender a requirement, such as gendered sports. Is it necessary? Whose needs are being served by having the segregated activity? Is separate but equal a model that makes sense in a publicly funded system? • Challenge any put downs that mock a student by suggesting they are a different gender from the one with which they identify. Name it as transphobic put downs and bullying. • Honour the confidentiality of trans* people if they disclose to you. Refer students to the school counsellor if they are seeking specific help. • Honour the student’s wish to be addressed by their preferred gender pronoun and name. Consult about in what situations to use the pronoun/ name (e.g., in all situations, or just in private conversations).

• Consult with student/s when decisions are being made that affect them (e.g., access to a particular change-room, etc.). • Include positive representation in the curriculum of trans* and gender expansive people. • For a Pro-D day, book Creating a Gender Inclusive School Culture, a new free workshop from the BCTF, to help equip teachers with the tools/knowledge to identify and challenge transphobia in their school. Some of these ideas can easily be implemented by you. Some of them take commitment to change and the courage to act. We may not always be up for the challenge to change such deeply embedded school practices. But don’t kid yourself—they are oppressive. Pick your battles, but do something— however small. As educators, we have the responsibility to help make change, particularly when it involves marginalized students who may not be safe in taking the lead themselves.

The BCTF now has two gender neutral bathrooms on our main floor. This was done by simply taking “men” and “women” off the doors and putting “genderneutral” instead.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

Interrupting the single story by Lizzie Midyette, Committee for Action on Social Justice, LGBTQ Action Group

ne of my students wrote this poem (reprinted with enthusiastic permission). The interesting thing about the poem Jessica wrote is that it was not written in response to an assignment; rather Jessica wanted me to read a poem written from a love of writing and selfexpression. Excited to share the creation, Jessica knew that I was an adult who could be trusted. It’s important that Jessica knows that individual perspectives are welcomed, accepted, and celebrated. However, as teachers we need to embrace diversity beyond the appreciation of individual students’ creativity and expression. Infusing curriculum with a variety of voices and perspectives helps to ensure that students see themselves as reflected in their curriculum, that they belong as active participants in their school communities, and are valued and celebrated in our society. Caitlyn L. Ryan in the article “Interrupting the Single Story: LGBT Issues in the Language Arts Classroom” reminds us of the importance of inclusiveness with how we consider and respond to our increasingly

diverse student population. LGBTQ issues don’t have to be taught through separate curriculum. Issues of inclusivity can be about: • critical thinking, about comparing and contrasting experiences. • enhancing the teaching of a specific genre, or teaching a variety of ways to read and think about what we read. • how we teach connections or disconnections to or from text. • how we think as readers. • how we comprehend what we read when it’s different from what we live or when it’s the same as what we live. Teachers should take the time to critically consider each of the curricular resources used in their classrooms, with a view to infusing a wide variety of voices and perspectives into curriculum through the course of the school year. Reflecting the diversity and multiplicity of experiences we as humans have helps all students learn and express themselves confidently, but also addresses the issue of invisibility for those who need advocacy, support, and encouragement to be who they are and go confidently into the world knowing they are not alone. The following motion was passed at the BCTF April 9–11, 2015, Executive Committee meeting: “That the BCTF assist in identifying heteronormative, homophobic, and transphobic materials, develop suggested criteria for identifying such materials, and encourage the Ministry of Education to use those criteria.” Reference: Caitlyn L. Ryan and Jill Hermann-Wilmarth. “Interrupting the single story: LGBT Issues in the Language Arts Class.” In Language Arts, Volume 90 Number 3, January 2014, pp 227–231.

Here is a checklist to help you. Antiheteronormativity/homophobia checklist. Have you considered… • the inclusion of positive, non-stereotypical images regarding sexuality and/or gender? • creating ground rules around roles and responsibilities when dealing with sensitive issues? • the language in the text: is it inclusive? Is it respectful? Is it supportive? • eliminating text that has generic language that assumes individuals always have exclusively male or female partners? • celebrating sexual and gender diversity? • challenging stereotyping? • positive and diverse experiences of LGBTQ people within the materials used in your yearly curriculum? BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

Stock photo © Petar Chernaev

The latch squeaks and groans as I pull it back The rustle of clothing against skin as I Gaze at the scars that decorate my Wrist “Kill yourself fag, you’re sick” they shout They don’t know how it hurts That I am human too! I step up on the seat and pull the rope I say a quick prayer and just……let go. —Jessica, Grade 9

How can I “help?” Lessons from a global water charity by Michelle Macdonald, Wave Makers Program Manager, Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST)

alf of the world’s population lives without access to clean water and basic sanitation. In fact, more people have access to cellphones than to a toilet, making them vulnerable to sickness and disease (Wang, 2013). A child dies every 20 seconds as a result of water-borne diseases, according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Unfortunately, this grim statistic is not surprising given that contaminated drinking water and poor hygiene leads to 90% of diarrhea cases, killing over two million people each year (UNEP, 2010). When confronted with these enormous global challenges, students often ask their teachers, “What can we do to help?” This is an incredibly important question and presents an opportunity for a teachable moment. It’s a chance for students to be taught the complexity of aid, the patterns that have led to successes and failures, and to learn about cross-cultural stereotypes through sharing stories of community development. With this understanding, students can use critical thinking to assess their role as “helpers.” Here are lessons to help turn daunting global statistics into a positive teachable moment:

Lesson 1: Technology is not enough Why is it that for every three hand pumps built in Sub-Saharan Africa, one or more will break down (Voss Foundation, 2009)? Why do lifesaving technologies often get used incorrectly, or not used at all? There are several reasons why projects fail. In many cases it is because projects too often focus only on hardware solutions. Hardware solutions are technologies that improve health, such as hand 26

pumps or household water filters. Technologies should be paired with software solutions. Software solutions are knowledge and skills shared with local people. Technologies require maintenance or repairs, and users of the technology need education and must be included in the project. This builds local capacity to learn how to build and use the technology, regionally source the parts, and receive training on how to repair it. Sharing knowledge and skills means that technology is owned by local people. Therefore, students can be helpful by investing in organizations that build the capacity of local organizations and combine software solutions with the technology they implement. Classroom resource a) The issues of “software” versus “hardware” solutions to development are addressed in a powerful TED talk called “What happens when an NGO admits failure?” The lessons learned in the video demonstrate the dangers of entering a community as an “expert” and leaving without having shared knowledge and skills with the local people. b) Mary Banda: Making Water Knowledge Common Knowledge in Zambia This mini-documentary shares the story of Mary Banda, a Zambian woman who attended a training workshop to learn how unsafe water was making her family sick. Learn how she not only improved her family’s health, but used education to improve the health of thousands of people in her community of Ndola, Zambia.

Lesson 2: Be a partner, not a saviour Youth are told to “be the change.” They are told they BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

are heroes who can “save Africa” when they fundraise for global projects. Motivating youth by leading them to believe that people in developing countries are helpless and need to be saved is an unhealthy and untrue power dichotomy. There are countless people living in developing countries, including youth, doing excellent work to raise awareness and teach people solutions to improve their health. Let’s break down cross-cultural stereotypes by showing Canadian youth that people in developing countries are healthy, capable, inspiring change-makers. It’s okay to share the realities of global poverty, but be sure to show students the whole picture by also sharing stories of community development. You will find that by sharing these stories students will be motivated and can take the role of “partner” instead of “saviour” by supporting the work of local change-makers. Classroom resources Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology’s (CAWST) Youth Wavemakers program uses youth stories to show real work being done by local youth to address water and sanitation issues. Media for these stories is collected by youth in developing countries: a) Kids of Kayele (Grades 8–10) An online game that uses video, photos, trivia, and interactive game play to teach students about current practices and technologies that affect water quality and health. The clues to stay healthy during the game are provided by the Kids of Kayele, a group of youth from a hygiene club in Zambia who collected the photos and

videos contained in the game. b) Flood of Change (secondary school) This documentary is about three youth in Nepal and their movement to take action following a cholera epidemic. Nepalese youth filmed 70% of the final footage and found the words and images to share this story.

Lesson 3: Think critically, act locally Raising awareness about the issues is equally as important as fundraising. If your school chooses to fundraise, be sure to dive deeply into the issues (follow lesson 1 and 2) before deciding which charity you will support. Including awareness-raising is critical because it provides an opportunity to educate the public about approaches to sustainable development. The other option is to not fundraise at all. Instead, use the inspiring stories of community development to reflect on your own community and act locally. This is one big part of what it means to be a global citizen. Classroom resources Virtual Wavemakers Summit Learn about sustainable development, connect with CAWST, partner with local water organizations in your community, and create an action plan to address a water issue of your choosing (open September 1, 2015). Equipping students with an indepth awareness on sustainable development and inspiring them with stories of community development will create changemakers in our own community. When engaged and informed,

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

youth use their passion and energy to take actions that positively address global issues. That’s the best possible outcome from a classroom conversation that begins with seemingly insurmountable global challenges. References UNEP. (2010). Time to Cure Global Tide of Sick Water. www.unep.org. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http:// bit.ly/1H0T2Bt Voss Foundation. (April 21, 2009). Hand pump data, selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Retrieved May 9, 2014 from: http://bit.ly/1JqUD3P Wang, Y. (2013, March 25). More people have cell phones than toilets, U.N. study shows. Time Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2014, from http://ti.me/1cxWWoM

Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) CAWST (www.cawst.org/) is a nonprofit charity based in Calgary, Alberta. Our goal is to provide people with the knowledge and skills they need to access safe drinking water and sanitation. We do this by training organizations around the world that serve populations in need in developing countries. Globally through our water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and locally through our Youth Wavemakers program (wavemakers.cawst.org/), we teach people how to engage, educate, and empower individuals and communities to take action. Michelle Macdonald joined CAWST in 2011 as a Youth Engagement Co-ordinator for the Youth Wavemakers Program and in 2012 she became the Wavemakers Program Manager. Michelle holds an undergraduate degree in International Development Studies, a Bachelors of Education

and a Masters of Education from the University of Calgary. Prior to working as a water educator, Michelle spent three years as a social studies teacher. Through GYVN (Global Youth Volunteer Network), she co-ordinated educational overseas trips for Canadian youth and adults to Bolivia and Guatemala. Michelle is passionate about environmental education and in 2010 published The Trees Grin Beside Me, a children’s picture book and app about the magical connection children have with trees.

Flood of Change: Water documentary by Nepalese youth Grade level: 10–12 Subject area: social studies, science, language arts Resource type: documentary Flood of Change shares the story of three youth in Nepal and their movement to take action around water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) issues. These Nepalese youth filmed 70% of the final footage and found the words and images to share this story. The documentary is a simplified version of the chain of events that led to the creation of Paschim Paaila, a youth network created by the Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) to take action on a diarrhea outbreak that happened in the western region of Nepal in 2009. The outbreak affected over 5,000 individuals and caused more than 464 deaths in 18 districts. In July 2012, the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) supported members of ENPHO and Paschim Paaila to film Flood of Change, with the support of CAWST’s Education Program Developer and a videographer. Over the course of three weeks, the team of Nepalese youth filmed one another to create Flood of Change. The youth in Nepal reviewed the rough cut of the documentary and a later version of the film, to provide feedback and improve the final documentary. Access the film and an accompanying educator’s guide with three lesson plans on our website: www.cawst.org/wavemakers/floodofchange Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) CAWST (www.cawst.org/) is a non-profit charity based in Calgary, Alberta. Our goal is to provide people with the knowledge and skills they need to access safe drinking water and sanitation. We do this by training organizations around the world that serve populations in need in developing countries. Globally through our water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and locally through our Youth Wavemakers program (cawst.org/wavemakers), we teach people how to engage, educate, and empower individuals and communities to take action.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

Just eat it! by Shannon Rerie, Committee for Action on Social Justice, Peace and Global Education Action Group

“The average person is still under the aberrant delusion that food should be somebody else’s responsibility until I’m ready to eat it.” —Joel Salatin, Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World

have a friend who won’t eat meat that contains bones…because it reminds her that she is eating an animal. Simplistically, I think this at the heart of how a lot of people eat food. They would rather not think about where it comes from, how it is treated, or how it affects the world on a global scale. There are dozens of movies being made now to show the cycle of our food, one of the more recent ones that I watched was Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story. These people, to my horror, were eating better and more luxuriously by dumpster diving than I was on my singleparent teacher income. The documentary begins by discussing the fact that 40% of produced food locally is wasted, and one-third of food produced globally is wasted. Based on that information, the premise of the film is that a couple living in Vancouver will try to survive for six months eating only food waste. In the beginning they think this is going to be an incredibly hard venture, and that they won’t eat as well and will probably go hungry. By the end, when they create a gourmet dinner for their friends using only products rescued from dumpsters, they realize they have grown in their food knowledge and that they have eaten very well. One of the facts presented by the film is that fruit waste is

ridiculously high because of the standards to which fruit and vegetables are upheld. Waste numbers are staggering: anywhere from 25% to 70% is the norm for the fruit and vegetable industry. This has changed since times of war, when food waste was abhorrent and was campaigned against in the media. The fruit and vegetable growers try to give as much of their food away to food banks as they can, but the food banks don’t have the capacity or infrastructure to deal with the volumes of waste that they receive. There is a misconception that having more food than one needs is a sign of wealth and caring. When one hosts a dinner party, it is unfathomable to think that you have “just enough” food; you’re expected to have more than is needed. The same applies to restaurants and supermarkets. We levy fines for littering and for failing to recycle, but we don’t levy such fines for food that is discarded or wasted. During International Food Week, from October 12–19, 2015, teachers should take some time to discuss food issues with their classes and to think about food security and solidarity. Where does their food come from? How are workers treated in the food industry? What do we know about our local growers, ranchers, and super markets? There are so many

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

questions that need to be asked about the food industry and there are so many great films out there that can help “pull back the curtain” on the food industry, as Michael Pollen says.

“Without food, man can live at most but a few weeks; without it, all other components of social justice are meaningless.” —Norman Borlaug

Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story. Peg Leg Films. Vancouver, BC, Stranger Productions and Knowledge Network, 2015

Eco-literacy in the 21st century: Exploring place- and competency-based learning by Jonathan Dyck, Vice-President of the Environmental Educators’ Provincial Specialist Association (EEPSA), LTA Social Justice Chair, and secondary school teacher in Langley

re you overwhelmed by the pace of change and the constant barrage of new developments and jargon in the field of education? Caught as we are between new draft curriculum, the BC Education Plan, and technological innovations, it’s easy to lose our connection to our students and our communities (not to mention ourselves). However, the scope and language of 21st Century Learning actually affords us the opportunity to focus on what I believe is essential to education: helping our students to connect more meaningfully to the places they inhabit and develop an ecological literacy. If you judge by social media chatter, Pro-D offerings, and district initiatives, you might get the impression that 21st Century Learning is mostly about technology. While we undoubtedly need to engage with the technological tools that shape the way we learn, think, and teach, 21st Century Learning is about so much more than digital literacy. It involves shifting toward a more learner-centred approach, focusing on competencies, deeper learning,

and big ideas, instead of just facts and methods. Arguably, good teachers have always done this, and it’s hard to disagree with the core competencies identified in the new curriculum: critical, creative, and reflective thinking; personal and social awareness and responsibility; and communication involving language, symbols, and digital literacy. More importantly, there is also a new focus on including Aboriginal perspectives, which is long overdue and acknowledges that traditional ways of learning are superior to the factory model we’ve grown up with. As Gregory Cajete puts it, indigenous approaches to education require an “understanding and appreciation of spirituality as it relates to the Earth and the place in which [we] live.” In other words, 21st Century Learning is much more than just learning about technology: it’s learning about ourselves, our communities, our environment—and helping our students do the same. I have found the lens of place-based learning (PBL) to be particularly useful in defining the core tenets of my practice—a practice that embodies the principles of 21st

Century Learning. PBL is about fostering an awareness of and connection to place: where (and how) we learn and teach is just as important as the content. Place-based learning connects schools and communities and acknowledges the learning that takes place outside of the classroom too; it fosters citizenship skills and environmental stewardship in students. This can involve taking students outside— to explore, to awaken their senses, to study other living beings, to read and discuss poetry in a different setting, etc. However, I also practice PBL when I invite members of the community (e.g., Kwantlen elders, local politicians, entrepreneurs) to come and talk to my students, or when I ask my students to investigate and write/ present about local issues they care about—they even write letters to the local newspapers. These types of activities—which also embody experiential learning—are easily framed within the language of the new core competencies and help us ground our practice in our local context. Students are much more engaged when we give them opportunities to make connections

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

Metro Vancouver Education offers a hub of K–12 resources, teacher workshops, and field trip

opportunities with a focus on sustainability in the classroom and beyond (www.metrovancouver.org). Wild BC is a BC government sponsored education program that provides environmental education (EE) resources, programs, workshops, and partnership opportunities (www.wildbc.org). Environmental Educators’ Provincial Specialist Association (EEPSA) is a BCTF provincial specialist association that provides professional development, networking, curriculum support, and leadership in environmental education (www.eepsa.org). Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS) is a non-profit, partnership-driven organization with the mission of “protecting and restoring the natural environment through education, co-operation and action.” They offer great lesson plans, workshops, and field trip opportunities (www.leps.bc.ca). So where do we go from here? I’m sure you already provide some place-based learning opportunities to your students, and by sharing with each other and collaborating with our colleagues, we can all find inspiration to reinvigorate our teaching practice. Maybe you will find one activity in the links I shared you can include this year. I know I’m looking forward to a new cohort program we’re offering at Langley

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

Education Centre this spring: a colleague of mine will teach EcoTourism (Tourism 12) two mornings a week, while I will be teaching Environmental and Social Issues (Social Justice 12) in the afternoons. On alternating days, we will both take the same group of students on community-based field trips and volunteer experiences, and they will also get credit for Physical and Outdoor Leadership Education (PE 12). This cohort program will be an exercise in interdisciplinary and experiential education, and I hope it will allow us to blend seamlessly place-based education with 21st Century Learning—as our students develop an ecological literacy that equips them to fully engage in the social and environmental issues we face. After all, education works best when students realize that school is actually part of the “real world!” Jonathan completed his M.Ed. in Ecological Education at SFU a few years ago, and is always looking for ways to help his students engage more meaningfully with the place(s) they inhabit. He lives in Langley with his wife and three daughters, who help him stay grounded and connected to his local community. They have been much more placebased doing life without a car for the last two months! You can contact Jonathan at jpdyck@gmail. com or follow him on Twitter at @ langleyteacher.

iStock. by Getty Images

between the curriculum and their lived experience, and PBL can help education become truly transformative. In his “The Best of Both Worlds: Critical Pedagogy of Place,” David Gruenewald makes the connection between PBL and critical pedagogy, and challenges us to “decolonize and reinhabit” the classrooms and communities that anchor our educational endeavours. This understanding of education— one that pays attention to the learning environment and the places/communities we inhabit—is inherently ecological and wellsuited to helping our students develop an environmental ethic. In the context of my work with Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association (EEPSA), my colleagues and I have facilitated several workshops on 21st Century Learning and PBL. We believe that ecological literacy is essential for students to become responsible community members in the 21st century, and we are deeply committed to effective placebased, community-connected inquiry, and experiential learning to facilitate ecological literacy. To that end, we have collaborated with several organizations that provide valuable resources for teachers who want to shift their practice toward more PBL:

Embracing labour’s heritage in BC It’s now possible to discover some of BC’s labour history—on foot.

he BC Labour Heritage Centre is offering three labour history walking tours in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Downtown Vancouver, and a section of the central Downtown area that sits in between. Each tour takes about three hours to complete, but history buffs and energetic walkers can do all three in one day. Feedback on the tours, which cover dozens of significant events in Vancouver’s labour history, has been positive. “People are excited about it and they really enjoy it,” said Labour Heritage Centre Chair Ken Novakowski. “There’s a genuine increasing interest in what happened to get us where we are today. Some of that comes from knowing labour history.” Novakowski, a retired social studies teacher and former BCTF president, is looking forward to leading some of the walking tours himself in 2015. In his mind, one of the most significant stops on the route is the Sinclair Centre at 757 West Hastings Street, the former main post office and site of the Sitdowners Strike of 1938. “Protesters took over the post office and sat down. They wanted to be arrested. They had no jobs, no welfare and the depression was on. At least they’d have something to eat if they went to jail. One Sunday, police moved in with teargas and clubs. It was a very bloody Sunday. What’s remarkable is the people of Vancouver rallied around those involved in the sit down. Most were working people and they understood the effect unemployment was having on the young people,” Novakowski said.

The centre has been busy training new guides to lead the tours. As well, it recently refreshed and reprinted the accompanying booklet Vancouver Labour History Walking Tour that describes the 34 historical stops on the three routes in photos and text. The publication’s renewal was made possible by help from the SFU Labour Studies Department, the Pacific Northwest Labour History Association, and the Vancouver and District Labour Council. Tours can be organized free of charge with a minimum of 6 participants and a maximum of 20. Participants can purchase the 48-page walking tour booklet for $5. Booklets can be borrowed during the tour for free. Down the road, the centre hopes to add an audio/visual component to the walking tours to enable participants to view video vignettes of the historic sites on their personal smartphone or tablet. “We’re hoping we can increase the number of tours we have every year and increase awareness of labour history in Vancouver, which is very extensive and rich,” said Novakowski. Tours can be booked by contacting the Labour Heritage Centre at www.labourheritagecentre.ca or 604-419-0400.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

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Climate change education in BC: Why are we dragging our heels? by Julie Johnston, Committee for Action on Social Justice, Environmental Justice Action Group

reat news! We don’t have to worry about climate change anymore! It has disappeared! At least, that’s what the Ministry of Education’s transformation of curriculum and assessment for elementary grades would have us believe. I ran into a former student recently. During a nice chat, he told me about a film that his secondary school English teacher had shown in class that apparently “proves” climate change is a hoax. Unfortunately, it’s also a movie that I know has been debunked and discredited many times over. As someone who spends a lot of time studying climate change— especially how urgent the problem is—I got a little, shall we say, hot under the collar. “We’re all entitled to our own opinion,” said my student, in defense of the movie. “Ah, yes,” I agreed, “but we’re not entitled to our own facts.” Since then, I’ve been lamenting the sorry state of (official) climate change education in British Columbia—and the level of climate (il)literacy within the BC education system. Even for teachers who “get” climate change, there is a terrible disconnect between what we know and what we teach. In other words, very few of us have stepped up to match what and how we teach to the imminence and magnitude of the climate change emergency.

How can we still be running our schools and teaching our students as though nothing has changed? Is it that we ourselves are climate illiterate? Is it that we have little or no understanding of feedback mechanisms and committed global warming? I believe it’s that the “echo chamber” of manufactured doubt and denial has been so successful, we’re simply ignoring the crisis—hoping it will go away before we have to figure out how to deal with it. I can’t even find climate (let alone climate change) in the proposed new elementary science curriculum. It seems great lengths have been gone to (ahem) in order to avoid using the word “climate.” Kindergarten students will still learn about weather. Students in Grade 4 will learn the rock cycle. In Grade 7, students will learn the big idea that “[f]ossil records provide evidence of geologic and environmental change … The fossil records and geological dating demonstrate the cyclic nature of change on Earth (e.g., ice ages, mass extinctions).” (“Exactly,” I can hear the deniers saying. “The climate has always changed.” Except during the last 10,000 years of global climatic stability, which is when agriculture flourished and we evolved into the fossil fuel addicted, industrial food growers we’ve become.) In Grade 9 science, the new curriculum twists itself into a pretzel to dodge climate change.

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

Students will learn about the carbon cycle: “Carbon moves through the Earth system (including the geosphere) and can sustain (e.g., improve soil for supporting plant growth) or harm (e.g., act as a pollutant) the environment.” They will learn about forms of carbon: “Carbon exists in different forms such as limestone (solid rock), carbon dioxide (gas), and carbonic acid (liquid), and animals (life) within Earth systems. How those forms can be beneficial or harmful to humans [sic].” They will also learn about the nitrogen cycle and the interactions between the lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere: “The impact of human activities on the environment (e.g., deforestation, air pollution, coral reef destruction) can be understood through the analysis of interactions between the four Earth systems.” And not a single mention of the changing climate. Fortunately, the proposed new social studies curriculum comes to the rescue! In the Grade 6 study of world history and geography, students will learn about “human responses to particular challenges and opportunities of climates, landforms, and natural resources in past civilizations and cultures, including at least one indigenous to the Americas”—from the Neolithic era to the 7th century. The following year, during their study of the 7th to the 15th centuries, students will learn that 33

“societies go through dramatic changes during times of crisis (e.g., invasion, disease, climate change).” Finally, climate change. Oh look, kids. We’re fine. We’ve gone through this before. (Except that we haven’t. Fossil fuel burning has changed everything.) So why are we dragging our feet in BC? Speaking of fossil fuels, can you say “Ell Enn Gee?” If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about politicians in Canada, it’s that they don’t like to be seen as hypocrites. So instead of teaching BC’s students about climate change while pushing continued fossil fuel extraction, transport, and burning (that would be hypocritical), the BC government has stumbled upon a convenient way to make climate change go away. The powerful vested interests behind the denial campaign, as well as those who believe we have to “stay positive” (aka, not face reality) in order to “give our children hope” (hope is not an action verb … action is our only hope), have dangerously delayed our global transition to a zero-carbon economy based on perpetual energy sources—an economy that will be safer, cleaner, healthier, more equitable, and more peaceful. The climate change emergency is far worse, far vaster, far faster, and far more urgent than anyone working on curriculum in BC seems to understand (or is willing to admit). So we’re educating a whole generation of students for a future that we’re threatening by not teaching about climate change. It’s a mess. But this crisis is not just about intergenerational equity. Despite 34

the disappearing act here at home, it’s also a case of present-day intragenerational equity. In more vulnerable parts of the world, climate disruption has become one of the greatest social justice issues ever. People around the globe are already losing their lives or their loved ones, their livelihoods, their food security and water sources, their homes, and their entire homelands because of the ravages of climate disruption. If some educators are still spreading misunderstanding about climate change (and the laws of physics), and if the Ministry refuses to teach students about the issue (including, for example, not focusing on climate literacy until Grade 9), how will we graduate students who have any understanding of the climate change emergency and how to deal with it? Solutions? Sure, we should all be lowering our carbon footprints at home and at work, but it’s even more important right now to create political will. It’s a classic catch-22. If we don’t see serious action on climate change from our governments, we figure it’s not an urgent issue. And if they don’t hear from us that we want urgent action, they figure they can get away with not making this issue a (or the) priority at all. Please write those letters — loudly and often. Check out the Climate Action Network (CAN) International 2014 position statement for talking points. Learn about the IPCC AR5 RCP2.6 best-case scenario. (Those are the most important acronyms you’ll ever have to memorize.) And when it comes time to vote, please vote with your students’ future in mind—and heart.

Postscript If while reading this article you found yourself shaking your head, backing away from the information in it, not quite wanting to believe it, know that your response is a natural reaction … and one that you can overcome. But first, we have to allow ourselves to cry and feel very sad about what’s happening. We have to access a deep well of grief and lament before we can take in the enormity of the problem. Next, we have to do our homework, researching the issue while avoiding the denier blogs. Then, and perhaps only then, we can become climate change champions with the courage to help our students create their best possible future. The Environmental Justice Action Group of the BCTF Committee for Action on Social Justice will be rolling out Teaching Green: Integrating Environmental Education into All Classroms at Facilitator’s Institute Training just before Summer Leadership Conference. With a focus on environmental justice, critical thinking, and inquiry-based learning, Teaching Green will help teachers integrate food, water, transportation, resource exploitation and climate change issues into all subjects in gradeappropriate ways.

COMMITTEE FO R

E (CASJ) TIC US

N ON SOCI TIO AL AC J

2015–16 Committee for Action on Social Justice (CASJ) • advises the BCTF on social justice issues • reviews and promotes social justice workshops • liaises with community groups and NGOs • develops policy on emerging issues • reviews and develops materials for classroom teachers • develops and supports networks of social justice contacts in the following action group areas: Antiracism, Antipoverty, Status of Women, LGBTQ, Peace and Global Education, Environmental Justice • co-ordinates the work of the six action groups.

Antiracism Action Group

LGBTQ Action Group

Nassim Elbardouh Sara McGarry Natalie Mah Natalie Wai

Lucie Ferrari Lizzy Midyette Lam Ngo Nichelle Penney

Workshops • Bafa Bafa/Rafa Rafa • Socializing Justice: Taking Action Against Racism • Responding to Racism Through ART and AllyBuilding.

Workshops • Breaking the Silence: Understanding and Acting on LGBTQ Issues in Schools • From Silence to Action: How to Be an Ally on LGBTQ issues • Creating a Gender Inclusive School Culture • Teaching Inclusive, Comprehensive Sexual Health Education in Your Classroom.

Status of Women Action Group Carol Arnold Corie McRae Kristin Quigley Viji Shanmugha Workshops • Assertive Communication Skills • Stamping Out Cyberbullying With Self-Awareness, Self-Discipline, and Empathy • Youth Relationships in a Sexualized World.

Antipoverty Action Group Ryan Cho Bernice McAleer Annie Ohana Sue Spalding Workshops • Poverty as a Classroom Issue • Teachers Can Make a Difference for Children Living in Poverty.

Peace and Global Education Action Group Dan Hula Shanee Prasad Shannon Rerie Deidre Torrence Workshops • Bringing Global Education into the Classroom • Creating Cultures of Peace • Strategies for Discussing Controversial Issues.

Environmental Justice Action Group Susan Ghattas Julie Johnston Jennifer Jury Richard Pesik Workshops • Teaching Green: Integrating Environmental Education into all Classrooms.

Important SJ dates to celebrate Sept 21 UN International Day of Peace Oct 16 World Food Day Nov 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women Dec 10 Human Rights Day

Please note: The BCTF is not responsible for the content or links found on any external website. Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the author.

BC Teachers’ Federation 100–550 West 6th Avenue Vancouver, BC V5Z 4P2

Editor: Susan Ruzic Copy editing: Lauren Donnelly, Ashley Gurat, Michele Hope, Sarah Young Design: Dale Costanzo, Jennifer Sowerby

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015

This newsletter is available online at bctf.ca/SocialJustice.aspx?id=6352 Summer/Fall 2015, PSI15-0004 35

Peer-led social and environmental justice education by Anastasia Gaisenok, Executive Director, Check Your Head: The Youth Global Education Network

ifteen years ago a group of young people came together to create an organization that would focus on educating, empowering, and activating youth to address some of the most pressing issues of their time. Check Your Head was born out of the antiglobalization movement, and got its name from a Beastie Boys song calling for critical examination of the world we live in. Since then we have reached more than 6,000 youths across the province delivering youthfocused education, resources, and training. We utilize antioppression, decolonization, and intersectionality lenses in all our work, and use popular education approaches. Working in partnership with other community groups, we developed a library of workshops on a range of social and environmental issues: • • • • • • • • • • •

Thanks to generous support from BCTF, each school year we are able to deliver a limited number of workshops outside of the Lower Mainland area. They are offered on first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t wait to book! Visit our website for full workshop descriptions and to make your booking: www.checkyourhead.org You can also email us at contact@checkyourhead.org or call 604-685-6631. We are looking forward to presenting in your classroom!

PAGE BC FALL CONFERENCE Eric Hamber Secondary School

5025 Willow Street, Vancouver, BC

Cultivating! Global Leaders

FRIDAY

OCTOBER 8:30 - 3:00

HIGHLIGHTS • KEYNOTE

• PANEL DISCUSSION • NETWORKING • GLOBAL SESSIONS

Registration includes Snacks, Lunch & Membership

Food Justice Media Awareness Income Inequality Health Care Sweatshops Globalization Gender in the Media Climate Justice Migrant Justice Climate Change You(th) and the Media

We also offer custom workshops and training for youth on facilitation, leadership, goal setting, and visioning. 36

The delivery is based on a peer-led model of education, empowering youth to educate other youth and draw on lived experience to relate to the issues that impact their lives.

Please join us for this very special conference as we address ways to cultivate global citizens & leaders in today’s world. For Updated Conference Information and Registration, go to PAGE BC is a BCTF Provincial PAGEBC.CA/Conference.php Specialists’ Association

BCTF Social Justice Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2015