Project Overseas: Unlearning to learn, disconnecting to connect

By Cindy Lister, 2019 BCTF Project Overseas participant and Saanich teacher

It took traveling 11,818 km for me to discover a shared passion and dedication to the teaching vocation. In July 2019, Project Overseas offered Canadian teachers like me an unexpected yet transformative professional development opportunity.

A yellow fever vaccine and the purchase of a mosquito net for my bed were musts on my to-do list. Limited information was available about my destination, Togo, a small country in western Africa. Unlike my home town of Victoria, the capital city, Lomé, and the town of Kpalimé are not considered tourist destinations. I felt there were few ways for me to prepare for such a significant journey. Since all the details of my travel itinerary were organized by the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF), all I needed to do was show up, be fully present, and allow the experience to unfold.

My first stop was Ottawa, where I attended a four-day training session. Meeting my Canadian team was, to say the least, exciting. The four of us knew that a commitment to participate in the workshops was important in preparing us for our upcoming adventure. Building trust in one another and in our team was instrumental, as it would soon become our one and only compass to navigate through our experiences in the Togo culture.

We then headed off to spend three weeks in the cities of Lomé and Kpalimé. Acclimatizing to this new country was a fascinating process. All our senses had to quickly adapt. Smells, sounds, and images were unrecognizable. Focus and concentration were needed to visually process the overwhelming combinations of colours and patterns surrounding us.

From the moment we met, our Togolese colleagues welcomed us with kindness, thoughtfulness, and friendliness. It was inspiring to hear them talk about their dedication to the teaching profession. Through moments of sharing, we engaged in honest dialogue on a variety of topics, including what matters most for us in this important vocation, the challenges we face, and our love for our students and for the communities in which we teach.

Project Overseas is a joint endeavor of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation and its member organizations. The goal of this project is to support overseas partners in providing professional development to teachers. Since 1962, Project Overseas has assisted teacher organizations in over 50 countries in Africa, AsiaPacific, and the Caribbean. The program currently places over 50 volunteers in approximately ten countries every July. In 2019, for the first time since rejoining the CTF in 2016, the BCTF funded four BCTF members to participate in Project Overseas. For more information on how to apply for future projects, visit the BCTF International Solidarity web pages.

Our team’s volunteer commitment in Togo was to facilitate ten days of workshops on several topics, including lesson planning, literacy, numeracy, classroom management, AIDS, young girls in school, and the scientific process. Over 80 elementary and secondary teachers from different regions of Togo participated in our workshops. They were captivated by our ideas and experiences and deeply grateful for the information we shared. Workshop participants engaged in dynamic discussions on many topics. I was most impressed by how creative they were when incorporating these new approaches to learning into their teaching plans.

Through watching and listening, I learned about tenacity, courage, and resourcefulness. Somehow, we succeeded at creating space and time for these teachers to connect with one another while simultaneously developing our own strong connection with these workshop participants. Even though we were separated by distance and circumstances, we were alike in many ways and supported each other in education because of our shared passion for teaching and common goal of giving every student our best selves as we support their learning.

Our Togolese colleagues taught us about patience, inner calmness, gratitude, generosity, kindness, and relentless courage. Project Overseas also connected me with a talented team of Canadian educators, which helped me to develop a feeling of great pride for our shared vocation. The precious memories that resurface at surprising moments in my life are filled with colourful scents of this beautiful country.

Thank you to the BCTF and CTF Project Overseas for this deeply inspirational professional development opportunity.