a social justice program of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation

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Project Profile

Project Title:
We CAN Change!!
Initiative:
Digital Citizenship & Social Action
School Name:
Grant Alternative School
School board / First Nations school jurisdiction:
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Project Theme:
  • Connect [relationships]
  • Engage [active & participatory citizenship]
Grade Level:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Subject Areas:
The Arts, English, Technological Education
City:
Ottawa
Province/Territory:
Ontario
Community Partners:
We have invited students from the high school next door to work with the children as they go on this journey of social change. Our students are very familiar with our high school friends, as many of them spend time in our school on a regular basis. This would be a new role with more responsibility for the high school students as well, giving them the opportunity to think of and present themselves as positive role models in a different way. They can assist us with their technological abilities and show the children how responsible, young adults look and behave, as well as spend time helping other members of their community. St. Paul’s High School Contact: We have invited residents of the retirement home across the street from our school to attend our “Film Festival” as a way to open our doors to the senior citizens who live in our community. Our goal would be for there to be an ongoing relationship between some of the residents and our classrooms, to provide “grandparent-like” role models to our children whose families come from other countries. The Redwoods Retirement Residence Contact: Theresa Roy – 613-828-8540. We are also in the planning stages to share our finished product with the Boys and Girls Club that some of our students attend after school. We have invited them to have a film festival of their own, showing our student’s work as a way to begin a dialogue with their staff and the children who are attend their program on a regular basis. The Boys and Girls Club Brittania Unit – 613-828-0428.

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We CAN Change!!

The Director's Cut provides in-class Media Literacy field trips for a full day per homeroom class. They bring with them all of the latest digital video cameras, cameras, and peripherals, and act as facilitators in order to allow the children to show their creativity. They use the background writing that the children prepare ahead of time, then assist each class to create a finished product that is sure to wow audiences everywhere. This is an opportunity that most of our school population could never afford if it wasn't an in-school initiative. The emotional benefits could never be measured, although our immediate goal for this project is to foster a positive change in the way our students treat one another and we hope to see this change portrayed in their everyday dealings with each other.
A little research to add to this and how children can be the problem solvers:
http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/res/bully-eng.aspx
http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/bullies.html#
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/bullying.aspx
http://www.ocdsb.ca/com/Pages/MentalHealthResources.aspx


Update (June 29, 2012)

The children are enjoying each others movies, written, directed, and filmed by themselves!!

Update (June 29, 2012)

A community member making popcorn for our movies debut at the Grant Film Festival!!

Update (June 29, 2012)

We are all ready to go to view our films - jammies on and a few stuffies in attendance!

Update (June 29, 2012)

Watching our films with such excitement. We did these by ourselves! And the popcorn is good too!

Update (October 31, 2012)

We are working really hard to foster a close relationship with the community around us. We continue to invite the residents of the retirement home across the street to school activities that might interest them. The true blessing in this project has been the relationship that has grown between the children and staff of our school and the high school students next door. We have always had a good relationship in terms of hosting the students for co-op placements and such things, but these students who have spent time with us are coming back to volunteer their personal time with us at Halloween evening events, Christmas Bazaar sales, field trips, etc. They have truly become a part of our school community and it has made us stronger and I'm confident it has played a big part in their lives as well.