OCDSB High School Challenge
Friday, October 21, 2016 / 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. / Confed
This was the first ever event held in Ottawa. 10 classes attended with over 180 student and teacher participants, and approximately 70 volunteers. The event was supported by Curriculum Services and was held at Confederation Education Centre. The Poverty Challenge Ottawa Committee is extremely grateful for the support and enthusiasm of the school board for this hugely successful first event!
Take Home Teacher Package
After the 2016 event, teachers took home a package of follow up activities and resources to continue to the valuable conversations in their classrooms. Download it here.
Queen's University: Faculty of Education
Monday, January 18, 2016 / 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. / McArthur Hall
Approximately 745 students participated in this Poverty Challenge. A speaker in the final plenary session was a mother living with less who spoke about how the financial expectations of her children’s school were overwhelming. Ten Profile Experts participated, and Queen’s paid their speaking fees. The teachers-to-be learned a lot about what to do and not do when dealing with students living with less.
Kingston Area High School Challenge
Tuesday, April 5, 2016 / 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. / McArthur Hall
110 students from 11 local high schools participated in a Poverty Challenge. Another big success, and we learned that in the future, we should invite entire classes to attend, rather than a limited number of students per school who may not otherwise have much in common. An entire class would be more likely to enact poverty reduction strategies.
Queen's University: Faculty of Education
Monday, December 5, 2016 / 10:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. / Confed
Almost 800 teacher candidates participated in this massive challenge. The keynote speaker was the principal of an inner-city school from which she graduated. She spoke about the need to meet with many parents offsite because their own negative school experiences prevented them from re-entering a school several years later. Again, ten Profile Experts participated, their speaking fees paid for by the university. In the concluding plenary session, the experts shared their experiences in school, offering advice to the prospective teachers.