The Sunshine Coast is thrilled to host a provincial conference this April entitled The Heart of the Matter.
Community Schools, School District No. 46, the Association for Com-munity Education of BC and the Sunshine Coast Credit Union are sponsoring this event, open to all community members who work with children.
Parents, teachers, coaches, daycare providers and governing officials are all invited to the two days packed full of fun and stories of success!
The conference theme is social emotional learning (SEL) and how the work of community schools enhances these skills with children, youth, parents and adults. SEL helps us manage feelings, become more empathic, relate better to others, make good decisions and effectively handle conflict and other challenges. It helps keep youth from engaging in risky behaviors such as bullying, drug use and dropping out of school. It safeguards us from depression, anxiety, and stress. The five areas of SEL are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. Extensive research shows that these skills enhance students’ connection to school and improve academic success.
The conference will showcase local and provincial talent with 20 workshops offering research, practical tools and inspiration. The conference opens at Chatelech Secondary School the evening of Thursday, April 9 with keynote speaker Sue Montebello, a community school principal who will share her work on transforming schools through the ethics of care.
Friday morning, April 10, the keynote speaker is Mary Gordon, founder of the Roots of Empathy program and winner of many International awards including the Order of Canada. She will talk about how to raise secure, happy children. She will be followed by a coffee table conversation including Kim Schonert-Reichl, interim director of Human Early Learning Partnership, hosted by Maria LeRose. Wrapping it up will be Michael Clague and John Talbot with their insights from the day.
For details and registration information see www.acebc.org or register online at http://heartofthematter.eventzilla.net. Community members pay only $69 to attend. Seats are limited; registering early is recommended.
