ONTARIO COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015, YORK MINISTER BAPTIST CHURCH, TORONTO
Attendees: Ann Knappe, Beth ELysee-Collen, Kathryn Wilkinson
The Bridges Out of Poverty Program:
The morning session began dealing with the business of the committee but moved quickly to the main event. Elaine Weir, a public health nurse and the facilitator for The Bridges Out of Poverty Program that runs in Guelph, Ontario gave the main presentation. The program addresses poverty as being the responsibility of the whole community. The program has three parts. The first one called Bridges is for members of the middle class. The Second one, called Getting Ahead, focuses on those living in poverty and the final one called Circles brings the two groups together. The whole program has three major components, change, success and sustainability for participants living in poverty. The goal is to successfully change their lives. We were given facts about poverty we had never considered before. After a most delicious lunch, Ann and I attended the Status of Women session. Elaine was the leader of a more in depth workshop on the Bridges program. Though some role playing we became aware of differences in economic cultures, explored the hidden rules of economic class and examined how those differences affect opportunities for success. We discussed the impact of poverty on families and we gained a deeper understanding of the challenges and strengths of people living in poverty. For my part, I felt it was one of the best programs I have heard of and I could see why it is so successful. It identifies key strategies for those working with individuals living in poverty. It improves relationships and shows leaders how to develop new tools to better address individual needs in a caring and neutering atmosphere. I plan to take a workshop in Guelph in October. I think this is a program that should be brought to Mississauga.
Submitted by: Beth ELysee-Collen
Standing Committee on Education:
I attended the afternoon session led by Dr. David Cameron from People for Education. His topic was “Measuring What Matters: A New Way of Thinking about Skills”. The session was a presentation and discussion about the need to reshape ideas about public accountability and what we count as a measurement of success in public education. Dr. Cameron is concerned about the movement of children out of public education, particularly in the USA and the UK. He spoke about five domains that have been identified as indicators of success:
Submitted by: Kathryn Wilkinson
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015, YORK MINISTER BAPTIST CHURCH, TORONTO
Attendees: Ann Knappe, Beth ELysee-Collen, Kathryn Wilkinson
The Bridges Out of Poverty Program:
The morning session began dealing with the business of the committee but moved quickly to the main event. Elaine Weir, a public health nurse and the facilitator for The Bridges Out of Poverty Program that runs in Guelph, Ontario gave the main presentation. The program addresses poverty as being the responsibility of the whole community. The program has three parts. The first one called Bridges is for members of the middle class. The Second one, called Getting Ahead, focuses on those living in poverty and the final one called Circles brings the two groups together. The whole program has three major components, change, success and sustainability for participants living in poverty. The goal is to successfully change their lives. We were given facts about poverty we had never considered before. After a most delicious lunch, Ann and I attended the Status of Women session. Elaine was the leader of a more in depth workshop on the Bridges program. Though some role playing we became aware of differences in economic cultures, explored the hidden rules of economic class and examined how those differences affect opportunities for success. We discussed the impact of poverty on families and we gained a deeper understanding of the challenges and strengths of people living in poverty. For my part, I felt it was one of the best programs I have heard of and I could see why it is so successful. It identifies key strategies for those working with individuals living in poverty. It improves relationships and shows leaders how to develop new tools to better address individual needs in a caring and neutering atmosphere. I plan to take a workshop in Guelph in October. I think this is a program that should be brought to Mississauga.
Submitted by: Beth ELysee-Collen
Standing Committee on Education:
I attended the afternoon session led by Dr. David Cameron from People for Education. His topic was “Measuring What Matters: A New Way of Thinking about Skills”. The session was a presentation and discussion about the need to reshape ideas about public accountability and what we count as a measurement of success in public education. Dr. Cameron is concerned about the movement of children out of public education, particularly in the USA and the UK. He spoke about five domains that have been identified as indicators of success:
- Health
- Social /Emotional Learning
- Creativity
- Citizenship
- Quality Learning Environments
Submitted by: Kathryn Wilkinson
