http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/744047
Thankfully, someone is willing to do it.

I think all of you will be sick of hearing about my mother, but she’s writing another book. And this time, it’s about the education system. I happily tell her my woes and my worries about the various teachers I have had. She knows how frustrated I get, and how inspired I become. Some classes I absolutely loved; others I faked sick to get out of. It takes a delicate balance of them to stay sane.

But, imagine if every class was ideal. Imagine if every subject was catered to how children learn as opposed to what the government thinks children should learn. It would completely revolutionize education.

My mum is writing a book on education and neuroscience and the marriage of those two principles. However, she is lacking input on the detriments/positive things about the education system as it stands. If you feel like sharing what you like and/or dislike about the education system, any feedback would be appreciated. Visit www.alannamitchell.com to get in contact with my mum and tell her how you really feel about your school system.

Calista
]]> Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:56:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/744047 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/733781
Has anyone ever noticed how incredibly difficult it is to get youth to volunteer? Or to go one step further and keep them volunteering? It is ridiculously hard to do.

One of the largest problems I find with volunteering (and this is just from personal experience) is that there is no tangible reward. For me, the greatest incentive to volunteer was the graduation requirement of 40 community service hours. Then again, that was my high school mentality. Now, I do it all the time. The summer is an especially good time for me to volunteer because it gives me something to do. I hate being idle.

I do know a few people who like to volunteer. My cousin is a prime example: She came home recently from a seven-month stint in Rwanda. She had no reason for going; she just wanted to help out, to see the world. Both of which she managed spectacularly.

One of my friends is also avid about donating her time. She has seven days left in her nine-month experience with Katimavik, and I’m kind of afraid what will happen when she comes home. As a person who has to be busy sixty seconds of every minute, sixty minutes of every hour, twenty four hours a day, she is going to lose her mind with the idleness of summer. Add to that the Katimavik experience of only two free evenings per week, and you have a ticking time bomb on your hands! (www.katimavik.org)

So, that’s two people. Out of… twenty? Thirty? Maybe I’m sitting in the wrong circle, or maybe everyone I know is still in the high school mentality. Both my cousin and my friend were never in that mentality to begin with.

My point is that volunteering is a great thing to do. The rewards, as I said earlier, are not tangible, but often far outweigh any paper or certificate that might be earned. With the risk of sounding sappy, they are emotional rewards that make each person feel better about him or herself.

The reward is the experience itself
]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:45:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/733781 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/701341
However, that is not what I would like to talk about today. Today I would like to digress on the state of the global ocean. Some people reading this may be thinking ‘What? What’s wrong with the oceans? Aren’t they still sparkly-blue and filled with fish?’ Well, yes, for the most part, they are. Blue, I mean. Most of the fish have been whisked out and covered in dill sauce. The oceans are also filled with thousands of tons of human waste; they are filled with hundreds of litres of oil, spilled over many decades; they are filled with dead zones, and the acidity of the global ocean is climbing. How do I know this, you may ask? From my mother.

Sea Sick by Alanna Mitchell (Seasick in Australia, the U.K. and the U.S.) gives a scientific breakdown of how the ocean is changing at a molecular level. It explains that 90% of the biomass on earth resides in the ocean. It details what creatures are unlikely to survive as the pH (acidity) level changes. It tells us that the ocean produces 50% of the global oxygen and controls the carbon cycle. If all life in the ocean were to die, life on earth would also vanish. My description sounds like a chemistry textbook. What makes the book different is that Mitchell humanizes science – she makes it accessible and easy to understand for the people who stopped taking science after high school. For people like me.

Sea Sick has had a positive influence around the globe. Mitchell is being interviewed left, right and centre; she has been on two book tours, one in Canada, one in the U.K.; she has been lecturing at various universities across Canada and at Canada’s parliament. It seems her book is being read.

What is most inspiring – to me, at least ¬– is the reception she gets at her lectures. Never has she ended a lecture without a standing ovation, without a rush of questions about the little things we can do to change our carbon footprint. People walk away from her talks feeling hopeful that, even though our planet is in crisis, something can be done to fix it.

So what can we do? As my mum would say, it is up to us. Each of us has our own unique talent. Hers is by writing books and causing a splash (forgive the pun), mine is writing poetry, my sister’s is by becoming a teacher. We will all change the world in a different way, at a pace that works for each of us. That is all anyone can do.

For those who are interested in more information, please visit www.alannamitchell.com, or find a copy of Sea Sick at your local bookstore.

Thanks,
Calista
]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:04:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/701341 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/700415
The Canadian Youth Assembly (CYA) is a non-profit organization with three focuses: education, volunteerism, and connecting youth to decision makers. We spent a great deal of time planning and structuring the organization (which took longer than I assume is typical as we brought our members (the youth of Canada) into the creation of our bylaws) and incorporated federally as a non-profit organization early November 2008.

The CYA is open to everyone, though participation in some ventures is limited (to participate in our elections as a candidate or voter you must be 14 to 24, inclusive). There is no age limitation on volunteers and we’re looking for some individuals devoted to helping their peers!

Briefly I’ll go over a few programs we’re running:

CYA Elections – in 2010 (the date is looking to be around February) 177 youth will be elected throughout Canada. These youth will be responsible for working with their peers and will trained to be effective leaders in their community.

CYA! Volunteering – having recently been through (or currently in) high school, our volunteers ran into the problems of not having a great deal of volunteer opportunities which were new and exciting. Thus this program was born. Essentially we’re looking to connect organizations that need volunteers with youth who want to fulfill their required volunteer hours (or who want to volunteer generally) in new, exciting, and relevant ways. Thus far we’ve received support from school boards and organizations. http://volunteering.cya-ajc.ca

CYA Model Parliament – The name pretty much says it all. There are a few changes (ridings and parties aren’t model), but by and large this is a great learning exercise for youth who want to learn how parliament really works (though our members seem to be a lot more friendly than politicians can be on occasion ;) ). (Website is coming…..I’ve been busy ☺)

The website for the CYA (which has links to all our projects) – http://cya-ajc.ca.

Now I’ll pull back into ICA Canada (I’ll call it ICACan for simplicity). Even though I’ve only been here for a couple of days, I’ve already learned an incredible amount. I’ve been shown how much work and effort youth have put into the various projects run by ICACan, this gives me tremendous hope that no matter what we throw at youth, they’ll take it and make it better without skipping a beat! I’m very much looking forward to working on the projects running here and I’m sure I’ll be writing more about them soon.

All the best,

Tyler
]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:41:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/700415 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/640853 For more information see our website: www.icacan.ca

There's still time to register and be a part of this amazing and transformational course - don't miss it!]]> Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:04:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/640853 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/640599
Follow me, Staci - YFL Director, on Twitter as I talk about what we're up to here in the office, share links on interesting things I come across and tweet my thoughts from my various locations throughout Canada while I train and work with some of our wonderful and inspiring Canadian youth.

Our Twitter name is YFL_ICACanada - Tweet you soon!]]> Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:43:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/640599 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/639867
As a student of Community Worker program at George Brown college, I always get asked what exactly do I learn as a Community Worker in training. This two year program has taught me a range of information that I can use in the work field and my everyday life. The courses range from Interpersonal Communications to Proposal Development and Funding. Each courses has taught me skills and tools necessary to become an active member of my community. I've been able to use my commitment in social justice and human rights towards thinking about how we can change our society by changing the way we think, act and work together. In Canadian Social Policy and Human rights we are able to learn about barriers that monitories in Canadian society face and what action is essential not only to help them but to let them help themselves.

The best way to learn is by experiencing what you've been taught, as a community worker in training at George brown your able to receive hands on experience in the work field by completing placement experience for half a semester during your first year and two semesters in your second year. This allows me to apply the skills I've learned in the class and retain new skills as a placement student. This program has let me enhance my learning skills and introduced me to people from all over the world, which is something I'm grateful for and probably wouldn't have experience in a different surrounding. ]]> Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:34:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/639867 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/634393
But the presentation that seemed to generate the most discussion and interest was one given by Ilona Staples on Art Against Consumerism. The presentation walked us through the origins of consumerism, what sustains it, how media plays a role and how artists are attacking consumerism through creative use of any and all mediums.

The presentation, thoughtful,engaging and comprehensive, gave us all something to consider in terms of the evolution of consumerism our own role in the propagation of consumerist culture.

The presentation is definitely one worth taking a look. Here is the link:

http://simplelifenow.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/artagainstconsum.pdf]]> Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:16:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/634393 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/611149
The day will included three inspiring presentations from our partnerships with Youth as Facilitative Leaders, Listen to the Drumming, and Courage to Lead.

A suggested minimum donation of $15 will be collected at the door upon entry. We appreciate any and all donations and welcome everyone to share in celebrating ICA Canada's year.

Annual General Meeting
Date: Saturday April 4th, 2009
Time: 9:30 am to 1:00pm
Location: ICA Canada
655 Queen St. East, Toronto

We look forward to having you join us. And please feel free to bring a friend!

Please R.S.V.P to Jessie Cowperthwaite by March 27th, 2009
E-mail: jcowperthwaite@icacan.ca
Phone: 416-691-2316 ext.236]]> Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:59:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/611149 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/611147

After learning so many skills all day we were able to put them to use with Its Your Opinion activity. We came up with topics that we're passionate about and our group members where able to ask questions to figure out the topic, without our personal input. It was challenging not to put my input but it let me take on the role of the facilitator while being neutral and learning from everyone else.

Overall the Tools for Teamwork was an amazing experience and I'm lucky that I was able to experience it with great facilitators and members, I hope in the future to attend another YFL workshop.

(Written by Lucia, our George Brown Community Worker Program Placement student)]]> Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:25:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/611147 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/550525
So far it’s been an amazing experience working with Staci. She is so passionate and a great mentor!!! Seeing her working so hard with and for youth inspires me. Youth have the energy and most important the desire to be involved in their communities but often times they do not have the opportunity to use their creativity. YFL is trying to offer this opportunity and I think it’s great.

A few words about me… I came to Canada three years ago from Romania. That was the turning point of my life. It wasn’t always a positive experience but it helped me discover who I was and what were my strengths. I also learned how important it is to have others to lean on when in need. That’s why I chose this path.
I want to be the support one needs at times in order to be able to help themselves and others.

Being able to be part of the YFL Team helped me develop some of my skills and I was impressed to meet so many people willing to help me not only because that’s their job but also because they believe in what they’re doing, they believe in youth.

Thank you YFL and Staci!!!

]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:23:00 EST http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/550525 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/545863
I've been busy on the YFL side getting a schedule organized for 2009. My aim in the new year is to have more frequently offered public courses and to increase the participation and activity of the YFL committee. Look for courses like Group Facilitation and Tools for Teamwork to be offered on a more regular basis and in communities like Sudbury and North Bay as well as Toronto. We're also hoping to pilot a new YFL course in the fall of 2009. The focus for the new course will be Diversity Awareness and how ICA facilitation methods can apply when working with really diverse groups of people.

For more information about Courage to Lead or Youth as Facilitative Leaders, please visit www.icacan.ca

You can also view the public google calendar "YFL Events" for all upcoming YFL activities. This calendar will also be available through our website very soon.]]> Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:07:00 EST http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/545863 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/537751
The program is designed for youth between the ages of 16 and 19 who have left high school without a diploma. Once they've completed the program, participants will have earned up to 10 academic credits toward their high school diploma and up to 27 weeks of meaningful work experience in the Ontario Public Service and its Crown agencies.

The one-day training session entitled "Facilitative Leadership in the Workplace" gave students an intro to the Focused Conversation Method and how they might use it in their placements as an effective communication tool.

Former YFL Director Leah Taylor accompanied me as co-trainer and though it was quick, was still an inspiring road trip for both of us that really highlighted the importance of positive, innovative approaches to education. It's really wonderful to see a program that addresses the needs of different types of learners or those that for whatever reason aren't able to complete their high school education in the traditional way.

For a news release about the program see: http://www.gov.on.ca/mgs/en/News/Print/246801.html

For more information about YFL and our training opportunities, visit www.icacan.ca
]]> Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:17:00 EST http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/537751 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/523983
Social Process Triangles, Gridding, Frameworking, Action Planning...so many wonderful community development tools. It was a grueling schedule that extended into the evening to include additional pieces about team building, professionalism, communication the value of storytelling.

The volunteers returned to their communities yesterday evening and will continue on their journey towards real and positive social change.

I really need to acknowledge our amazing partners, the YMCAs in Sudbury and North Bay who have been so essential is getting this project off the ground. It's so wonderful to partner with, be supported by and learn from an organization as established and loved as the Y. Also deserving of some serious recognition is ICA Associates' own John Miller who donated his time, energy, wisdom and wonderful company to this training experience.

You amaze me my YCL crew...you are all such gems. Best of luck in the coming weeks with your flurry of activity!]]> Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:45:00 EST http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/523983 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/512399
Held at the Lula Lounge, a fabulously chic venue, the TYC presented a total 8 awards including categories such as the Enabling Collective Action Award and the Community Impact Award. Peppered between awards was some of the best entertainment I've seen in a really long time. Matthew, a speaker on behalf of No One is Illegal, shared his incredible story about fighting the Canadian government for status, Dwayne Morgan inspired us all with his spoken word performance, Stolen from Africa wowed the crowd with their movement music and KG sang soulfully and truthfully. There was even a spontaneous performance by Romeo, an attendee from the Griffin Centre, that was sensual and fun.

This event is an amazingly good time and really highlights all of the amazing things youth in our city are doing. I was blown away and warm all over from the glow and buzz in that room - such a cool evening!

Another important initiative that I want to say a few words on is Youth Line's new outreach project - Youth Line Loves Sudbury! The Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Youth Line provides information, referrals, and emotional support to youth across Ontario. The Youth Line is run for youth, by youth and offers confidential, non-judgmental peer support, both over the phone and via instant messaging. Their primary goal with the project is to raise awareness of the Youth Line’s services within the community by building strong, lasting connections with youth, community agencies, and adult allies within Greater Sudbury. We've just begun our Young Community Leaders project in Sudbury as well, and I can say from the perspective of someone who grew up in Northern Ontario, that I am thrilled, proud and very much encouraged by these amazing youth initiatives that are starting to take place in our northern communities. Finally we're starting to recognize the need to give youth a voice not only in designated times and spaces, but everywhere, all the time. Kudos Youth Line and best of luck!

Contact TYC at: www.torontoyouth.com
Contact Becky about the YL Loves Sudbury project at: becky@youthline.ca]]> Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:53:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/512399 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/512342
A few updates for you from the world of ICA Canada...

Courage to Lead, a non-traditional leadership program with an emphasis on personal growth and reflection, kicked off on October 21st with 18 people signed up for the course. This course is about the foundational context for leadership and is not about leadership skills development. Courage to Lead has struck a cord with people all around the world, perhaps because of its simple message: if you relate authentically to life, to yourself, to the world, and to society, you can not only begin the process of social change from where you are right now, but you can be a leader as well. Christian Naacht, who has worked with ICA Brazil, has been working on the Portugese translation of the book which should be available soon.

Duncan Holmes, Dereck Strachn, Wayne Nelson and Jo Nelson walked in the Toronto Marathon to raise funds for our Listen to the Drumming Program and further ICA Canada's support for HIVAIDS programming by our African ICA colleagues. They each walked a half-marathon - 13 miles-21 km. At the end of it all, they were sore, tired and absolutely elated to have expended their energy on behalf of their colleagues. The marathon is an annual fundraising initiative of LTTD and traditionally one of our most successful and exhaustingly fun ones too!]]> Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:36:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/512342 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667 http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/510242
YFL is a youth-driven mentorship and leadership training program aimed at arming young people 15-30 years with the facilitation tools they need to create real and positive change in their communities. We offer public courses, fee-for-service trainings and run community projects as part of our ongoing work. The most notable project of late is our Young Community Leaders project that we're running in North Bay and Sudbury. It's a fantastic initiative that aims to train youth in their respective communities and get them starting their own projects to better their neighbourhoods.

Listen to the Drumming, ICA's other program, works to strengthen sister ICAs in Africa through volunteers, research development and professional training to effectively meet the challenge of HIV/AIDS. The African ICAs address HIV/AIDS through a comprehensive approach that includes: legal rights training for woman, HIV/AIDS prevention education, voluntary counselling and testing services, microcredit based programs and home based care services.

Please see our website - www.icacan.ca - for more info or our TIG group for YFL or Project page for the Young Community Leaders project.

Stay tuned for more from ICA Canada very soon!
Staci]]> Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:47:00 EDT http://www.tigblog.org/group/icacanada/post/510242 43.6666667 -79.416666743.6666667-79.4166667