National program to match students with pressing community needs

(Sept. 7, 2010) As kids head back to school, the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) and Community Foundations of Canada are announcing a new partnership to help students across the country take action to make a positive difference in their communities.

Imagineaction is a student-driven social action program developed by the Canadian Teachers' Federation for public school students in Grades K-12. The program creates opportunities for school-community social action projects and will use Vital Signs, a quality of life report produced by community foundations, as a guide to the key issues facing Canadian communities.

"Imagineaction is a terrific way for teachers to help their students connect, in a very productive way, with the world outside their school doors," said Monica Patten, President and CEO of Community Foundations of Canada. "We can't wait to bring the issues raised in Vital Signs into classrooms across the country."

Vital Signs is an annual check-up conducted by community foundations across Canada that measures the vitality of our communities, identifies trends, and shares opportunities for action in areas critical to quality of life. The 2010 Vital Signs reports will be released on Tuesday, October 5.

"Teachers will use the valuable data contained in Vital Signs to link students to emerging community needs and to community foundations who work with a myriad of local partners on addressing those needs.
Participating students will benefit from the expertise of community organizations and will see how their own outreach can benefit the neighbourhoods in which they live," said CTF President Mary-Lou Donnelly.

Imagineaction will connect teachers and students with local experts online, with the Canadian Teachers' Federation serving as information broker. Experts in various community issues - from housing to environment to employment - will register online. Once approved, they can be contacted by teachers to assist with projects related to their respective fields.

Imagineaction will also offer subsidies to teachers to support resulting projects, related professional development, and an electronic showcase designed to promote and share the great work being done in schools across Canada.

The Canadian Teachers' Federation
The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) is a national alliance of provincial and territorial organizations that represent nearly 200,000 elementary and secondary school teachers across Canada. For more information about Imagineaction, go to www.imagine-action.caand www.ctf-fce.ca.

Community Foundations of Canada
Community Foundations of Canada is the national membership association for the more than 170 community foundation across the country. Community foundations are local charitable foundations that help Canadians invest in building strong and resilient places to live, work, and play. They are one of the largest supporters of Canadian charities, providing $140 million to local organizations in 2009. Find out more at www.cfc-fcc.ca.