The findings in the recently released Canada’s Vital Signs 2010 report are no surprise to teachers who deal daily with the fall-out of many of the issues addressed in the report.
The results show the importance of the partnership between Community Foundations of Canada and the Canadian Teachers’ Federation in our Imagineaction program. Students and teachers will be able to use the data to put in place action plans addressing community needs.
There are many examples in the report where students and teachers may choose to act. In the area of Belonging and Leadership, even as we celebrate gains in terms of peoples’ sense of belonging, there remain one-third of individuals in society who do not have a strong sense of community belonging. As focal points of community, schools are uniquely placed to begin to address this situation. Students and teachers may choose this statistic as the impetus for a project related to the “connect” or “engage” Imagineaction themes.
Similarly, in the area of Environment, the fact that greenhouse gas emissions from personal vehicles have risen by one-third is a call to action. Last year, for example, a group of students from École La Morelle in Quebec ran an information program for parents dropping off and picking up their children, aimed at getting them to turn off their vehicles while they waited.
The results showing a widening of the Gap Between Rich and Poor and stating that at least one in 10 Canadians are now considered poor is more than a call to action – it is a national embarrassment.
Each day, teachers are faced with the realities of poverty as students come to class hungry. Teachers and students across the country are already helping to run lunch programs and are assisting to help alleviate the suffering caused by poverty. The Vital Signs results demonstrate once again the importance of renewing our efforts in this area.
Imagineaction calls for teachers to lead their students to social action through critical thinking. Vitals Signs provides a valuable resource for students who are looking for information to assist them in making a decision as to where to act and what to do.
Together they could be the difference that enables action.
Mary-Lou Donnelly is President of the Canadian Teachers' Federation
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