Essentials & Experiences: How EducationMatters Opens Doors for Calgary Students

WEBVTT
00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:03.520
We're gonna start looking for volunteers to help us be out in community.
00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:05.519
Raising awareness has been phenomenal.
00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:10.400
I've had a really busy year, but yeah, well, we need some help out in community.
00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:22.559
Welcome to Give Amplify Connect, the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation podcast that dives deeper into the stories of the charitable organizations in Alberta that are making a difference.
00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:30.719
Host and producer Kristy Wolf sits down with the leaders of the nonprofit world to learn more about their purpose, hopes, and dreams.
00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:39.359
Settle in for an honest conversation with Kristy about the impact people are making in their communities and how they keep moving forward.
00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:42.799
With me today is Stephanie Washbrook.
00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:46.159
Now, Stephanie is the executive director of Education Matters.
00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:50.159
Stephanie, will you start by introducing us to Education Matters, please?
00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:51.119
Absolutely.
00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:55.439
So Education Matters is the fundraising partner for the Calgary Board of Education.
00:00:55.439 --> 00:01:01.920
We've been around since 2003, and we support uh over 143,000 students.
00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:03.039
Just a couple.
00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:03.920
Just a couple.
00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:04.879
Oh my goodness.
00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:12.400
And okay, I want to talk about the programs, but before we do that, I want to know a little bit about how you got involved with Education Matters.
00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:13.200
Sure.
00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:15.840
So there's a long story, but I'll make it quick.
00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:17.439
I am a CEA, CPA.
00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:23.280
I worked with Ernst and Young for well over a decade in public accounting.
00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:25.200
But I had four kids.
00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:29.519
So when I had the last two, I took some time off work.
00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:38.560
And during that time, I did a lot of volunteering for nonprofits, as well as being, of course, the school council chair for our school.
00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:39.200
Got it.
00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:43.040
And then when I decided to go back to work, I really wanted to support nonprofits.
00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:52.719
So I went and did some nonprofit consulting around strategic planning and operations and trying to get, you know, set social enterprises off the ground so that they could fund themselves.
00:01:52.719 --> 00:02:03.760
As part of that work, I ended up running the uh Paylix Foundation, which is the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative, runs the Brainstory, an incredible organization.
00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:07.840
But uh I kind of helped them reorganize after COVID.
00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:13.919
And once they were up and running again, I needed a new challenge and I ended up with Education Matters.
00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:18.240
And so I am assuming all of your children are in the Calgary Board of Education.
00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:20.240
They are in various parts of their journey.
00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:22.960
So my oldest actually started at U of C this year.
00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:24.560
Oh, okay, that's a big one.
00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:24.879
Yeah.
00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:33.919
So, Stephanie, I mean, we've talked about this because we've met a few times outside of this particular podcast, but I was a Calgary Board of Education teacher.
00:02:33.919 --> 00:02:35.680
Um, I was there for 10 years.
00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:39.759
I did my schooling in at the University of Calgary and their education program.
00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:43.280
And I just I love hearing about this because I'm gonna be honest.
00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:48.960
I taught in Calgary around 2006, 2007, and I didn't know there was a foundation.
00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:50.240
2003.
00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:52.560
I was like, oh, they were just getting started.
00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:53.520
Maybe it makes sense.
00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:55.759
Or was I just not aware of what's happening?
00:02:56.080 --> 00:03:03.280
No, so I was school council chair for many years at Queen Elizabeth, and I had no idea that Education Matters existed.
00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:07.919
So one of my biggest goals since joining Education Matters is getting that awareness out there.
00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:12.719
I mean, Calgary Board of Education has 16,000 employees, 251 schools.
00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:16.479
There is no reason why all of Calgary shouldn't know about Education Matters.
00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:18.639
Okay, well, we're gonna make it, we're gonna be loud.
00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:23.360
We're gonna talk all about the programs for Education Matters, talk about how people can support students.
00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:24.479
So let's do that.
00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:29.039
Let's start with some of the programs that you wanted to highlight when you're working with the Wolfpack Warriors Foundation.
00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:29.599
Sure.
00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:34.080
So basically, we've set up three pillars of support with Education Matters.
00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:36.800
The first being um essentials for learning.
00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:40.400
So making sure the kids are at school and ready to learn.
00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:48.560
So we provide clothing, food, hygiene items, transit passes, just to make sure the kids are there in class.
00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:52.960
As part of our essentials for learning pillar, we also include student well-being.
00:03:52.960 --> 00:04:04.080
So, as part of that, the Calgary Board of Education has an amazing student well-being framework where they actually run a student well-being symposium once a year for all middle schools and high schools.
00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:09.360
So a group from each school attends, and it's really about that student voice.
00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:11.439
What does student well-being look like in our school?
00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:12.080
What's missing?
00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:13.360
What can we fix?
00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:26.879
Um, so after that symposium, each of these student well-being action teams go back to their schools, kind of disseminate the learning, and try to figure out what projects they can do in their schools to bring that sense of belonging and well-being into their schools.
00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:31.040
So I'm I'm very excited about that aspect that we support.
00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:35.360
And part of that is also we um support training for teachers.
00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:43.839
So coming up uh in the spring, we're actually supporting uh suicide prevention training for teachers, which is so important in our schools right now.
00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:45.360
So that's essentials for learning.
00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:53.120
Do you have any stories related to a group of kids going back and channeling what they've learned into their school?
00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:57.839
Well, I don't have a specific example for you right now, just because there's there are so many.
00:04:57.839 --> 00:04:59.360
We have so many schools.
00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:14.639
Um, but what was really nice to track is that the kids that were part of the student well-being action team, and it's across grades, so that we have that continuity year over year, they've shown to be then uh part of their communities.
00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:22.000
So they go on and volunteer in their communities and they become leaders and set up other uh ways to bring the community together.
00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:26.639
So that is so exciting to see, you know, the ripple, ripple effects of supporting those kids.
00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:27.920
It's not just the school.
00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:29.519
No, it's not just the school.
00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:35.360
And the thing is, the kids that are on the student well-being action team are not necessarily the ones that you would assume.
00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:46.720
Yes, there's the ones that put their hand up and say, we want to do this, but teachers are also on the lookout for ones that they know might be a bit quieter, yeah, but have that leadership in them, you know.
00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:48.959
So it it's a really great opportunity there.
00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:49.759
I love that.
00:05:49.759 --> 00:06:02.399
In terms of essentials for learning, though, we have so many impact stories, families that are struggling, that when the teachers and the principals in the school can identify that they need that food and we can provide it immediately.
00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:03.199
Right.
00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:07.920
The system in Calgary community organizations are amazing, but it's tough to navigate.
00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:14.879
So to be able to have that point of contact where the kids are in the school and we can see and identify needs uh is phenomenal.
00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:21.360
With that program, are you partnered with other organizations for some of like the food programs and that kind of thing?
00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:23.839
Or is it all education matters running it themselves?
00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:26.879
No, we don't run it all ourselves, so we support it financially.
00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:29.120
So we help donors get the money to the right place.
00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:38.079
So, for example, like um breakfast programs uh are run through a variety of agencies, round bagging for kids, meals on wheels, the food bank.
00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:40.959
It really depends on what works best for that school.
00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:41.839
Okay, thank you.
00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:51.600
But also part of Essentials for Learning is our backpack campaign, which is a fun one to do because we um raise money to ensure that kids are prepared on that first day of school.
00:06:51.600 --> 00:07:00.399
So they get their backpack and they have what they need in it in terms of school supplies, but also some kids need shoes on that first day, et cetera.
00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:04.399
Um, last year we were able to provide 2,000 backpacks for kids.
00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:06.800
And those kids are identified again by the principals.
00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:10.560
So it's not, it's not someone having to come and ask for it.
00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:11.839
They know who needs help.
00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:13.519
As a teacher, you do know.
00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:21.040
Like it's it's conversations, it's it's building community within your school to understand what families' needs are.
00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:22.959
So I think that's a really important piece of it.
00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:27.920
It's not asking people to come forward and ask for help, it's recognizing when help is needed.
00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:32.399
And just on the topic of like school shoes, I have 11 and 13-year-old boys.
00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:38.000
And this year, my 11-year-old was like, I've never thought about how sometimes kids might not have shoes.
00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:49.360
Like it was an interesting conversation because we always think school supplies, but as a teacher, I think shoes that we always tell them they need to change their shoes, and then like that's just another expense.
00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:49.839
Yeah.
00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:51.360
And we're in Calgary.
00:07:51.360 --> 00:07:55.680
So you've got boots and jackets and mittens and hats and ensuring that those kids are safe.
00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:00.079
All those little things that you have to think about that aren't just a part of like teaching the curriculum.
00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:02.800
And so I know that's what education matters really focuses on.
00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:04.399
Okay, I keep interrupting you.
00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:05.120
I apologize.
00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:06.240
I get excited.
00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:08.319
Uh, tell me about your next program.
00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:11.519
So our next pillar is uh extraordinary experiences.
00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:17.360
And so we think about that as the things that get kids excited to learn and be in the classroom.
00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:22.000
So it's field trips, it's uh on-site activities, it's technology.
00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:29.680
We were able to provide over $150,000 towards field trips last year, and that included 800 swimmers.
00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:39.440
So those are kids that wouldn't normally get swimming lessons, but now have that essential skill, which is so exciting to me having, you know, competitive swimmers myself.
00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:41.759
And then after that, we have preparing for the future.
00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:49.759
So now we're focusing more on the high school kids, uh, where we support the dual credit exploratory program.
00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:57.120
So the Calgary Board of Education has over 52 different programs where you can explore what your career would look like.
00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:05.200
And with dual credit, uh you actually get accredited to be able to start working right out of school, which is so important, again, for some kids.
00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:18.720
Um, in addition, the high schools uh let kids participate in skills competitions, which again is trades, but it's also graphic design, videography, um, all kinds of fun stuff.
00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:20.480
And they compete regionally.
00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:26.159
And if they get to move on, there's the provincial competition, which is unfortunately always in Edmonton.
00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:34.159
So it means a lot of financial support to make sure that our kids' registration, transportation, accommodation fees are paid to get them up there.
00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:39.519
And then we've actually been very successful in the past few years getting kids to the national competition.
00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:40.480
Ah, okay.
00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:44.879
So I've been to this competition in Edmonton with a group of grade seven students.
00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:48.720
Our junior high used to take kids to go see what other kids are doing.
00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:58.399
And that experience without even being a part of the competition was really incredible to see just the variety of opportunities that I don't think you necessarily know about.
00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:00.960
I didn't know about when I was a teenager, right?
00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:06.080
So, how do kids in school find out about these programs?
00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:09.679
I mean, this is beyond education matters, but I'm wondering.
00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:15.279
The uh Unique Pathways does hold an information session that's advertised to all of the high schools in the fall.
00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:22.720
Uh, so you can come out and we have all the partners there, the different uh secondary schools as well as a lot of the trades organizations.
00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:26.399
But in terms of skills, it's really through the classes in the high schools.
00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:30.320
They're well advertised uh and we have really great participation in the schools.
00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:31.360
Oh, that's really neat.
00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:31.679
Okay.
00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:36.879
I know I want to come and to your information session and learn more about it.
00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:38.080
Absolutely.
00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:38.799
Absolutely.
00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:46.559
And fingers crossed, um, Calgary is actually up for potentially being the national skills competition location for 2027.
00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:48.159
Oh, that's we're really hoping.
00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:49.519
Yeah, no kidding.
00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:54.559
And that just helps build momentum on programs when you can say it's also happening here.
00:10:54.559 --> 00:10:56.399
And so, oh, that's really cool to hear.
00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:57.360
My fingers are crossed.
00:10:57.360 --> 00:10:58.080
I hope you get it.
00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:02.399
So then the rest of our preparing for the future program is really around student awards.
00:11:02.399 --> 00:11:08.000
So we have phenomenal donors that support uh various student awards for our kids.
00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:23.759
We were actually able to distribute over $1.1 million to students last year, and part of that is we have one particular donor who's created the Investing in the Future award, which is a million dollars that goes to 10 students.
00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:30.879
So each student gets $100,000 to cover their entire post-secondary education.
00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:31.919
Wow.
00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:33.840
It is incredible.
00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:38.240
And the kids that get it, phenomenal, just outstanding.
00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:41.200
So, you know, it it makes such a difference for them.
00:11:41.200 --> 00:11:42.720
And it's just exciting.
00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:48.960
I'm sure a lot of work goes into preparing their applications for that and looking through the applications.
00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:51.279
I can only imagine how much work goes into that.
00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:57.840
So, does education matters determine who gets that, or does the donor determine who gets that?
00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:10.879
So every situation is different, but for the investing in the future, we shortlist applicants uh just because there are hundreds and hundreds of applicants for that one, um, and provide a shortlist to the donors so that they can make the final selection.
00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:17.360
And then when you're thinking about many of your scholarships and bursaries, are they uh for Alberta specifically?
00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:23.039
Are they for university versus trade schools, or are they kind of like whatever students decide to do?
00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:24.000
How does that work?
00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:31.360
So every award it has different criteria in terms of who's eligible or what kind of program you'd be going into, but it is a variety.
00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:35.039
So there are quite a few that support trades, there's quite a few that support university.
00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:39.440
Where you go to post-secondary doesn't have to be in Alberta for most of them.
00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:43.440
Um, it's just that you were an Alberta high school student.
00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:50.879
Most of our awards are for Calgary Board of Education specifically, uh, but there's some that are a bit more broad as well.
00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:51.840
Okay, okay.
00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:53.200
I'm gonna look into that.
00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:54.639
So thanks for bringing that up.
00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:55.360
No problem.
00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:58.000
Any other programs or pillars that you want to talk about?
00:12:58.240 --> 00:12:59.759
Those are our big ones.
00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:04.399
It's kind of across the whole kindergarten to grade 12.
00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:08.000
Well, and that's a lot of different ages and stages and development levels.
00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:13.279
And like, I mean, we're talking about getting kids into school and then getting kids into their futures as well.
00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:16.879
And so I can imagine that you're balancing a lot of different things there.
00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:18.399
Are there any examples?
00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:29.600
I know we talked a little bit about this with essential skills and and with the wellness initiative, but are there any other examples that you wanted to share around like how education matters has made a difference in people's lives?
00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:39.039
I want to share one of my favorite stories just around the dual credit program because we do have a student where she didn't quite fit in in high school.
00:13:39.039 --> 00:13:44.559
I had a strong interest in animals and found our Bet Tech dual credit program.
00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:51.519
As part of that program, you're actually connecting with students from other schools because it's it's a joint program with Old College.
00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:56.080
And so she was able to find her people, right?
00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:59.279
Became more comfortable in her skin through this program.
00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:04.159
But not only that, she graduated high school, already certified to be a vet tech.
00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:05.039
Oh, wow.
00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:08.799
She got into the veterinary program at the University of Calgary.
00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:09.039
Yeah.
00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:12.480
And is paying for it now through working as a vet tech.
00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:13.279
Oh my gosh.
00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:18.240
It's just a heart wearing, phenomenal story of yes, our financial support.
00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:21.759
It wasn't huge, but it was enough that she could attend the program.
00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:25.600
And from there, I mean, the future looks so great for her.
00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:32.320
Well, and I love that piece that you're explaining too about just like the connecting with others and finding community and belonging.
00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:35.039
So financial support is one piece of it.
00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:42.960
And sometimes it isn't a whole lot, but it's introducing somebody to a new idea and maybe it's not a new idea, but just like how to get there.
00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:45.840
And so that is a really incredible story that showcases that.
00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:46.720
Oh, I love it.
00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:47.279
Okay.
00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:52.639
How can our listeners give, amplify, or connect with education matters?
00:14:53.120 --> 00:14:58.000
Really around our essentials for learning is our highest need for fundraising.
00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:04.240
Uh, so we will be having our backpack campaign starting around April so they can watch out for that.
00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:09.759
But just on an ongoing basis, if you look at our website, we have our three pillars right up there.
00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:16.399
We would happily accept any kind of help for any of those pillars there.
00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:19.679
In addition, we do uh like volunteers.
00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:22.879
So our student awards committee is a volunteer committee.
00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:27.759
In addition, we're gonna start looking for volunteers to help us be out in community.
00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:30.480
Uh, raising awareness has been phenomenal.
00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:34.879
I've had a really busy year, but now uh we need some help out in community.
00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:37.360
Okay, so getting involved, I really appreciate that.
00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:40.960
And I'll make sure to put some links into that as well in the show notes.
00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:49.440
All right, Stephanie, tell us about another organization or a person you've worked with or maybe that you want to work with that inspires you.
00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:53.279
I would be remiss not to mention my counterpart in Edmonton.
00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:58.960
So Catherine Bay runs the Edmonton Public School Foundation, and they are phenomenal.
00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:07.519
Uh, they actually support uh full day kindergarten up in Edmonton, as well as technology, nutrition, and literacy programs.
00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:14.720
So they do what we do up there, and uh it's incredibly important across all the school boards.
00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:22.639
And one of the things that we were talking about from the Wolfpack Warriors board side of things is that we're working with Education Matters, obviously Calgary-based.
00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.200
Wolfpack Warriors Foundation is across Alberta.
00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:33.600
And so we started talking about the fact that many, if not most, uh public school boards have a way that donations can be made to them.
00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:47.840
So if you're listening to this and you're thinking, oh, this is exactly what I want to be doing and supporting people within the public education sector, have a look at your local school district and see if there's a way that you can donate through them if Calgary is not your home base.
00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:49.840
But yeah, so thank you for bringing up Edmonton.
00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:53.600
We have them LinkedIn on our landing page with Education Matters.
00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:55.679
Just a lot of our listeners are in Edmonton.
00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:57.039
So I appreciate you bringing that up.
00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:00.159
And I haven't met Catherine, so maybe I need to reach out.
00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:01.440
She's fantastic.
00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:05.680
And the other one I wanted to mention, though, is the Kids' Literacy Collective.
00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:08.400
Stacey Pinney is running that one.
00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:12.559
They basically came out of what was Calgary Reads.
00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:21.599
So I don't know if you know about the Dandelion, you know, they kind of disseminated all the programs from Calgary Reads across different organizations.
00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:30.480
But then they realized that the convening, no one was convening, and then really bringing the um issues to light around literacy.
00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:42.400
Kids' literacy collective came about, and uh their goal is really to mobilize adults, promote literacy for children to ensure that everyone can read by grade three.
00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:46.400
So they've just launched their year of reading program, which is fantastic.
00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:49.119
I am definitely gonna look more into that organization.
00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:51.920
I was, I taught grade one for a long time.
00:17:51.920 --> 00:18:02.319
Like the early literacy piece is really important to me, and it's something that with a little bit of support, all kids can have success.
00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:04.960
And I think that sometimes um, you know what?
00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:06.319
I'm not gonna say more things there.
00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.480
I could go off on a tangent.
00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:14.559
So, so having four kids, my third, we found out in grade two that she couldn't read.
00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:18.160
She was so tricky and found all of the coping mechanisms.
00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:18.720
Yep.
00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:21.119
Um, my mom was a kindergarten teacher.
00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:23.119
We did all the songs and all the things.
00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:33.039
Um, so if she's sneaky enough to get by me not being able to read by grade two, I can only imagine kids with less involved parents.
00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:36.799
Those personal stories that we have around a particular topic.
00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:39.839
We uh one of my children had a lot of support with literacy as well.
00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:45.599
And it's something that I ended up supporting a lot, both with teacher education as well as in my own classroom.
00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:47.759
And it just, it really does hold my heart.
00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:52.240
Does um education matters have a connection with the Calgary Public Library?
00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:53.759
Not specifically, no.
00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:55.119
I love the library.
00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:04.079
I literally got a tour maybe two months ago and I learned a lot more and I realized I don't know very much about libraries, though I have always gone to one.
00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:04.480
I know.
00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:07.039
Well, that's the same libraries, hospitals, schools.
00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:10.319
Like you just assume that everything's functioning well.
00:19:10.319 --> 00:19:11.279
And yep, yep.
00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:14.160
But no, everywhere needs uh community support.
00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:20.720
Uh Stephanie, thank you so much for coming on Give Amplify Connect for talking about education matters and sharing the pillars with us.
00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:22.000
I really appreciate that.
00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:29.440
Uh, I have a few things that I want to look a little more into, but it's been really great to learn about what Education Matters is doing for Calgary students.
00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:30.799
Well, thanks so much, Christy.
00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:33.279
We really appreciate the Wolfe Pack Warriors support.
00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:34.960
Thank you for joining us today.
00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:39.680
The purpose of the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation is to give, amplify, and connect.
00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:47.599
Visit our website, WolfePack Warriors.com to learn more about this initiative or connect with us about a registered charity that is important to you.
00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:49.279
Don't miss the next episode.
00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:56.720
Follow Give, Amplify, Connect on your favorite podcast platform to hear from other Alberta based nonprofits about the work they are doing.
00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:59.440
On a final note, remember to take care of yourself.
00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:01.359
And your pack.
00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:05.599
Okay, you're gonna be okay.
00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:08.319
You're gonna be okay.
00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:11.759
Hush my darling, gonna be okay.
00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:14.480
You're gonna be okay.