Schools throughout the Chinook's Edge School Division are building the citizenship skills of its students through participation in ‘We Act' initiatives wherever possible.
‘We Act' initiatives are sponsored by Free the Children, an international charity that works to help children become agents of change.
Schools throughout CESD have participated in ‘We Act' events for the past several years, according to Supt. Kurt Sacher.
The division had 18 of its schools participate in some form of ‘We Act' programs in 2012-13, and hopes to expand that even further in the future.
Fourteen schools throughout the division, for example, participated in ‘We Day', an annual event in Calgary that draws students to hear speakers give ideas to students on initiatives they can do at the schools to improve local and global communities.
Nine schools throughout the division participated in ‘We Walk 4 Water' last spring, including Ecole Deer Meadow School in Olds, raising $1,528 for the campaign.
“When they go together for the big event, they get some really powerful speakers that are really influential and they talk about how you can make a difference and how you can be a change agent in your community. And so they really encourage them,” Sacher said.
School administrators throughout the division decide if their schools will participate in ‘We Act' initiatives and to what level they will participate.
“I'd be surprised if you don't see more (schools) participate next year,” Sacher said. “They decide on their own because they have to commit to doing a bit of a project in their local community if they're going to get accepted into (the program).”
Sacher said everyone who goes to the annual ‘We Day' event comes back extremely excited to make an impact at their school and in the community.
“We also have seen just tons of enthusiasm when they have done their little project in their community,” he said.
Sacher said the ‘We Act' initiatives are a good complement to what staff at all schools do every day when they step inside a school.
“I think it builds on the work that our teachers and our staff members are doing on a daily basis where they're allowing students leadership opportunities. This just adds to it,” he said.
"I think it builds on the work that our teachers and our staff members are doing on a daily basis where they're allowing students leadership opportunities."Kurt Sacher, Supt. CESD
