by Heidi Hackman & Colleen McNamee, District Career Coordinators, SD 63 | photo by Janis Jean Photography –
This month rather than highlighting one of our amazing trades students, we are excited to let readers know about two new programs that the Saanich School District is launching in February.
The first program, Take a Hike, is one that is new to Vancouver Island but has been operational in the Lower Mainland for 20 years.Take a Hike Foundation partners with school districts to engage vulnerable youth in a full time alternative program. The program provides self-paced education plans, fun and challenging outdoor adventures, service-learning projects and continuous, intensive clinical counselling. More than just adventure-based learning, Take a Hike is one of the few outdoor programs in B.C. that has dedicated mental health services woven into the program. The Saanich School District is very excited to launch this new program with the goal of empowering youth with the skills and resilience they need to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, and achieve success – however they define it.
The program will run out of the Saanichton Learning Centre, and will have a maximum of 20 students who are referred to the program through Saanich School District advocates, counsellors and administration teams. Tristan Tjosvold (at right) is the mental health clinician who will be working with the team and is excited for this program to start as he has been a part of the Take a Hike program in the Lower Mainland. He is driven by the hope and potential that human connection can facilitate. A Saanich School District teacher will also be involved in the program full time to teach the core curriculum.
For more information on this program visit www.takeahikefoundation.org.
The second program is the Educational Assistant and Community Support (EACS) program. This is a partnership program between the Saanich School District and Vancouver Island University. Hosted at the Saanichton Learning Centre and running from February 1 until the end of August, the EACS program is available as a dual credit program for Grade 12 students, so they can earn credit towards high school and postsecondary. It is also available to qualified members of the community looking for new career pathways. All the students in the program will complete a practicum within the school district and the community. The schools in Saanich are looking forward to supporting the students with hands-on training opportunities. Successful completion of the program may lead to employment in the Saanich School District and/or in a community setting such as a residential program for people with disabilities.
Educational Assistants play a vital role in our schools by supporting children and youth with diverse abilities. One of the many benefits of this program is that it ladders into the second year of a Social Services & Child & Youth Care Diploma, a Bachelor of Arts in Child & Youth Care Degree, Bachelor of Education or a Bachelor of Social Work. With the shortage of educational assistants in the district we are excited to get this program up and running. If you are interested in applying please contact Colleen McNamee at cmcnamee@saanichschools.ca or Heidi Hackman at hhackman@saanichschools.ca.
