Friday, March 18, 2022 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM EDT
CIVIX is offering a one-day Democracy Bootcamp on March 18 to get ready for the Ontario provincial election.
Join us for enlightening discussions about the state of democracy in Canada and provincial politics. The event will also include workshops to become familiar with tools you can use in your classroom to build the habits of active and informed citizenship among your students.
All sessions are offered virtually. To access the event, please
register here.
Schedule
9:30-9:55 am ET: Welcome/Opening Remarks
10:00-10:55 am ET: Threats to Democracy
Academics and experts discuss the factors behind the growing divisions and distrust seen today, and how we might heal those tensions and bridge the divide. The discussion will also focus on the importance of contemporary civic education in safeguarding democracy.
- Dr. Jared Wesley, University of Alberta
- Dr. Laura Stephenson, Western University
- Daniel Panneton, Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre
- Moderator: John Ibbitson, Globe and Mail
11:00-11:55 am ET: Student Vote Ontario / Vote étudiant Ontario
An overview of Student Vote and the learning resources for the Ontario election, followed by a discussion about best practices and ideas to help implement the program this spring. Concurrent English and French sessions.
11:55 am-12:30 pm ET: Lunch/Break
12:30-1:25 pm ET: The 2022 Provincial Election
Ontario political journalists will provide insights on the recent provincial political events and what to expect in the upcoming election campaign.
- Colin D’Mello, CTV News
- Sabrina Nanji, Queen’s Park Observer
- Martin Regg Cohn, Toronto Star
- Guest Moderator: Vassy Kapelos, CBC’s Power & Politics
1:30-2:40 pm ET: Contemporary Digital Literacy Skills/ La littératie numérique au 21e siècle
In this workshop, participants will try the polarized newsfeed activity Feed for Thought: Election Edition, which teaches students about the challenges with getting information from online platforms. This will be followed by a hands-on demonstration of CTRL-F, CIVIX’s digital literacy skills program for verifying information online (targeted at Grades 7-12). Concurrent English and French sessions.
1:30-2:40 pm ET: Building Visual Media Literacy Skills
With so much visual communication today, it’s important to be able to analyze the pictures we see, understand how they can shape what we believe, and recognize how others may see things differently than we do. This hands-on workshop will introduce a flexible framework for evaluating images from a range of sources including news, social media, and historical examples. Resources are designed for use with students in Grade 4 and up.
2:45 -3:45 pm ET: Race, Gender and Representation in Politics
A panel discussion with former and current representatives about the challenges faced by women and racialized candidates in their journey to Queen’s Park.
- Suze Morrison, current NDP MPP
- David Tsubouchi, former PC MPP
- Indira Naidoo-Harris, former Liberal MPP
- Moderator: Vicky Mochama, Journalist
