New Brunswick
Fredericton | August 13, 2024
In anticipation of the upcoming provincial election on October 21, CIVIX traveled to Fredericton to hold our first-ever Democracy Bootcamp in New Brunswick. Taking place right at the end of summer, educators who attended were eager to get back in the swing of things and learn how to engage their students in Student Vote at the beginning of a new school year.
The event kicked off with CIVIX CEO Lindsay Mazzucco speaking on the importance of Student Vote, including a preview of lesson plans and programming resources. Next was the Elections & Democracy panel discussion moderated by Vanessa Vander Valk (CBC) and featuring panelists Erica Butler (CHMA), Jamie Gillies (STU) and Jacques Poitras (CBC). This group of experts discussed the upcoming New Brunswick election and some of the challenges facing democracy today, including polarization, distrust in institutions, and the prevalence of disinformation.
Kim Poffenroth, CEO of Elections New Brunswick spoke to teachers on the importance of democratic participation and civic education, and thanked the educators who attended for their dedication.
In the afternoon, CIVIX staff led several discussion sessions and teachers activities aimed at facilitating discussion in the classroom, digital media literacy, and how to best engage students within democracy and the election process.
In total, 55 educators attended the event from throughout the province.
Many thanks to Elections New Brunswick for making this event possible.
British Columbia
Vancouver | August 21, 2024
In the same month, CIVIX hustled over to British Columbia to hold another Democracy Bootcamp in Vancouver. The upcoming provincial election provided a great opportunity to invite educators to learn how to best utilize this election to teach students about democracy and the electoral process.
The event began with remarks from CEO of Elections British Columbia, Anton Boegman, followed by an overview of Student Vote, including strategies to increase student engagement and turnout. Next, participants discussed the List of Future Voters, a program from Elections BC that encourages students to pre-register to vote in their province and get engaged in their election process.
The Elections and Democracy panel – featuring interdisciplinary experts Meera Bains (CBC), Michael MacKenzie (VIU), Heidi Tworek (UBC) and moderated by Maxwell Cameron (UBC) – spoke on the upcoming BC election and challenges facing democracy in BC and Canada today.
With the ongoing conversation about political discussion in the classroom, the next part of the day focused on ways of handling controversial conversations in the classrooms using skills and strategies from CIVIX’s PoliTalks program.
To close out the day, we spoke on ways of navigating information sources during election time, and how to help students discern what information they can and can’t trust both online and off.
In total, 77 educators attended the event from throughout the province.
Many thanks to Elections BC, Government of Canada, and several private foundations for making this event possible.
Saskatchewan
Saskatoon | September 26-27, 2024
Near the end of September, CIVIX held its third Bootcamp of this fall in Saskatoon, in anticipation of the October provincial Saskatchewan election.
On the evening of September 26, the event opened with remarks from Dr. Michael Boda, CEO of Elections Saskatchewan, followed by an engaging panel discussion moderated by Alex Brown (CKOM), and featuring interdisciplinary experts Susan Dieleman (University of Lethbridge), Marcus Kolga (DisinfoWatch/Macdonald-Laurier Institute), Heather Persson (University of Saskatchewan), and Charles Smith (University of Saskatchewan, St. Thomas More College).
The next morning started bright and early with breakfast and a Student Vote discussion. Three Saskatchewan teachers spoke about their experiences and best practices for engaging students in the school election. Educators were encouraged to discuss their own strategies for the program at their tables.
CIVIX’s Director of Education Ken Boyd then spoke about strategies for creating a discussion-friendly classroom and facilitating constructive conversations, especially when talking about political or controversial issues.
To close out the day, CIVIX’s Digital Literacy Project Manager Kelsey Davis led the educators in discussions and activities on how to navigate online information, using skills and strategies from the CTRL-F program. The session also addressed some new problems and questions created by AI.
In total, 56 educators attended the event from throughout the province.
Many thanks to Elections Saskatchewan and Elections Canada for making this event possible.