A few months ago, Mayor Nenshi launched the “3 Things for Calgary” initiative. Its purpose is to make Calgarians think about what they can do to make their street, communities or city better, do their own 3 things and then encourage others to do so.
A lot of other YAA bloggers have already posted their “3 Things for Calgary” so I figured that I would write about my own 3 things for my first post.
1. Get Engaged!
Make yourself an engaged student!
Student engagement is a really fancy sounding term that has a really simple message and idea behind it. It means that student make a meaningful connection with their learning. They really try to take part in everything their school has to offer, especially the learning that takes place in classrooms. It occurs when students start to really take pride in not only earning grades or receiving the average they wanted, but in understanding the material presented to them and incorporating it into their lives. This ideal is something that I personally put great value in, as a representative of the CBE’s Chief Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council and in the work that I do with administrators at my school. Student engagement is viewed as one of the things that exist in excellent learning environments and is something that is getting put into more school reforms.
What can YOU do about this? As a student, there is one very important thing to remember about student engagement, that is that it makes school more enjoyable. As most high school students will agree, school is stressful! Completing lots of assignments for strict due dates, doing a lot of “busy work,” along with trying to manage your extra-curricular activities, the stress starts to pile up and students start to become lethargic about their education. As students, we should start to take pleasure in our work, understanding that even if that essay is going to take you a long time to write, in the end your skills will pay off in the real world. Remember that you can do whatever it is you need to do, despite challenges and obstacles because that will make it that much more awesome when you actually accomplish your work. Be willing in your classroom! Recognize that you are there to better improve yourself and that all of the people around you are there to support you in that goal. Feel good about the good work you do, and ask questions when you don’t understand! Since in the end, what’s the point of having schools and education if you’re not enjoying and making the most of it.
2. Get Involved!
Get involved in Calgary 2012, Cultural Capital of Canada!
Next year, Calgary will become one of two cities to be named a “Cultural Capital of Canada.” This is an amazing opportunity to showcase our city nation-wide, but its success depends on community involvement. Calgary 2012 is the independent, non-profit organization that is helping to showcase Calgary’s culture and create projects to encourage future cultural achievements. They are basically involved in showing Calgary’s culture from yesterday, today, and helping to create tomorrow. The goals of the organization are to raise awareness of the richness of Calgary’s cultural assets and empower culture and participate in every community in Calgary. They have three Cultural Action Programs (fits with Mayor Nenshi’s initiative, doesn’t it?). The 2012 X grant project for non-profit arts and culture groups and individual artists to apply and use the money to address the Calgary 2012 themes. The second is the Grassroots Cultural Action Programs, which is for members of the general public and community-based groups or organizations to apply and receive up to $1,200 in funding to participate in a planned community cultural activity throughout the year. The last of which is the Citi-Sourcing Micro Financing and Volunteer Portal which allows Calgary to be the first city to pilot the technology of an online portal that combines a micro-financing website and a volunteer portal. This project will be implemented so that Calgarians with the same goals can find each other and support each other’s projects and donate either cash or volunteer hours.
Click here if you want to find out more information about the Calgary 2012 and its projects.
3. Get Talking!
Use your Twitter and Facebook for change!
Start conversations with the people you know and connect with through social networking and talk to them about the 3 Things initiative! Start conversations and bring more awareness to this initiative through tweeting with the hashtag #3ThingsYYC and following the initiative @3ThingsYYC , like their Facebook fanpage and post there, and make a status telling your friends what your 3 things are and asking them what theirs would be!