Attention students of Alberta! I’m talking K-12!

With the recession, the deficit and increasing strain on our spending, the provincial government is proposing cuts all across the board. We already know this – the controversial elimination of written diplomas in sciences and maths have caused quite the stir already. Now, the government has gone a step further (too far, in my opinion).

The proposed curriculum changes “provide vision and direction for new programs of study” (Alberta Education).  What this means is:

–  Fine Arts courses would change from being full, term long (125hr, 5 credit) courses into modules (25hrs, 1 credit). This would mean, if you wanted to take “Educational Arts” you would take (in grade 10) Tap Dance, Acting, Jazz Band, Drawing, and Arts Education (art history and careers). You would have to take ALL 5 classes.

– There is a possibility that large-scale school art communities (such as bands, choirs and dance troups) would be eliminated entirely.

–  The courses would be based on “exploring” arts as a whole, instead of “focusing” on a discipline. This is applied, also, to High School (where we should be focusing on a discipline!)

–  This would result in the elimination of connection courses between Jr. High and High School (such as band or painting) because Jr. Highs would not have the same art courses as High Schools

Many people are upset about this new framework. What will it achieve, besides less focus on the arts as an option? More money for the government? Is that what it comes down to – money? Are artistic ventures really that much more money (compared to athletics)? Since when is it ok to cut out education for an entire sector of people?

I have questions, and I’m sure some of you do as well. Speak up. There is a public meeting this Monday, November 9th (TODAY!) at 7:30 at Lord Beaverbrook High School.

Read the proposal and form an educated opinion.  

Check out the student and teacher run website SaveOurFineArts to get our side of the story.

I don’t think 75hrs over 3 years is enough to “discover” a discipline, much less attain the “transferable skills set” the government believes this plan will create. Do you?

Think that all spiders are mean, evil looking meat eaters? Well, you have just being proven to be wrong!

Scientists who have being studying a tropical jumping spider, the  Bagheera kiplingi, in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Costa Rica between 2001 and 2008 have made an amazing discovery. This “utterly surreal” spider’s diet consists almost completely of plant buds, although it has being found to feed on ant larvae on rare occasions. This is the first specie of spider out of the 40,000 species that have being identified to be a “vegetarian”. The amazing thing is, this spider has adapted the mechanisms possible to digest the tough fibers of plants which other spiders can not.

You can read more about these wonderous spiders here and here. The world is simply full of wonders to be discovered!

Ever wanted to grade Calgary on how well you think it’s doing?  I mean, you get graded all the time, why not turn the tables?

Child and Youth Friendly Calgary is actually working on a new project that will let you do just that.  It’s called Youth Vital Signs, and it will let you give your opinion on how Calgary is doing in areas like transportation, environmental friendliness, culture, education/learning, the arts, employment and youth spaces – all things that affect you! 

We know you probably have pretty strong opinions about at least one of these topics, and that’s why we’re asking for your help.  There’s a contest going on through the Aviva Community Fund in which we could potentially receive funds to get Youth Vital Signs on the move – all you have to do to help is go here and vote for Youth Vital Signs.  The ideas with the most votes get funding!

Youth Vital Signs has the potential to have a huge impact on the city – after you grade Calgary, the big movers, shakers and decision makers in the city will see what you have to say and this will help them to know what YOU think will make Calgary better for young people.  The adults in Calgary have had this chance before, and now it’s your turn.

Please vote!

Gone is the first part in a series of novels.  It is about a town that gets trapped in an impenetrable dome and everyone over the age of 14 disappears.  The kids in this novel mostly belong to one of the two groups: the kids from Perdido beach and the ones from Coates academy.  The kids from the beach are quite average kids but the kids from Coates academy are troubled kids with wealthy parents.

The novel quickly takes a dark turn when the Coates kids take over Perdido beach and begin to enforce harsh laws and even kill people.  On top of that the animals begin to mutate and some kids also develop deadly powers.

The story follows multiple characters including one who is about to turn 15 in a few days and does not know what will happen to him afterwards.  He’s also proven to be a hero on two occasions and is somewhat of a born leader, so people begin to turn to him to save them from the cruelty of the kids from Coates academy.

This book explores the more dark side of what kids would do if there were no adults.

Welcome to week two of my series reviewing television programs.  If you missed it, Part 1 on Corner Gas is here, and if you want a bit of info on how you can watch the latest in TV, try here.

Today I bring you another great Canadian television show which is now in its third season and is still going strong.  Flashpoint is the name of the show and it is a police drama about an elite tactical unit, called the Strategic Response Unit (SRU).  This makes the show focus on resolving intense situations that regular police are not trained for, including bomb threats, hostage situations, bank robberies, and even unique situations such as extreme activist groups or radical cult groups.  Whatever the situation may be, Flashpoint does an excellent job in creating the tension you would find in these situations, and portraying how the response unit members deal with these problems, both physically and psychologically.

I hope CTV keeps Flashpoint alive and running, as it is a superb Canadian show, and we really need to support these gems in Canadian television.  They can be hard to come by, especially in a market which focuses on making money over making quality productions that have substance.  However, there are broadcasting companies who do support these quality programs, such as CTV, and for that I give thanks.

And on that bombshell, I leave you until next time. Kudos to the creators Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern, and to the rest of the crew.  If you wish to indulge yourself with some quality Flashpoint, head over to CTV at http://watch.ctv.ca/flashpoint/season-3/.  Enjoy!

Centennial High School is still considered a very new school when it comes to how often schools are built; it opened in 2004 while the school was still under construction. This year Centennial hosted its very first Battle of the Bands. The audition process was rigorous, but the top three bands were chosen to perform in the cafeteria and a winner was chosen.

The band Love Cats was cheered on by fellow students to become the winner and to be the opening act during Seventh Rain’s upcoming concert at the school.  Seventh Rain has become a popular pop rock band for youth all over Alberta, and mostly performs at schools while also promoting a message they strongly believe in – they show a multimedia presentation on anti-bullying before their performance.  The event at Centennial High School is free, and open to the public on Monday, November 9th. However, Centennial students get first priority entrance to the event, and the capacity for the event is 200 people.  The show will be starting at 6:00pm in Centennial’s Theater.  What makes these two events that much better is that both of them have been organized by the students!  For any students out there who are trying to implement change or organize events at their school, don’t give up hope!  In the words of Adidas, “Impossible is nothing”.

Cybermentor is an online mentoring program aimed at girls 11-18 who are interested in or just want to learn more about science and engineering.  The program matches girls with female students at Alberta universities and other places around the globe who are studying science and engineering, or with professional women scientists and engineers (my current mentor works in Germany!).

The primary goal of the Cybermentor program is to expand girls’ knowledge of careers, opportunities and benefits that exist for women in science and engineering fields.  Second, is to provide motivation for girls to continue in their math and science studies through interaction with female role models who are studying and practicing in these fields.  Third, girls will have the opportunity to communicate with mentors from diverse fields, thereby expanding the options for potential career paths.

I have been with Cybermentor for 5 years now, and it has been an amazing experience!  I’ve talked to my mentors about their jobs, university life, high school courses, and mostly just fun stuff, like what sports and activities we do.  When you register, you specify what you are interested in and they do their best to match you with a woman in a related field — and let me tell you, they are AMAZING at matching!  If you aren’t sure exactly what you’re interested in, that’s just fine.  They’ll match you with someone who you can learn from.  Another cool thing about Cybermentor is that you can have a new mentor in a new (or same) field each year or, if you decide, you can stay with the same mentor for more than one year.  Plus, if at some point during the year you don’t feel a connection with your mentor, you can get a new one!

All communication is done through the Cybermentor website and all information transfered is secure and confidential.

So, are you a girl who loves science or just want to learn more? Then sign up for Cybermentor! 😀

Follow Cybermentor on Facebook and Twitter!

Every few months when I’ve exhausted my current iPod playlist and am looking for new bands to listen to (but am tired of searching through myspace music profiles), I ask Taste Kid.

Visiting TasteKid.com is like asking a friend what you should listen to, read, or watch next, but you’re asking a friend with a ridiculously large knowledge of every artist, author, or actor ever – and the ability to read you mind and make dead on suggestions.

All you have to do is type in the names of a few bands/books/movies you like, and Taste Kid Emmy pops out a list of bands/books/movies along your tastes that you might like – some you may have heard of and some you haven’t.

What better way to kick off the weekend then finding a new band to obsess over or new favourite movie you can watch over and over?

Gandhi once said “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

Challenge Day encourages people who participate to challenge themselves and others to make a positive change in their lives and our world.

During Challenge Day, the youth who join in the action are encouraged to celebrate diversity and expression, and learn how to create a world where everyone gets to feel safe and accepted.  That also means getting to know the other youth that are participating, and learning things like how to break down barriers between cliques, and get rid of bullying, and accepting people for who they are.

The coolest part is that Challenge Day happens at schools all over North America, and if you’re interested in having this event at your school, I encourage you to check the website for more info (they’ve got a bunch of videos up to show you what Challenge Day is really like), and talk to your teacher about it. 

 So how ’bout it?  Are you up for challenging yourself and your peers to change the world?

Do you think that paintball is just a game where everyone shoots each other with fake bullets that make your clothes dirty? Well, my friend, let me tell you, it is much more than just that.

It is about teamwork, and what can teamwork brings you? ART! Don’t believe that people can make messy paintball into art? See for yourself:

Isn’t that amazing?  Well, I can imagine the planning and practices required for them to paint such fantastic picture. The accuracy and precision of shooting that is done are definitely jaw-dropping!

Do you like the painting done by group of paintball players? Post your comment and tell me what you think.

The show all kids love is turning 40! On November 10th, Sesame Street will celebrate its 40th Anniversary. It first aired on November 10th, 1969, and has become the longest running show on United States television.

The Sesame Street characters were originally created by Jim Henson. They became loved by children all over the world, and have formed a show that is an extremely helpful educating tool for children today.

Happy Birthday to Sesame Street and hopefully it continues to be as good as educating kids as it was when we were young! For more information click here.

So a while back Kaitlin had posted a topic about the Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC).  For those who don’t know, YVC is a program where youth can sign up to volunteer in Calgary.  Youth can sign up to volunteer 1 time, or 2 times, or 100 times.  Projects are added weekly and youth can volunteer at their own pace.

The best part is that the volunteering is done in teams.  So when you sign up for a project you’ll be working with a group of youth.  You’re also allowed to bring friends to volunteer with you.  There is a team leader who is there to make sure you’re taken care of.

The projects offered through YVC are awesome and aren’t boring jobs.  I’ve posted a video to highlight one of the previous YVC projects.  This one is from back in September 2009 and it’s from the Calgary International Film Festival.  Youth volunteers came out to rip tickets, greet patrons, introduce films, take pictures, etc.  Check it out.

To sign up or for more information please visit Child and Youth Friendly Calgary.

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Vancouver and Edmonton have both experienced Make It. Guess who’s next… Calgary! Just in time for the holiday season that’s around the corner too.

WHAT is Make It?

Make It is the handmade revolution. It is an event where you can shop for ethically made, one-of-a-kind handmade items from over 50 of Canada’s hottest emerging urban artisans and designers! There will be music spun by top local DJs and tasty treats to be enjoyed.

Make It is about appreciating creativity, connecting entrepreneurs, and giving conscious shoppers an alternative to the mall.

WHEN is Make It?

*Disclaimer: It has recently come to our attention that Ashley Kirilow allegedly lied about having cancer and that her charity was a hoax. Youth Are Awesome does not support this behaviour, nor do we condone it. We support youth that are doing good things with good intentions. We have decided to leave this post up as an example of what not to do, and promote that it is possible for youth to accomplish great things, but only if they have good intentions.

Please see our new post for more information.

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Recently I had the opportunity to talk to Ashley Kirilow, the founder of “Change” For a Cure (C4AC).  C4AC is an organization that encourages everyone to save the change they find – whether it be in their pockets, in the seat cushions, or on the sidewalk – in order to help find a cure for cancer.  The organization also holds various concerts and events to help fundraise, but I’ll let Ashley – who was inspired by the Skate4Cancer project and is even planning to walk across the country to raise funds for her cause –  tell you more about it 🙂

Youth Are Awesome: I have to ask, what is your favourite type of cheese?

Ashley Kirilow: Haha, I don’t really like cheese, but I like these things called “Cheese Balls”…the jalapeno one.  It’s this big ball of soft cheese you spread onto crackers.  Yum!

YAA: How did you decide where all of our saved “change” would be donated too?

A: Being a cancer patient myself, and struggling with finding a treatment that worked for my body and types of cancer I have [Ashley has breast, brain and stomach cancer], the search for a cure has always been my goal. Then I heard about DCA, a cancer fighting drug proven to help cure cancer 70% better then any chemo out there. I just had to help fund it.

YAA: Did you think this organization would take off as quickly as it did?

Whether it’s basketball or piano, this saying will always be true. The more you practice and practice, the better you get. But is the right type of practice more important than we think?

As you repeat an action over and over again, your muscles become accostomed to how the action is performed and how it feels. Your brain starts to remember what to do.

Now, say you play an instrument. You have a song that is very hard, and you start learning it without the help of your teacher. You’ve been practicing all week, but there is a rhythm, fingering or note that you are playing wrong. When you find out from your teacher that you have been playing it wrong, it takes at least twice the time to re-program yourself to play it right than it took to learn it in the first place.

Perhaps you play basketball. You started playing by yourself without a coach, and you developed your own way that feels comfortable to you to throw the ball, but when you join the team, you realise you’ve been doing it wrong. It may take you weeks of throwing hoops before you tell your muscles a new way of doing it.

This is all because of muscle memory! Now you can see why it is important to practice right!

Here are some tips to help you practice right the first time:

– Isolate the problem and focus on improving it.

– Repeat it over and over again to train your brain.

– Practice as often as possible, even if it is just for a short amount of time.

– Visualize what you are doing before and after you do it.

– Never give up!! It may take many tries before you fix the problem!