On September 12^th and 13^th several teachers from ASDN participated in a professional learning (PL) experience in Halifax that was fully funded by CIVIX Canada. This PL focused on best practices in implementing the Student Vote program which bills itself as, “an authentic learning program that provides students with the opportunity to experience the voting process firsthand and practice the habits of active and informed citizenship.” This free program has been used in several schools in across ASDN and, with the upcoming federal election, will surely see widespread use in 2019. (If you would like to register your class or school for this free resource, you can find more information by clicking here.)

Teachers who attended the conference came back to ASDN with an enhanced appreciation for the Student Vote program and created several invaluable networking connections with teachers from across the Maritimes.

Below is a reflection compiled from some of the ASDN teachers who applied for this free professional learning experience:

“The Democracy Bootcamp conference by CIVIX was an incredible two days of networking with fellow teachers from across the Maritimes, learning from experts in the fields of journalism and politics, and witnessing the incredible CIVIX team in action. Taylor and his team were so thoughtful in organizing and running the conference, especially by making time and space for teachers to ask questions and discuss their own experiences running Student Vote. Getting to share with and hear from fellow professionals was such a treat. A panel on digital threats to democracy featured professors in the fields of journalism and media studies, while a second panel featured advisors on federal political campaigns for the NDP, Conservative, and Liberal parties. These panels, in addition to introductions to CIVIX’s new resources on teaching media literacy to students were incredibly valuable as we move into teaching about the upcoming federal election and running Student Vote in our schools.”

Pictured: Shiann Holmes (NSER), Cynthia Russell (NSER), Laura Perry (MAA) and Rachael Bell (MAA)