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ARTICLE

Connecting Classrooms to the Community ( CTF Report)

Mary Lou Donnelly
December 2010

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UNESCO describes  the role of education for sustainable  development as helping people “develop  the attitudes, skills, and knowledge to make  informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and for the future, and to act upon those decisions.” This is the core of a new CTF program, Imagineaction,  which offers subsidies for projects that connect classrooms to the community. Imagineaction aims to help educators  use a critical-thinking model to teach citizenship by  having  students actively participate in  community-based projects. Imagineaction  builds on the successful  Green Street program  by enhancing what was a strictly environmental focus to include six broader themes:

  • Connect (relationships)
  • Engage (participatory citizenship)
  • Thrive (health and wellness)
  • Lead (leadership)
  • Live (environmental sustainability)
  • Care (poverty)

Each of these themes is intertwined in a program geared to facilitate action after teachers and students have engaged in a critical-thinking exercise about the issue that they want to take on. Imagineaction will offer support by providing

  • funding subsidies to help get projects started
  • access to a database of individuals and organizations willing to share their expertise and help with a local project
  • web-based professional  resources to help teachers initiate social action projects tied to both curricular and co-curricular activities
  • an electronic showcase that will enable project teams to publicize their work and let them search for new  and innovative ideas related to sustainable development.

Teachers  were able to start registering their projects and apply for funding as of September 2010. Visit  the website  imagine-action.ca  to start your project. Click on “Teacher”  and create a profile. Once you are approved,  you will  have  access to professional  resources and funding opportunities. It is our hope that Imagineaction will serve as a catalyst to inspire teachers and their students to think critically  about the world around them and to  act  to  make their  community a  better place. Imagine the possibilities! For more information,  please visit: imagine-action.ca.