Correlieu

Social Justice Class

 

               

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Justice Course Outline and helpful links 

 

Detailed Prescribed Learning Outcomes.pdf 

 

SJ12 Kit Draft 2.doc  

 

Glossary.pdf

 

How to avoid death by Powerpoint:  http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35038429?utm_content=bufferead21&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

BestPracticesClassPresentations.docx

 

Changing the Haters' minds:  https://newsyndicalist.org/2017/04/23/changing-minds-no-one-cares-that-youre-right/

 

Before you start your projects read this powerpoint:

Citing Sources.ppt

 

Different messages about the Oil Sands and the northern Gateway project

 

http://www.straight.com/article-718196/vancouver/different-message-canadas-tar-sands-industry?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

http://www.straight.com/article-718976/vancouver/video-enbridge-ad-spoof-province-didnt-want-you-see?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

Morgan Freeman: The Power of Words http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_tCtvmAm4M

 

Your environmental footprint:  http://www.footprintcalculator.org/

 

 

 

 

GUIDING QUESTIONS

 

These guiding questions aim to synthesize student personal experience and knowledge with a broad range of social justice concepts.  It is anticipated that teachers will use these questions to help deepen analysis of issues and exploration of the SJ 12 curriculum.  These overarching questions would build upon a sound knowledge of the differences between social service, social responsibility and social justice.

 

1. What connections can I make between social justice issues and my own life and identity?

• ·         How do these ‘isms’ exist in my own world?
• ·         What are my personal experiences?  How do they shape my values and beliefs?  In turn, how do my values and beliefs influence or impede my motivation to participate in particular social justice issues?
• ·         How can I act as an effective agent of social change?
• ·         To what extent am I able and willing to initiate and participate in active citizenship?
• ·         As an individual, do my actions maintain or reinforce the status quo?  How do I become an agent of change?  In what ways can I productively challenge the status quo?
• ·         End of course personal reflection:  Have I experienced any paradigm shifts in my thinking or actions as a result of the ideas explored in this course?

 

2.  Are social inequalities inevitable or an imposed social arrangement?

 

3.  How is power established or institutionalized in society?

 

4.  What are the causes and consequences of social injustice?

 

5.  When do social justice issues become ‘our’ issues? What are the connections between oppression in Canada and oppression in the rest of the world?

 

6.  When dealing with complex issues, how do we negotiate the value of certain human rights over others?  Are there universal ethics upon which society can agree or are they relative to individual cultures, nations, and groups?

 

7.  How is truth and meaning produced in/by society?  (media and power structures)

 

8.  Consider a problem or issue.  What is the probable future?  Possible future?  Ideal future?  How do we achieve the ideal future?  What obstacles might we face?

 

9.  What is the difference between recognizing, analyzing, and acting for social justice?

 

10.  What does responsible action look like?  What are the most effective methods to foster systemic change? What are some specific skills and actions that are necessary to become an agent of change?

 

Women's Rights

 

Good news for girls as China relaxes One-Child Policy: 

 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/07/as-china-s-one-child-policy-relaxes-girl-children-no-longer-stigmatized.html

 

LGTBQ update from around the world.  Scary!  And hopeful....

 

http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/infographics/20140108freeequal/

 

 

 

Genocides  

 

Choose a topic from the list of genocides.  Please select a topic that occurred in the 20th or 21st centuries.

 

Genocides list.doc

 

BC Genocide link to Slideshare:  https://www.slideshare.net/secret/swthkn5vgozYG6

 

Copy of Fred's Big 6 Historical Concepts presentation:  https://www.slideshare.net/secret/cNgkOqpHPzvBMT

 

Copy of Fred's The Textbook is Dead presentation:  https://www.slideshare.net/secret/xqQ7w2dLGGRJxe

 

 

 

 

 

Non-Governmental Organizations

 

Here's a long list of NGO's that are out there in the world working every day to improve the plight of the impoverished and disadvantaged. 

 

http://www.wango.org/resources.aspx?section=ngodir

 

http://chatt.hdsb.ca/~menkac/classes/NGOs.htm

 

On-line Petition Sites 

 

You can make a difference right from the comfort of your own home simply by selecting an on-line petition and supporting whatever cause that interests you.

 

on-line petition sites.doc

 

Poverty 

 

Try this simulation and see how hard it is to live in poverty.

 

http://playspent.org/

 

Go through the steps to apply for Social Assistance (but please do not use your SIN number):  https://www.iaselfserve.gov.bc.ca/HomePage.aspx

 

Complete this survey to see how your income stacks up against your peers.  Then pretend to be a 40 year old person of colour, women, man etc.  What do the results mean?

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/09/12/how-much-money-do-people-just-like-you-

 

 

2018 

We raised about $550 dollars and donated it to the SPCA.  Here's Mr.Biller, who helps out the SPCA every year, year in, year out, presenting the cheque.  Notice three former Correlieu students giving back to the community.  Thanks, ladies, for taking care of our pets.

 

 

 

2017  

We raised about $600 and spent it by buying some supplies for the Amata House in Quesnel.  Here is the class giving Josie the goods.

 

 

2013

 

April 13, 2013 Blue Collar Silvaculture Work Bee; Thank you, Mark, for the $300 donation 

 

 

 

Free The Children Workshop April 15, 2013 (with Andrew and Alex)

 

 

We cleaned up the school yard and Mr.Adams donated $200.

 

 

We donated another $200 to the Quesnel Community Foundation, bringing our three year total to $800.

 

We also donated $50 to Quesnel Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

 

We bought a water buffalo from Heifer International https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog/water-buffalo.html

 

 

 

as well as a supply of fresh water.  https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog/gift-of-clean-water.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012

 

 We continued our relationship with Seasons House and the Salvation Army, conducting tours of both places.  We helped out at the Sally Ann and we donated clothes to Seasons House.

 

 

 

 

2011 

During our look at poverty issues we had a number of guest speakers and site visits.  Firstly, we had a tour of Seasons House in downtown Quesnel.  Seasons House is a year round homeless shelter that sees between 400 and 600 different people use its facility every year.  Ellen Winofsky of Seasons House visted our classroom and discussed the reality of homelessness in Quesnel and talked about how to improve the situation for our local residents who need to use this facility.  We were involved in a simulation where students took on roles of the different social classes in society and were asked questions about how they felt about their status.  Here is a link to the Seasons House website:  http://seasonshouse.org/Mission.html

 

We also had a discussion with Youth Probation officer Kelley Pomeroy who accompanied Ellen.  She talked about her career and the types of poverty issues that many of her young clients are dealing with every day.

 

Julie Duckworth from Social Services also dropped by to explain how the social assistance "system" works, how people qualify and how much money they per month to survive.

 

We also made a visit to the Salvation Army downtown, and after a quick tour and explanation of how it operates, they put us to work for an hour.

 

Here are the links to some websites that delve into the poverty situation in British Columbia.

 

 http://www.r4r.ca/en/what-is-esd

  

http://www.4real.com/

 

 http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090330/BC_Shame_Hub_090330/20090330/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

 

http://www.mission-possible.ca/

 

http://www.freerice.com/

 

 

 

Fundraising 2012

 

 

The class decided to raise money in a couple different ways.  First off, they decided to sell hot dogs at lunch throughout May.  This was a success and they raised over $400.  Many thanks to Parveen and her family for spear-heading the hot dog sales.

 

We also had a raffle which raised 85$.  Courtney was instrumental in getting the free car wash items to put in the one basket, and Shelby received hair products from her mom to put in the second basket.

 

With this money we are going to buy a water buffalo at http://www.heifer.org  

 

 

We are also going to donate about $200 to the Quesnel foundation to add to our total of $400 from last year.  http://www.quesnelfoundation.ca/

 

We also gathered through donation a truck load of clothes, backpacks and shoes for Seasons House.  http://seasonshouse.org/

 

All in all, it was an interesting, challenging and ultimately rewarding semester with this year's SJ class.  Now the real work begins.

 

Fundraising 2011

 

In the spring of 2011 the Correlieu Social Justice class raised about $700 by selling chocolate almonds.  The Quesnel and District Teachers Association donated another $100.  We chose to donate the money based upon our wish that it would not simply be used up and disappear.  We also decided to split the money between a local project and an overseas project.  Locally, we gave $400 to the Quesnel Foundation.  The QF supports a number of different initiatives in our community through a series of grants they award each April.  The money donated to the QF goes into an endowment fund for the City and so the money we donated will benefit the community for years to come.  Here is their website:  http://www.quesnelfoundation.ca/  Here is a picture of the class presenting Nancy Lilienweiss of the Quesnel Foundation with a cheque for $400. 

 

The overseas project we decided to work with is called KIVA.  KIVA is a web-based micro-financing non-governmental organization that helps lend money to people who cannot qualify for a a loan from a real bank.  We donate the money and KIVA lends it out to budding entrepreneurs across the globe.  We had already loaned $50 to a group in Tanzania and they have recently repaid the loan.  Here is the link and picture of a group of 15 people who we helped develop a local food market:   http://www.kiva.org/lend/274255   

 

 

We are now going to donate another $300 to KIVA projects before the end of June, 2011.  We decided to concentrate on Africa because a number of our class presentations focussed on such issues as Rape in the Congo, the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath, homophobia in Uganda, female circumcision across middle Africa and child soldiers almost everywhere, all terrible realities impacting the heart of Africa.  I will update the site when our new loans have been made to show you where we've put our donated money to work. 

 

Here is the KIVA website:   http://www.kiva.org/ 

 

We encourage all viewers of this site to consider donating to both the Quesnel Foundation and KIVA because your donated money will always keep on giving.