In Brief

SU hosts national conference

Youth delegates from across Canada will gather at the University of
Calgary March 7-10, to attend the Stand Up! National Youth Leadership Conference. Hosted by the Students’ Union, the conference focuses on building a tool kit of professional and leadership skills to assist youth with their leadership and advocacy aspirations. The conference will also provide a venue for delegates to seek out volunteer opportunities and career paths available at the local, national and international levels. The agenda of expert presenters and speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. Conference registration and general information is available online at www.standupconference.com.

Kosovo Project deemed Canada’s best

A recent external evaluation of the Faculty of Education’s project in the Balkans has found that the CIDA-funded project is one of Canada’s most successful development interventions, anywhere in the world, in the past 25 years. The six-year, $17.5-million project paired faculty researchers with local educators in the region to create a modern, sustainable education system. The program’s achievements included training nearly 12,000 teachers in Kosovo in learner-centred instruction methods. These teachers, in turn, reached more than 320,000 students across Kosovo. The initiative, which will wrap up in March 2007, also helped to strengthen the leadership, management and policy skills of the core personnel in Kosovo’s new Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

GG to attend teacher reunion

The U of C will host Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, on Saturday, Jan. 27, as she participates in a reunion for 12 Siksika teachers who graduated from the university’s Master of  Teaching program in June 2006. The teachers participated in a unique teacher training program that combines aboriginal language, culture and teaching traditions with mainstream educational practices. The pilot project, which began in the fall of 2004, is a partnership between the U of C, Old Sun Community College and the Siksika Nation. The initial class of 12 students all completed the program and received job offers upon graduation. Discussions are underway to continue the program.