Economic Recovery Commission Supports Local Community Education Initiative
Community Education Initiative:
Making the most of what we've got
The sectors are running fine by themselves thank you.
But that's part of the problem: now we need to encourage our education, health, social and economic development sectors to work together with shared purposed and goals.
That, in a nutshell, is the rationale behind the Community Education Initiative, a strategy of the Economic Recovery Commission supported by the provincial Department of Education. The Initiative is intended to enhance the educational process in Newfoundland communities by making more efficient use of systems already in place.
"What is becoming increasingly clear is that we have the majority of the services in place," says Barbara Case, a community education consultant with the ERC. "But we do not have the coordination of these services."
The lack of coordination between various agencies and institutions happens in all jurisdictions - not just in education - and is not limited to Newfoundland or even Canada, says Barbara. "It's a worldwide problem."
At the same time, Barbara has noticed an almost universal receptivity to the community education concept. "I think we're in a fortunate situation in that a lot of people are calling for the same kind of coordination of services."
Underlining the need for the Community Education Initiative Barbara says, is a provincial functional illiteracy rate of approximately 44 per cent.
"As a province, we cannot afford the underutilization of our human resource - as it cripples the individual so it cripples the province. Education is not a panacea for economic ills but it is clear that an educated population will give us a stronger base on which to build."
The Initiative, Barbara says, would not entail wholesale change or "throwing out the baby with the bath water." It would simply utilize and build on existing services and institutions. But the process can only begin, she says, when communities acknowledge that they must take a proactive role in their own development.
"We've been putting incredible demands upon the teaching profession to provide a solid educational foundation, without considering what the responsibility of the community is in assisting in that provision...Community education is not a recipe for education change - it provides a climate in which relevant ideas can grow and thrive."
Once the various agencies in a community come together in a spirit of cooperation, Barbara says, ideas and initiatives inevitably come to the fore. "People determine where they are now, where they would like to be and how they might get there. Then they pool the available sills and resources and build on that."
Because it had already identified needs and gaps from within and had formed its own advisory committee, Port au Port was chosen earlier this year as the site for a community education project. Although it is still progressing through the initial stages, Barbara says, some components of the Port au Port pilot program are already in place.
For example, when a locally conducted study found that most students with lower grade averages came from dysfunctional families - that is, families that were socially or economically disadvantaged - a cooperative program was launched by the departments of Health, Education and Social Services to head off learning problems at the preschool level.
"What's really exciting is that things are happening there even without funding. Things are falling into place because the agencies are beginning to change. It's like something ready to happen; you just touch people with this idea and it springs off on its own."
For further information on the Community Education Initiative, call Barbara Case at 738-0199.
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