MAIN PAGE
This initiative, although only incorporated as a non-profit organization in March 1993, has been evolving in Port au Port for some time. In 1983, the Port au Port Economic Development Association carrited out a youth survey to derermine why so many young people were dropping out of school. That survey, and subsequent follow-up, established the Development Association's direct invlolvement in educational issues. As a result, the Development Association started partnering with the Appalachia Roman Catholic School Board and agencies such as CEIC and Social Services to put in place preschool programs in the schools and work orientation workshops for young people who were at risk of dropping out of school. These types of initiatives tool the Development Association outside its (traditional) jurisdiction of economic development and the School Board outside its (traditional) jurisdiction of education. This collaboration opened an abenue for all kinds of possibilitis. Just over two years ago, the Development Association and the Schoo Board met with the Economic Recovery Commission and the rest is history. We've been colouring outside the lines ever since. Barbara Case of the Commission put the name of 'community education' on what these two organization wanted to do; namely to support educationalchange through an integrated community support system that would in time lead to a more highly educated population and a more economically viable region.
The first meeting of the Port au Port Community Education Advisory Board was held on June 4, 1991, calling together the various educational, funding and human service agencies working in Port au Port. Barbara, through her work at the Commission helped facilitate this whole process and two years later, we have some 20 organization working together in a collaborative manner, applying community education principles including: localization, maximum use of resources, inclusiveness, responsiveness, leadership development, self-help, self-determination, lifelong learning and integrated sercice delivery, to their work in Port au Port. Community education is the focal point and programs and services are put in place following these principles.
The strengths then of the initiative as I have already discussed are, first of all, the fact that this is home-grown in Port au Port and secondly, the importance of this inter-agency cooperation cannot be underestimated. Thirdly, our strength lies in community consultation and participation. All community stakeholders have had an opportunity at every stage of planning, through public meetings and workshops, to have input into this process. A major education needs assessment was carried out during the summer of '92. We have just completed a video and in September have a community forum planned when we will provide five evenings of televised programming with phone-in opportunities. These forums and workshops are firmly entrenched as part of the consulation process.
These points are meant to give you a sense of the initiative without going into details of the programming. There could be more time during the discussion for that. I'll just quickly mention the Pathfinder Learning Centre as an alternative high school program where students at risk of dropping out can follow a self-paced computerized program to meet their needs. They work side by side with adults who have returned to school and choose to do the high school program or college ABE. There are the school based family resource centres, opening in September, providing specific programs and resources to meet the needs of young children and their families as well as those of other segments of society - parenting programs, preschool programs, alternative curricula, community schools, coordinated guidance services, Port au Port Enterprise Training Initiative, literacy outreach, family child care. The list goes on - the important thing to remember is that there is no recipe - the focus is community education and that is the common thread which ties it all togehter. So what we have is a multi-dimensional approach to social and economic development which seeks to find and use methods which bvring into concer all of the learning forces and factors in the community in order for people to solve their problems and improve their communities. What does this have to do with community economic development? The importance of education to the success of individuals and societies is well documented and I'm sure you are aware that those economies that have had the highest levels of economic performance. The Port au Port Economic Development Association believes that education is key to community economic development, as do the other partners in the Port au Port Community Education Initiative. We see eduction both as a tool for economic development asn as a tool for self-development. During the public consultation process around the province on the Strategic Economic Plan, education (or the lack thereof) and the bureaucracy were identified as the two major barriers to development. We believe, through practicing community education, we are, in the short-term, through provision of educational opportunities and subsequently, the creation of a learning culture, where the learning system encompasses preschool, formal schooling and ongoing education and training, community capacity will be greater in Port au Port and there will be a new economy.
We cannot affort, in Port au Port or the province, the under utilization 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 eduction population will give us a stronger base on which to build.
A sound education system sensitive to local conditions is the essential foundation for economic well-being for individuals, communities ans society as a whole as we head into the twenty-first century.
Our Port au Port Community Education Initiative provides a framework for innovative solutions fow widespread community and social problems and the symptoms of the problems. Band aid approaches to problem solutions do not cause change, but serve to mask the real issues. We believe that a long term approgach to educational and economic goals orf the community can provide a starting point for change.
This is a reproduction of the article that appeared in Learning magazine.