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The announcement was made at the Lakehead Social Planning Council office. The LSPC was the lead applicant in a proposal submitted to the Ontario Trillium Foundation by the LSPC, the Thunder Bay and District Injured Workers‘ Support Group and the Kinna-Aweya Legal Clinic to further develop the school. The application was successful and the program has been awarded a $68,300 grant. To mark the occasion, Mauro (L-Thunder Bay-Atikokan) presented a plaque to the organizers and several alumni of the school. “This program is a good thing because it helps build the confidence of people that may not feel part of the city,” Mauro said. “This also helps them build connections so they know they are not alone in their personal or community struggles for social justice.” The funding announcement is a great relief for the partnership, said co-ordinator Robin Faye. Faye said that in the beginning, the school was running on a shoestring budget. With the grant, the school can expand the program, hire a co-ordinator and continue developing, she said. Many of the students are from lower income areas and live with disabilities, she said. Teaching them to speak in public and network will help them gain the tools they need to seek personal justice and help give a voice to their community. “This adds spark and inspiration to us all,” Faye said. “This is as much about teaching people to be comfortable speaking to the media as it is being confident and knowing it‘s OK to take risks to improve their situation. “Often poverty brings with it social isolation. Knowing how to speak up will help our clients break the cycle and improve their situations, from their lives to employment to the whole community.” The program works by teaching students about three key areas of public speaking: leadership, history and the actual speaking. Students learn how to put those elements into context with milestones in social justice, and apply those to their own situations. Aaron Park, a social planner and researcher for the LSPC, said that speaking is a skill that is sadly lacking in education. “I didn‘t do anything more on public speaking after the seventh grade,” Park said. “Schools don‘t do enough to prepare people to let their voice be heard.” The school was started two years ago as a pilot project and is hosted by Lakehead University. The Trillium Foundation is a provincial government agency that for more than 25 years has supported the growth and vitality of communities across the province. The program continues to strengthen the capacity of the volunteer sector through investments in community-based initiatives. Funding has been increased from $100 million to $110 million to further assist these programs. Applications for the speakers‘ school are available at the Thunder Bay and District Injured Workers‘ Support Group office at the Lakehead Labour Centre on Fort William Road. Top of Page |
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September 2, 2010, 8:22 am |