SelfDesign welcomes you to enroll
in our Personalized Learning Programs for 2012/2013

We are happy to announce that enrollment for our K-12 BC programs is now open!  We continue to experience increasing enrollment and we are really excited about our new program developments for the coming year.

To Enroll for the 2012/2013 learning year please visit our Program Websites:

SelfDesign at the BC Homeschooling Convention

We will also be hosting a booth at the BC Homeschooling Convention if you would like to come by and learn more about our unique programs.

Pass it on!

Please share this message with anyone that you feel may be interested in our personalized learning program.

Welcome to our SelfDesign Learning Community!

Whereas learners in conventional schooling might not get to tap into the joy of Minecraft specifically for their learning, SelfDesign offers dedicated server space and trained staff to support engaging with Minecraft, based on the learner’s interest and schedule. If your child is currently a Minecraft fan, or wanting to deepen her or his Minecraft knowledge and expertise, come and join us! The SelfDesign Minecraft server is a place where learners, parents and Learning Consultants can share their creations on the game, and it also provides a safe space for open ended discussion, creative architecture, and a whole lot of learning around technology. Welcome to 21st century learning!

For more information about SelfDesign and the range of learning opportunities we encourage and support, go to the ‘K-12 Learning Programs’ tab and follow the links to the program of your choice.

Watch a short video containing more pictures of Minecraft creations by SelfDesigners.

SelfDesign High’s commitment to furthering peace education in our region has shown up in a number of gestures, often youth-led and mentor-supported including; the Fair Trade for Peace Markets, high school peace studies courses, and participation in global events such as the Global Summit in San Francisco and the GIN Conference at Quest University at Squamish, BC. Some of the celebrated learning experiences on what building peace can look like has taken place during three consecutive summers at Peace Camps, an idea from a group of SDH youth as a Global Call to Action. 

Peace Camps focus on peaceful skill building through non-violent communication, music and theatre, stories, stillness, and an appreciation for the natural environment, as well as a focus on our local cultural heritage. This year, young people worked together to bring their experiences in peace-building into their schools, thus building their leadership skills and fulfilling the Peace Camp mandate of participants spreading peace in their communities. The core group of young people who have been organizing peace building events at LVR, decided to bring provocative and inspiring TED Talks and discussion to their peers. The first video they presented was from a french artist called JR To turn the World Inside out with Art,and as one of the youth in the group, Lara describes, “it is a great video about how art can change the world.”

“The idea was to get ideas out about what is going on and how issues can be changed. These films present solutions, when quite often only the negative sides are shown.”

The second video the young people chose to share, focuses on an issue much closer to home, the building of the Northern Gateway Pipeline by the Enbridge Corporation. The pipeline to run from the Alberta tar sands and spreading across pristine wilderness to BC’s coastline, is outlined by Garth Lenz in his TED Talk in Victoria, BC,The True Cost of Oil. Another member of the group, Caleb, explains “The idea was to get ideas out about what is going on and how issues can be changed. These films present solutions, when quite often only the negative sides are shown.”

“I felt that people were really inspired by the videos and enjoyed them, but I think they wanted more learning on it. They were looking for ways to get involved.”

The group organized both presentations at LVR but as Zolena, a new member of the group describes, there is a need for more, “I felt that people were really inspired by the videos and enjoyed them, but I think they wanted more learning on it. They were looking for ways to get involved.”

The group will bring the video: The True Cost of Oil to LVR once again, for the Regional East and West Kootenays Environmental Justice Conference LOCAL to GLOBAL, open to the general public. The conference is taking place April 27, 28, 29 and the group will give their workshop on Sunday (29) afternoon from 2:15pm until 3:00pm. They will show the video, guide a discussion, provide resources for workshop attendees, and suggest ways for education facilitators to use the video in their curriculum. There will also be an art activist portion, where participants can make stickers, buttons, patches, t-shirts with messages of opposition to the project and in support of a healthy planet. The art activist table will also be hosted by the group during the lunch hours of the conference, where anyone can bring their t-shirt to be silk screened or make a sticker or button with their own original slogan.

View the Conference Overview and Register today at the West Kootenay Eco Society website and invite a friend!

A long time Learning Consultant and member of the SD Community, Sue Lucy,  shares her thoughts about the experience, “…as most of my work is done from my computer, the best thing I always get out of SD gatherings is good vibes and inspiration from seeing other SD’ers in person! The Sante Cafe meeting was no exception–I loved that we even managed an SD-standing-circle activity in the midst of the cafe!”

On March 26th in Kitsilano a similar gathering was hosted by Clara Foulds, a SelfDesign High Alumni. SelfDesign learners where were able to learn from Clara’s experiences with SelfDesign and her perspective on life since graduation from SelfDesign High. Learners also had the opportunity to make some new friends and spend time with Barbarah Nicoll, the principal from SelfDesign High.

The group made exciting plans for future which include finding a new learning space in Vancouver and reconnecting with each other as well as other mentors and learners from all over BC at the GIN Conference at Quest University in May.

If you’re in the Vancouver or Victoria area and would like more information about future gatherings, contact Clara Foulds (Vancouver) or Michelle Buck (Victoria) in the SD Village. SD’ers outside these areas who would like to schedule a meet up activity in your community, please contact us at communications@selfdesign.org.

The GAP (Gender Action Project) explores this question and others through a public performance and invites you to participate! This project is a collaboration between the Nelson Women’s Centre and SelfDesign High with funding from the Columbia Basin Trust Youth Initiatives. For the past few months, a group of ten teenagers have been taking part in Theatre of the Oppressed, workshops facilitated by Mayra and Tasha Bassingthwaighte, and are now ready to share what they have created. They invite you to watch, interact with the performances, and bring discoveries and solutions to your communities.        

Friday, April 20that SelfDesign High 402 Victoria Street, Nelson, BC

Doors open at 7:00 pm, and the show starts at 7:30 pm

Entry is by donation of $5 to $20

Thursday, April 26th at Mir Centre for Peace on Selkirk College Campus, Castlegar, BC

Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the show starts at 7:00 pm

Entry is by donation of $10 to $20.

For more information about the performances or GAP Theatre, email Marya or call 352-9949 (Nelson Women’s Center)

High School learners in B.C. are free to choose where and how to complete their high school requirements, and these workshops are ideal for learners who benefit from the structure and rhythm of a schedule and who crave connections with others in order to realize their individual learning. SelfDesign High has prepared a full slate of workshops for learners to select from, and will also arrange a suitable mentor to create a workshop around a topic when at least six learners express an interest.

Choose the learning you are looking for, and let SelfDesign help guide your way

Enroll here: www.sefldesignhigh.org/workshops

Likely the most notable factor fueling this obvious interest is SelfDesign’s a-typical approach to Special Education. Though it sounds so simple, the very act of meeting a child exactly where they are in their strengths and abilities and building from there, as opposed to trying to focus on areas of challenge, seems to set us apart. In a sea awash with well-intending programs which aim to help kids ‘fit in’, SelfDesign’s Special Education program embraces the differences that make each and every learner unique, rather than imposing a goal of having children do the ‘same thing at the same time in the same way’ as other children. We work to provide learners and their families with a sense of belonging by accepting and embracing their differences, and encouraging them to as well. Our personalized approach and invitation to follow one’s interests nurtures respect and deep connections, and it creates easy spaces for learners to participate as they’d like, with no stigmas attached.

When learners and their families feel a sense of belonging in a community just as they are, rather amazing results become evident. Anxiety which can prove overwhelming when a learner is struggling to fit in dissipates, and families can instead direct their energy towards encouraging and building on those skills and interests that really make that learner shine. By fostering a community in which all learners are recognized as gifted and unique, in a way we create an understanding that we all have special needs requiring care and attention in order to feel a sense of safety and thrive. And in a world where ‘sameness’ if often equated with good, we provide an environment where our differences are celebrated and the comfort of belonging propels us towards even greater good.

Learn more about SelfDesign’s Special Education program here: http://selfdesign.org/k-12-learning-programs/distributed-learning/special-education-support/

SelfDesigners Lia and Michaela after hitting the slopes at Whitewater

People who are familiar with SelfDesign’s methodology know that creating a Learning Plan each year is important; in a Learning Plan, a learner identifies the areas of learning that will be focused on, so it’s like a map to guide a learner’s education throughout the year. One of the areas in a Learning Plan that a learner can identify skills or knowledge they’d like to acquire is Health & Wellness. Learners living in the West Kootenays got an offer from Whitewater Ski Resort, just outside of Nelson, BC, to make their learning in this area ‘totally rad’. Homelearning and homeschooling youth were invited to participate in their choice of either ski or snowboard lessons at the hill for up to 10 days this winter, during which they received professional instruction and a lift ticket for the remainder of the day.

Several learners with SelfDesign participated in the ski school program at Whitewater this winter, including Jasmine Pusey, though Jasmine’s decision to veer from her plans of skiing to snowboarding evolved as winter was in full swing. You see, Jasmine’s mother, Fonda is a Learning Consultant with SelfDesign. One day Jasmine happened to be close by while her mom watched a video that a learner had shared that showed them snowboarding. Jasmine’s curiosity was immediately piqued, so they watched more videos of people skiing and snowboarding to help Jasmine decide what she wanted to learn, and her urge to snowboard was undeniable. Jasmine took a couple private lessons and then joined the second set of lessons for homelearners. Since then her passion for snowboarding has only grown. Fonda said of Jasime, “She is determined to keep going until we have to drag her home (from the hill) due to exhaustion.”

Jasmine and her Whitewater Ski School instructor Leah

Lia Meyer and Michaela Davies are Gateways learners who registered for all ten of the lesson days open to homelearners this year. Though they had both been to the hill before on skis, this year they were determined to learn how to snowboard. On March 8, the final day of ski school lessons, Lia and Michaela were fearlessly trying out new runs and working hard to incorporate their learning on a variety of terrain. And for Kaelin and Sascha MacMillan, their family buys a season’s pass at Whitewater and arrangements had already been made for Kaelin to take some ‘freeride’ lessons at another point in the season. Because the boys really enjoy their time at the hill, they still came up for the homeschooling lesson day so that they could hang out and have fun skiing with all their friends from SelfDesign.

We’d like to express our appreciation to the Nelson Homelinks program that organized this opportunity for homeschoolers in our region, and a big thank you to Whitewater Ski Resort for helping our learners in the pursuit of their dreams. As Jasmine Pusey had to say after wowing her instructor and completing her lessons: “I’m already on black runs and I’m 5 and a half and I started this winter. I feel like I want to snowboard and be famous for it and maybe go in competitions.”

Lia snowboarding at Whitewater

To find out a little more about who makes up our community, we took a glimpse into what a SelfDesign Learning Consultant’s work can look like, through an inspired conversation with Christiana St-Pierre. Christiana, a mother and third year Learning Consultant (LC) for the SelfDesign Learning Community, brings enthusiasm, gratitude and a sense of play to her work.

In Christiana’s words:

“What this work is for me, is being in relationship with families and being a part of their learning process. I’ve had the pleasure and the honour of being told by at least two moms that writing their Observations For Learning, or their weekly report, is like writing a letter to an aunt, where they were just updating a family member of the goings on in life and love and learning. What a privilege to be a part of that!

Our work is about holding hands, holding space, and being a mirror sometimes and reflecting back. It’s about being a guide or a scout and pointing out resources and opening the window when somebody thinks the door is closed. There is always a window when a door closes. Sometimes when learning goes in a different direction, not the way that was wanted by a parent or by a learner, there is always this other direction that we can take things in. As LCs, we are often the catalyst that spurs things forward.

When I get together with my local learners, it often looks like a play date. I have kids and we do things together, like a trip to the park or bowling, it’s play and it’s lovely to have that form.

With the on-line form or the virtual, I use a lot of images, as I am a very visual person. I use photos related to the activity or what I am hearing described. I often use artwork as well; I borrow from the internet and cite the resources, to use the creative and emotional interaction that takes place from looking at a picture.

I use colours and I have an inspirational quote at the end of my email with my signature, and I change that once a week, because there are so many awesome quotes. Sometimes I hear back, ‘oh I loved this week’s quote.’ It’s really neat because sometimes I find out that the quote inadvertently related to things going on in other people’s lives as well, as comes out in the relationship and the dialogue that we have between families and learning consultants. If I don’t feel like I am in relationship with a family that I am working with, I change my form of communication.

If we are doing Observations For Learning, and I’m not loving the way that we are doing them, as there are so many ways we can do our work and communicate, I have been known to change the form of communication. I might take the conversation into an email, or pick up the phone, or schedule a Skype date, or even use snail mail. I started the year with a road trip to visit the families in their homes and while I was traveling I picked up postcards and sent them to my learners! I like getting snail mail! I remember getting postcards when I moved a few times as a child, and I know the feeling, it’s like getting a present. It means, I’m in my life and I am thinking about you. And you are a part of my life.”

Christiana had a role in organizing last year’s Collaboratory (SelfDesign’s annual professional development & community-building event) and bringing in the Open Space model, inspired by conversations with other LCs in search of dynamic and rich ways of being together during this important annual coming-together of the whole organization.

Her ideas were partly sparked by her partner who did a masters degree in participatory planning. Christiana has experience in leadership, facilitation and speaking in a variety of capacities. She describes, “This is a model that exists, that allows us to cover the required content and still allow for more flexibility and freedom of choice and allow for people to SelfDesign within the Collaboratory.”

“Even though I had never facilitated an Open Space before, I felt qualified to do it, and the reason that I felt qualified is because of the beauty of Open Space, if you come with the right heart and right intention. It only works because there is no agenda and the agenda is created by the people who participate. The right people will show up and they will bring the right information and the right conversations will be had, and that is the whole principle.

Basically, open space is creating a village in a time and space and letting people know where they can go to have the conversations that are meaningful, relevant or important to them. If you are attending to listen, or attending to share or attending to express a particular goal, it can all be done, as long as there is the time and space to do it. It was a beautiful coming together and felt like a community. I feel like my year has been richer for having those deep interactions and conversations.”

Space is limited. Register here and tell us what interests you about this event! 

Want to get more involved in your community, meet other SDH youth and be part of making exciting projects come to life?

YUM Initiative, SelfDesign High’s Youth Advisory Council is looking for learners to get active in our communities!

Here is an opportunity to name what inspires you and to ACT, with a group of motivated youth and supportive mentors, to change your world for the better. Plus earn high school credits (grade 10, 11, 12) and a load of new skills!

To learn more visit the YUM Initiative page on our website!
www.selfdesignhigh.org/yum