“SelfDesign is a unique opportunity to pursue your interests in a different way,” says former SelfDesign learner Erik, a member of our Class of 2019. “It’s also a great opportunity to find like-minded people – which could be hard to do otherwise – but SelfDesign provides the perfect opportunities for these connections to be made.”

At SelfDesign® Learning Community, learning happens at home, online, and in each learner’s local community. Learners enrolled in the higher grades with SelfDesign Learning Community interact with each other and their educators during scheduled weekly online meetings to connect with each other and further their learning as part of their regular grade 10 to 12 activities. But we also provide informal opportunities for learners in and across different grades to connect online.

 

Here are a few of the ways our learners gather together.

Learner Council

Every fall, learners from grades 8 to 12 with SelfDesign Learning Community elect peers to represent them on SelfDesign’s Learner Council.

This group of elected learners is a voice for the school’s learner body and acts as a bridge between learners and the school’s leadership and administration. Learners throughout the school can bring issues and questions to any council member for consideration.

The council also provides its elected members with opportunities to build their communication and leadership skills. The young people on the council gain experience organizing events and activities for their peers, learn how to prevent and deal with conflict, and take on and complete initiatives that advance learners’ cause and their experience within SelfDesign.

As a member of the Learner Council, grade 10 learner Ameya says, “We have a lot of fun together, and we work together on the things we’re all passionate about. It’s a great way to meet people that are similar to you, and to make friends and enjoy SelfDesign.”

 

Open Spaces

“Our learners are craving social connection and meeting like-minded peers,” says Janice Green, SelfDesign’s Education Program team lead. “They tell us that. Open Spaces helps them meet that need.”

Open Spaces are online spaces where SelfDesign learners can interact socially with each other in ways that are co-designed by learners every week. Learners can come together and join their peers in online “rooms” according to their interests.

The offering is our version of a brick-and-mortar school’s common spaces – the hallways, cafeteria, front steps and library – where young people gather, connect and interact before, between and after their classes.

Piloted in 2021 for learners in grades 8 to 12 and expanded in 2022 for learners in grades 4 to 7, we started offering this opportunity to learners in kindergarten to grade 3 in 2023 to join the space with their parents or guardians and to connect with their peers.

Learners gather on our online meeting platform at the start of each Open Spaces session for their grade level to propose ideas for topics they’d like online meeting rooms for. The offering’s facilitators set up the rooms, and the learners take ownership of the spaces. They can visit the room or rooms they’re interested in to chat about the posted topic and work on a shared goal or interest. The facilitators monitor the online spaces and are available to support learners as needed.

 

Gender Sexual Orientation Alliance

SelfDesign’s own Gender Sexual Orientation Alliance (GSA) provides a place for SelfDesign learners in grades 8 to 12 who identify as two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, plus (2SLGBTQIA+), or who might be exploring their gender identity and sexual orientation, and their allies to connect, learn and support each other and to contribute to a healthy school environment for all.

“I really wanted to create a way for 2SLGBTQIA+ learners to connect within SelfDesign,” says Ayalla, a SelfDesign learner who graduated in 2021 about why they and their peers proposed the GSA in 2020. “The world isn’t always an easy place to live in as an 2SLGBTQIA+ person, and making those connections with people who have similar experiences is really important.”

Members of the GSA provide ideas, input and inspiring content to share with learners and families on SelfDesign’s Rainbow Hub.

 

Winterlude festival

Every January, we welcome learners to our annual winter celebration. Winterlude takes place during the second week of January. The festival allows learners to gather online to connect with their peers and to build community.

Offerings presented by our Education Program team and Family Services team, guest speakers and learner groups such as Learners Council, the Gender Sexual Orientation Alliance, the SelfDesign Climate Action Group, and the HomeLearners Network give learners an opportunity to discuss topics that do not fit into their regular learning activities in a fun and informal way.

We also invite learners in grades 8 to 12 to present their projects and learning in a live learner showcase.

Initially focused on learners in grades 10 to 12, Winterlude expanded in 2022 to include learners in grade 8 and 9. Now learners in kindergarten to grade 7 and their parents and guardians can also join in and take part in age-appropriate activities.

 

Grade 6–7 and 8–9 Themes

SelfDesign’s Grade 6–7 Theme and Grade 8–9 Theme offerings allow learners in those grades to connect with their peers, discuss their passions and explore new interests together in safe online spaces.

The offerings consist of series of topics geared to engage learners in grades 6 and 7 and in grades 8 and 9. Learners explore each topic over four weeks through weekly online meetings, resources and activities that learners can explore in their own time, and discussion spaces where they get to know one another and share their learning.

By taking part, learners become comfortable with communicating online under the guidance of supportive SelfDesign educator–facilitators. Learners also gradually learn the skills they’ll need in later grades. SelfDesign provides the offerings on the same online platform and with the same online tools that are used in grades 10 to 12. Learners can explore the spaces and tools at their own pace, with educator-facilitated support.

Participation is optional, and learners can join one meeting or attend them all. They can also participate at whatever level they feel comfortable.

“The focus is on fun, connection, and learning through collaboration,” says the theme facilitator, Melinda. “It is a great way to learn in community and from fellow learners in grades 8 and 9. Learners can show up however they feel that week.”

 

In-person camps

Some learners say attending an in-person SelfDesign camp changed their lives.

“It was unlike anything I had experienced before as a home learner,” says former learner Mason, Class of 2020. “The activities were fun, too, but it was the social side of the camps that made me want to go back and do it again and again. It changed me, you know. It drew me out of my shyness. I made friends. I actually had a reason to have an Instagram account.”

When in-person activities restarted after the pandemic, there was pent-up demand among learners to meet and connect with their peers in person at SelfDesign camps. Twenty learners in grades 9 and up attended our first post-pandemic camp, Winter Camp, in the Shuswap in February 2023. Another 20 gathered for Spring Camp in the Lower Mainland in May.

The learners took part in seasonal outdoor activities, learning and fun. They connected to and socialized with each other, played games together, and explored Indigenous ways of knowing and art as a way to express themselves.

In the 2023/24 learning year, we’re offering two camps for learners. If interest among our families is high next year, we hope to offer a Family Camp for learners in kindergarten to grade 9 and their families in the 2024/25 learning year. Learner-only camps are open to learners enrolled in grades 9 to 12 with SelfDesign Learning Community and learners aged 15 and older registered with SelfDesign Home Learning, our home-school option.

 

Learner-led newspaper

The Design Post provides a space where learners of all ages can gather, work together, and contribute their writing, artwork, photography or thoughts. Now in its third year, the publication is led by an editorial team of five learners.

“I wanted to join the Design Post editorial team to learn and grow alongside my peers and practise teamwork, writing, and reading,” says grade 8 learner Saumya, who joined The Design Post editorial team last fall. “I hope to learn more about the newspaper, the people working on it and formatting skills, and gain teamwork experience.”

Learners of all ages are invited to join in and to submit articles, photographs, poems, stories and artwork.

“The Design Post is for everyone,” says the publication’s founder, Aerin, now in grade 11. “Learners have asked, ‘Is there a grade limit? Is this for learners in grades 8 to 12, or 10 to 12?’ But it really is for anyone who’s interested — whatever grade they’re in, whatever they’re interested in.”

 

Minecraft group

When learners in kindergarten to grade 9 gather in our Minecraft workshop space to share, talk and connect, they build community among themselves and also more literally.

Every year, 60–100 learners use the popular role-playing video game platform to collectively negotiate how to design and build communities in SelfDesign’s own Minecraft world.

“In past years, we’ve built a modern neighbourhood, a skyscraper village and a mall,” says Michael, the educator–liaison for the SelfDesign Minecraft group.

Minecraft is a video game in which players create and break apart structures and landforms in three-dimensional virtual worlds, using what are called “blocks” (think, very generally, of how Lego blocks can be used to build things). The point of the game is to build, explore and survive.

“Minecraft, just like other toys and adventures in life, is a wonderful avenue for learning,” says Lori, the SelfDesign Minecraft server administrator. “When finding a safe place for children to connect online, it can promote a higher sense of engagement and teamwork that may be missing in some learner’s lives. This opportunity to engage together online can be so helpful to those who are feeling alone.”

 

Earth-Wise Collective

SelfDesign learners in grades 8 to 12 who are interested in the environment can share and grow those interests by joining SelfDesign’s learner-led Earth-Wise Collective.

“Every meeting, we include a range of activities to include as many people as possible,” club leader and grade 10 learner Ameya says. “We start off catching up with each other and reporting on a project or discussion. Sometimes we’ll watch a short documentary. Then we’ll work on a project. And we end each meeting by planning what we’d like to work on next week.”

The learners have investigated food-use calculators to see how the food choices we each make on a day-to-day basis affect the world around us. They’ve put together slideshows and other presentations. They craft useful items from recycled materials. The group also designed a sustainable city.

“If you’re more of a hands-on learner, the meetings will work for you,” Ameya says, “and if you’re more of a talkative, less craft-oriented learner, we have something for you, as well.”

 

HomeLearners Network activities

In 2023, all families with children enrolled with SelfDesign Learning Community were provided with free enrollment for HomeLearners Network offerings.

The online downloadable and real-time activities range from single offerings, series and even clubs. Activities are designed for young people aged 5–15 years, depending on the offering, to help them pursue their passions, learn new things, build relationships and have fun together. ~

Almost every year, new opportunities arise for learners to gather and connect with each other. By taking part in these offerings, learners can meet and make new friends, reconnect with peers, learn new things, and gain confidence, and new skills and experiences.

 

Read more about these opportunities: