May 26, 2009
Media contact: Kim Lawrence
Office: 604-864-4611
Cell: 604-302-6257
kim.lawrence@ufv.ca
UFV students in Antigua to teach — and learn — important life skills
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Erin Gourlay, from Maple Ridge, and some
new friends in Antigua. |
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Schoolchildren learning the rules of the
game in Antigua. |
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Teaching children in Antigua. |
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While most of us took gym class for granted when we were in school, and some even shudder to think back on the many dodgeball tournaments they endured, many children around the world have no access to organized physical and health education at all.
This month, 13 students from the University of the Fraser Valley are in Antigua, West Indies, teaching students there the importance of physical and health education. Led by faculty member Joanna Sheppard, the students are all part of the UFV Kinesiology and Physical Education department and are earning credit for their experience teaching hundreds of school-age children in this impoverished Caribbean nation.
The project, which is built around the idea that every child is a champion, is dedicated to improving the lives of children and their families through health promotion initiatives. Working side-by-side with local educators, with the support of the Antiguan Ministry of Education, the team is volunteering in six schools across the island. The UFV student-teachers are helping to deliver physical education programs that focus on the development of important life skills such as cooperation, problem-solving, personal and social responsibility, and healthy choices.
In addition to their daily teaching activities within the schools, the student-teachers are also planning the Unity Games, which will bring youngsters from across the country together to participate in activities based on nutrition, self-esteem, cooperation and respect, as well as preventive measures around such diseases as HIV/AIDS.
“School programs can play a vital role in providing learning opportunities that protect and promote freedom and the dignity of human life,” says Sheppard. “Education can prepare young people to play active roles in their communities by empowering them to lead and manage change responsibly. Educational programs that enhance efforts to prepare young people to be agents of change, with care for self and others in mind, are at the forefront of current educational improvement.”
Sheppard and colleague Dr. Greg Anderson, also from the Kinesiology and Physical Education department at UFV, are staging workshops for local teachers and coaches to give them an opportunity to learn best practices in the teaching of physical education and health promotion.
“Beyond the students’ experiences in the schools, this trip is allowing faculty to collect information pertaining to health and physical education curricular needs in Antigua,” said Anderson. “There is currently no coordinated health education or physical education curriculum for the island. Working with the local Minister of Education, we hope to secure funding to establish a long-term project of curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation in Antigua.”
The UFV students currently in Antigua paid for their own trip, with some assistance from the university. “Antigua has shown me indescribable beauty not only in its landscape but also in its people,” wrote Cranbrook’s Shelby Bay from the island. “I have found that while we may not have endless time, money, and resources to tend to all the health and lifestyle problems that youth and society are facing, we do have passionate and supportive people who believe change is possible, and that makes all the difference. The most important message that I am taking form this trip is that no matter what culture you are from, no matter what colour your skin or which god you worship, and no matter which part of the world you reside in, we all share similar burdens. If we are able to embrace diversity, build strength through unity, learn from each other, and gain perspective, then we can begin to approach these problems realistically and sustainably.”
Her fellow fourth-year student Chelsea Lillbeck, from Mission, added “I feel so blessed that I have been chosen to pass on the knowledge that I have gained throughout my university career. The opportunity to bring back experiences from the children and culture is what I know will impact my life. I’m so excited to have this opportunity, to truly make a difference where it matters — the children.”
“The Antiguan teaching experience has given me a tremendous amount of quality work experience in the physical education and health field,” says Maple Ridge’s Erin Gourlay via email from Antigua. “It has also been a lesson of self-discovery. My eyes have not only been opened to a stunning new country full of culture and tradition, but also to an extraordinary group of kids who have made a lasting imprint on my heart.”
Other students on the trip hail from Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley, Kimberly, Kamloops, Williams Lake, and Vancouver. They are scheduled to return on May 31.
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