On Friday, December 8, Dartmouth High is hosting a schoolwide “Cultivating Peace” conference. This conference was conceptualized prior to the pandemic, noticing that issues relating to trauma and mental health were on the rise among our youth for various reasons. With this in mind, we have felt a sense of urgency to work with our school community to bring this conference to fruition. We are looking forward to presentations and workshops from diverse speakers and presenters that will provide students with skills/strategies to enable them to build ‘a peaceful toolbox’ as they navigate their way through high school and beyond.
The theme of this conference is centred around ‘Peace with Self, Peace with Others, Peace with the Environment, Peace with the community and Peace with the World’. Last week, we were interviewed about this conference on CBC and it was aired yesterday (November 27). We are so proud of the three students involved and would like to share their interview with CBC with you. Ms. Bent (SchoolsPlus) and I were also interviewed.
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/
Some presenters are touching on topics on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals from a Cultivating Peace lens, i.e. Peace & Social Justice, Reduced Inequalities, Poverty, Climate Action and Partnership, etc. See link below. Although social justice issues will be addressed, this conference will not address or offer political opinions on the current geo-political or specific social unrests.
https://100kdeeds.org/wp-
The event will feature noon-hour entertainment with performers from the community as well as our own in-house talents. Students will be selecting workshops tomorrow on a first come first served basis. Students who do not select a workshop by Friday, Dec. 01 will be placed in a workshop. Sponsors of this event have enabled us to provide a bagged lunch for interested students. Also, door prizes will be drawn at the end of the noon hour entertainment and specifically at the end of the day.
I wanted to make you aware as well that attendance will be taken. I know there is a semi-formal dance on Dec 7 from 6 p.m.- 9 p.m. but this allows for plenty of time for students to attend school the next day. This is important learning, and all students are expected to attend student. Thanks in advance for your support!