Friday, December 9, 2011

Places of Hope Gallery

Join Hope Kids in their search for 'PLACES OF HOPE' by submitting your photographs and/or descriptions to hope@ualberta.ca

Your images will be added to the HOPE KIDS section on the Hope Foundation of Alberta website for students and teachers to view, as they move toward the second phase of the Hope-Focused Service-Learning program.

Hope Kids will be conducting hopeful needs assessments of their communities in this second phase of the program so as to plan their hope-focused community service project. One of the first things that they do as they move into this second phase is to take photographs of 'places of hope' in their community. You can help by adding your places of hope to their collections.

Many things happen after and with the photographs depending on the academic focus and/or questions that the students and teacher have determined from their ongoing interactions with community mentors and members.

Student voice is a critical element of the service practice in the trademarked HOPE KIDS program, and especially in the Hope-Focused Service-Learning program. Interacting with community mentors and members at least three times, is another element. However, in addition to these and other elements of service-learning, the other four hope-focused practices, which can be found in the Nurturing Hopeful Souls resource are also critical to the success of each of the unique programs underway in the 36 schools in Central Alberta.

As students, teachers, community mentors and members come together this year, as they have in the past six years, 36 new school stories of working with the Hope-Focused Service-Learning program are evolving. These stories continue to contribute to the ongoing development of part two of the Nurturing Hopeful Souls resource, along with the accompanying professional development sessions that are provided for interested teachers, community mentors and members.

We look forward to your participation to add to our stories!!