The word “Oasis” is a place to give the entire school community support, quiet, relaxing times and calls to reach out to help others.
Chinese New Year, Spirituality of Sexuality, St Valentine’s Day, Festival of Lights, Remembrance Day, Wheel of Fortune (Outreach to street people and poor families), “Spirit of Giving” and “Tea for Toys”, Meditation, Values, the 7 major faiths, Global warming, Armenian Genocide and Chess tournaments are just some of the topics, activities and outreach which are animated by the Spiritual Community Animator each year.
Community centred programs and activities help build relationships between students and promote self-worth of those participating, as well fostering respect and development of their peers.
The spiritual care and guidance and community involvement animator provides services to elementary and secondary students of all faiths and cultural traditions. Each community animator is responsible for the spiritual and communal development of students in a cluster of schools within a region.
The role of the animator is to conduct activities to help students gain a deeper understanding of particular questions, solve problems and build links between their spiritual life and community. The animator encourages the development of emotional and spiritual intellect by helping students participate in improving the community and society around them.
The community animator works on a team with other animators to develop and implement programs or activities of a community, humanitarian, spiritual and religious nature for larger groups of schools.
He or she also provides information and guidance to staff, parents, and students with respect to religious beliefs and needs in terms of spiritual life and community involvement.
Through implementation of the model that was introduced as a result of Bill 118 and which is steadfastly observed at EMSB, Spiritual and Community Animators carry the in-school work on Bill 56, including: Peer Mentoring Programmes, participation in Safe-School Committees, Anti-Bullying Programs (Ometz, Red Cross), Promotion and Prevention programs (CQTS).
| Community Action: | Development of social conscience such as the importance of making a difference through community service, e.g. food banks, soup kitchens etc. |
|---|---|
| Cultural Diversity: | Advancement of understanding and acceptance among cultures. |
| Healthy Schools: | Prevention and promotion - Substance abuse, awareness and prevention (e.g. tobacco, alcohol, drugs, gambling). Animators deliver this program working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health. |
| Identity and Belonging: | Allowing students to become active members of their school, their local community and the global community, thus reducing the risks of radicalization. |
| School Perseverance: | Promotion of Hooked on School program including development of peer-to-peer initiatives, such as mentoring programs. Successful transition from preschool to primary and from primary to secondary. |
| Spiritual Development: | In other words, character, virtues and values education – learning to make wise decisions and to discern right from wrong. Development of core values and basis of critical thinking – teaching students to act and think ethically. We are engaged in helping students develop spiritual maturity. |
| Trauma and Death | Helping students, families and the school as a whole through times of crisis. |
| Violence Prevention: | Anti-bullying programs – Red Cross Beyond the Hurt Program |
| Month | Theme | Event | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep | Friendship / Cooperation | International Day of Peace | Class Visitations |
| Oct | Gratitude | Thanksgiving | Class Visitations School Assembly Volunteering at Benedict Labre House |
| Nov | Courage / Respect | Remembrance Day | Class Visitations School Assembly |
| Dec | Generosity | CTV Spirit of Giving | Collection of non-perishables Class Visitations |
| Jan | Unity | Becoming a Better Me Workshop | Class Visitations |
| Feb | Love / Kindness | Black History Month Huggies Valentine's Day Program |
Class Visitations Fundraiser |
| Mar | Balance | Spiritual Retreats | Class Visitations Field Trips |
| Apr | Compassion | Senior Citizens Visit | Class Visitations School Assembly |
| May | Patience | Cook for a Cure - Alzheimer's Denim Day - Breast Cancer |
Fundraisers Class Visitations |
