Leading change in Alberta’s education system

Monday, July 5th, 2010

In early June, I was invited to participate as a respondent in strategic planning sessions hosted by the Alberta Teachers’ Association (the ATA). Organizers scheduled this deep thinking to coincide with Education Minister Dave Hancock’s release of the Inspiring Education Report. Newfoundland-born and U.K.-resident, Gwynne Dyer , was the key-note speaker. My job was to [...]


Political Vigilance – Part 1

Monday, July 5th, 2010

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” American President Thomas Jefferson is often given credit for this pithy quote. Don’t take freedom or liberty for granted. These are values that are only preserved with vigilance. Two-hundred years later, Jefferson’s advice is still relevant: “The price of freedom,” Archbishop Desmond Tutu likes to remind his fellow [...]


Wielding hope like an axe part 2

Monday, July 5th, 2010

In the last blog, I introduced Canada Bridges’ youth leadership and social entrepreneurial program. Launching the Unveiling Youth Potential program has taken a lot of work, by a lot of people. With all the youth leadership and social entrepreneurial programs already in place, does the world really need yet another program? Will this program make [...]


Wielding hope like an axe part 1

Monday, July 5th, 2010

On Christmas Day 2009, a 23-year old Nigerian of Muslim faith trained in Yemen tried to blow up a plane enroute from Amsterdam to Detroit using explosives he’d hidden in his underwear. We’re all living with the aftermath of this attempt: intense airport security checks, Star Wars style full-body scanners, tough questions about the profiling [...]