On Wednesday, November 5, hundreds of grade nine and ten students from across Prince Edward Island will spend the day at work with a parent, relative or volunteer host.
"Take Our Kids To Work" day, which was initiated in Toronto four years ago by the Learning Partnership, seeks to strengthen bonds between parents and children and help develop community responsibility for the future of young people.
This year's event has expanded to include the ten provinces and two territories. Nationally, over 400,000 students will participate.
To help recognize this special day on Prince Edward Island, Minister of Education, Hon. Chester Gillan, endorsed the challenge to youth through the introduction of an essay contest, "If I were Minister of Education for a day I would...".
The response from Island students was high with ten schools taking part. The winning entry was received from Karen MacAdam, a grade nine student from Gulf Shore Consolidated. For her efforts, MacAdam will act as the symbolic Minister of Education on Wednesday, November 5.
In announcing the winner, the Education Minister expressed his pleasure with the degree of participation in the contest and the level of enthusiasm shown for the national program. "This initiative is invaluable for everyone involved. Teachers and students prepare for the day by making the link between the classroom and the work world", said Mr. Gillan. "Learning about the workplace is an important part of education which will allow children and parents or relatives to interact and learn from each other in a new setting."
The Learning Partnership is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating learning and career opportunities by nurturing the growth of partnerships between education, business and community. "Take Our Kids To Work" is more than a one-day event" says Lori Cranson, Program Director for the organization. "There is a lot of work done in the schools and in workplaces to help make this successful. Employers get the chance to contribute to the development of tomorrow's work force, and parents get the opportunity to spend some extra time with their kids showing them what they do to earn a living."
Other major sponsors of this program include Human Resources Development Canada and the Department of Education.
For more information on this project, or The Learning Partnership, call 1-800-790-9113 or (416) 977-4450 or e-mail at info@tlp.on.ca .