WEBVTT - How Do We Create Education Access For All Students? 0:00:06.360 --> 0:00:09.960 Well, hello there, and welcome back today. I want to 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:13.680 talk about something that's both very important and very top 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:18.040 of mind right now. Education. I know we all know 0:00:18.160 --> 0:00:21.319 that cliche saying it takes a village to raise a child, 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:24.200 But what happens when the village and charge of raising 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:28.920 the kid is flawed or even broken. Nobody could disagree 0:00:29.040 --> 0:00:32.120 with the fact that teachers and staff today have it 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:37.960 really tough. They're expected to educate students, a monumental task 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:40.720 on its own, get them ready for college, make sure 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:44.560 they've got transferable skills for that first job. But they're 0:00:44.600 --> 0:00:50.040 also asked to do more under immense pressure, virtual learning 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:56.840 during a pandemic, remotely supporting over twenty kids adequately. Add 0:00:56.880 --> 0:01:01.440 to that laundry list the idea that education ers now 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:04.920 have the job of keeping their students safe from violence. 0:01:05.880 --> 0:01:08.560 It's unfortunate that the drills of my youth, where we 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:12.280 hit under a desk or just walked onto the playground 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:16.000 and lined up according to height, that that safety measure 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:20.600 is nowhere near enough today. Now, as you know by now, 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:23.399 this show is all about leveraging our collective power to 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:27.120 influence change. Our two guests today, they are testaments to 0:01:27.160 --> 0:01:31.479 this both are well aware of the odds, and yet 0:01:31.520 --> 0:01:34.240 they choose to go against them to build safe spaces 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:37.399 for students to achieve their goals, regardless of where they 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:43.560 come from. Joining us today is Eli Cappeludo, President of 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:47.520 the University of Kentucky. He's the university's twelfth president and 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:50.080 has led a two point eight billion dollar transformation of 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:53.640 the campus that's aimed at enriching the living learning experience 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:57.800 of his students by strengthening the research infrastructure. He's a 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:01.200 huge believer in the university's capacity to teach, heal, and 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:06.400 serve through partnerships with various philanthropic and private partners, and 0:02:06.480 --> 0:02:10.840 much like President Kappeluto, our second guest, Gordon Matchett, is 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:13.800 focused on fostering spaces where students feel safe enough to 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:17.720 reach their best potential. He's the CEO of Take a Hike, 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:21.680 an organization that partners with public school districts to engage 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:24.760 vulnerable youth and mental health and well being programs in 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:30.640 alternate education classrooms in Canada. Two great guests, One big topic. 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:43.919 That's how we do it here less divan Welcome class. 0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:48.040 Good to have you here. I want to start with 0:02:48.520 --> 0:02:53.799 what you see as the key to a successful educational 0:02:53.880 --> 0:02:58.000 experience for a student, President Cappoluto, what are the key 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:03.960 ingredients here? Well, that you maximize your experience by understanding 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:07.679 at a deeper level who you are, and that you 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:13.399 find your meaning and purpose. We certainly know those expressions 0:03:13.440 --> 0:03:17.240 about being able to bear any burden if your hy 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:21.400 is sufficient. I think college is a wonderful time to 0:03:21.520 --> 0:03:26.600 explore yourself and opportunities to have that life of meaning 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:30.919 and purpose. How you may treat a community. I want 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:33.320 to follow up on that because so much of the 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:41.520 trend that I perceive an education is about individual focus, personalization, customization, 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:45.200 and being your best self, individual self as opposed to 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:48.160 collective self. So can you add a little flavor to 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:52.480 what the diagnosis of a community? What does that practically 0:03:52.480 --> 0:03:54.680 look like and how does that affect how you educate 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:59.720 your students. So I think one understands that in tackling 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:04.200 us area is problem, there's not just one factor. So 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:10.080 what are these determinants of a healthy community? Education, safe water, 0:04:10.280 --> 0:04:15.920 safe streets, good nutrition, mental well being. There is not 0:04:17.080 --> 0:04:20.000 one lever to pool. I like to say that there 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:26.040 are micro interventions to have a macro effect. So understanding 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:30.599 the complexity of a community. Today, we are one of 0:04:30.720 --> 0:04:33.599 eight universities in the country that has a RAID on 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:37.919 a contiguous campus. The depth and breadth of disciplines you 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:42.040 need to answer the serious questions of our day. So 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:46.080 something we like to maximize is that experience of working 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:51.920 with others that have competencies and perspectives that you may 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:54.400 not have. I knew there's a reason you're on this 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:58.680 podcast because we're all about that multidisciplinary collaboration being that 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:02.280 fourth multiplier. And this is how you've designed your whole school. 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:05.560 We've heard this word experience a lot, Gordon, and uh, 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:07.840 I think I know part of the answers to your 0:05:07.920 --> 0:05:11.880 question about what makes for successful experience. Given the title 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:14.559 of your group take a hike, can you just share 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:18.200 a bit of the value of that exposure to an 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:22.480 experience in nature and how that fits into how your 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:25.120 program works and why you consider it an essential part 0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:29.720 of the educational experience. Yeah. So we use nature as 0:05:29.760 --> 0:05:33.080 a hook as a way to get students in. It 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:36.320 captures their attention, it's something that excites them, a place 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:40.279 to learn. We also experience the healing properties nature, but 0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:42.559 most importantly, we use it as a place to build 0:05:42.560 --> 0:05:46.599 relationships with yourself, with your peers, with your adults, and 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:49.520 a really strong connection to school and community. Something that 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.960 I was super surprised to find out is that school 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:54.799 connected us is the number one indicator of youth mental health. 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:58.440 This is even more important than family connectedness. And so 0:05:58.480 --> 0:05:59.960 what we want to do is we want to get 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:04.600 these kids that have typically been isolated from school not attending. 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:06.680 We want to get them back in and we want 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:09.000 to get them forming relationships. We want to get them 0:06:09.000 --> 0:06:12.560 forming deep community within their classroom so they can then 0:06:12.600 --> 0:06:15.960 go out and find community outside of the classroom. It's 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:19.599 really about making sure that their desire to learn is ignited, 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:22.760 but it's also about making sure they've got the social, emotional, 0:06:22.760 --> 0:06:25.599 and mental health skills to really succeed in school and life. 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:28.719 And what are some of the challenges the students in 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:33.560 your program in particular are facing. God, yeah, I am. 0:06:33.600 --> 0:06:36.919 I always hate answering this question because it also I 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:38.719 know it puts our It puts our kids in a 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:42.520 in a deficit light. And really, when I look at them, 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:45.039 they're smart kids. They've got to be smart kids to 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:47.840 deal with everything they've been facing in life. They just 0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:51.000 haven't find the right environment to thrive in. And I 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:54.320 see that when they have the right environment, they thrive, 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:57.719 they shine. They go from never attending to always attending, 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:01.160 to getting you know, really happy gariades, to being on 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:04.880 the Principles list. So, these are the kids that have 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:07.960 experienced some violence in the home. They might have experienced 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:11.560 some mental health concerns in the home. They're often finding 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:14.480 themselves with some mental health concerns. They are coping with 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:18.880 self harm, isolation, anti social behaviors. You know, they've had 0:07:18.920 --> 0:07:22.520 a really hard hand dealt to them. And so by 0:07:22.520 --> 0:07:26.000 the time they get to the University of Kentucky, Mr President, 0:07:26.320 --> 0:07:31.040 how do you handle engaging with such a diverse range 0:07:31.120 --> 0:07:34.040 of students when they get to your door, different types 0:07:34.080 --> 0:07:39.280 of school systems, different financial circumstances, different possibly traumatic backgrounds. 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:41.680 What are you doing to provide a sort of an 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:45.480 inclusive learning environment for this full range of humans. So 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:49.600 a little picture of our campus population. We have a 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:53.160 hundred and schwanne counties in Kentucky. Students from all of those, 0:07:53.240 --> 0:07:56.760 all fifty states and a hundred countries. So this is 0:07:56.760 --> 0:08:00.880 a wonderful opportunity for the these in our sections of 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:05.400 life that Gordon talked about that are so important. We 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:08.960 recognize that we would never be able to hire enough 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:17.640 counselors to individually work with each student. The support that 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:20.360 I think Gordon has described that they can get from 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:24.960 one another is enormous. So we've tried to have living 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:30.240 learning experiences that bring our students together to be with 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:36.760 individuals who have a different story, a different identity. Often 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:40.320 we come from communities where everyone looks like us. At 0:08:40.360 --> 0:08:44.480 the University of Kentucky, we have students who come from communities. 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:48.720 If you go from east to west, the life expectancy 0:08:48.840 --> 0:08:52.200 can change by ten years. We have in one part 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:57.640 of our state a traditional fossil fuel industry in coal 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:01.600 that has a whole host of challenges. At the other 0:09:01.679 --> 0:09:04.000 end of our state, we're building one of the most 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:09.920 modern battery plants. We have an enormous set of supports 0:09:09.960 --> 0:09:15.080 around students that go beyond, you know, traditional counseling, and 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:17.800 we have a community that cares. You know, we have 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:20.160 a group of seventy eight people that meet once a 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:26.600 week use all kinds of information we garner from faculty, advisors, counselors, 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:30.240 and so forth to wrap around services to our students. 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:32.400 We're at a time where we have to be high 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:37.120 tech and hot touch on the use of technology to 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:41.360 reach out to students at at all times of the 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:44.600 day and night. One thing that comes to mind when 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:48.600 I whenever I hear university is cost. The price tags 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.600 seem to be moving at an extraordinary clip. In fact, 0:09:51.640 --> 0:09:54.120 they are moving at an extraordinary clip. How do you 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:58.360 make sure that students can afford to remain in school? 0:09:58.960 --> 0:10:03.160 Thank you for raising the question that has been a 0:10:03.200 --> 0:10:09.080 top priority for us, using lots of data analytics to 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:13.680 determine why students succeed or not. And keep in mind 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:18.000 we've got thirty one thousand students. You have to customize 0:10:18.000 --> 0:10:23.680 your interventions. It's not one size fits all. So we 0:10:23.840 --> 0:10:27.120 used our data analytics to determine, you know, what are 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:31.560 those key factors that seemed to hold our students back. 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:38.600 And one that surfaced was that gap in unmet financial need, 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:41.760 which is really the the total cost of attendance and 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:46.560 how much you have in scholarships, grants and loans. We 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:49.959 found that once you close that to less than five 0:10:50.000 --> 0:10:55.120 thousand dollars annually, the retention rates and graduation rates go 0:10:55.320 --> 0:11:00.640 up dramatically. So we have built programs ours is referred 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:05.480 to as leads, and we target these students and we're 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:08.360 immediate in our responses. It can be in the middle 0:11:08.400 --> 0:11:13.560 of a semester that we see these financial challenges along 0:11:13.640 --> 0:11:20.160 with the immediate support comes with a financial wellness curriculum. 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:26.400 How can you learn about wise management of your finances? 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:31.520 What debt you undertake? Of our students graduate with no debt. 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:36.520 The average debt of students who do take out loans 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:40.920 is around thirty thou dollars. We watch those figures closely. 0:11:41.320 --> 0:11:45.080 I'm happy to say to our financial aid has increased 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:48.600 significantly and it goes most to those in the lower 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:54.439 income groups. Of our students come from families whose average 0:11:54.520 --> 0:12:00.560 annual income is just twenty dollars. Mm hmm. Gordon, I'm 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:02.800 gonna give you a chance to brag a bit about 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:06.880 take a hike in terms of the impact you've noticed 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:09.880 this program having on the students who are enrolled. Do 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:16.160 you have examples or stories you could share? Yeah, I 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:21.040 see so many education programs today that are really smart 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:24.280 about using something to hook kids. Take a hike. We've 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:27.360 used the outdoors to hook kids. But I see trades 0:12:27.480 --> 0:12:33.280 culinary programs, hairstyling, art, sport technology programs. We find ways 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.360 that cook kids, that get them excited and interested in 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:39.920 learning and then bring them in And for kids that 0:12:39.960 --> 0:12:42.880 have experienced vulnerabilities, these hooks are a really great way 0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:46.680 to start to build those relationships and form friendships. When 0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:50.080 we look at kids that have experienced some extreme trauma 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:53.920 in their lives, that have experienced some vulnerability. When kids 0:12:53.960 --> 0:12:57.280 get reconnected, they want to start talking and they want 0:12:57.280 --> 0:13:00.080 to start talking to adults that care about them. And 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:02.320 we can't expect that of teachers in the school system. 0:13:02.320 --> 0:13:05.360 They are too busy doing too many other things. And 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:07.400 that's why I take a hike has embedded a registered 0:13:07.400 --> 0:13:10.240 clinical counselor in the classroom, and so this is the 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:12.439 same person that when I go to see my therapist. 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:16.200 It's the same qualifications, and this person is there for 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:19.840 the kids all day, every day. We've got one counselor 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:23.360 for every twenties youth that we see. They start with 0:13:23.480 --> 0:13:26.959 really seemingly innocuous conversation. You know, they might help a 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:29.559 kid with math homework, and all of a sudden, the 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:31.599 child starts to say, I hate math, and this is 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:33.720 why I hate math. And then they go for a 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:37.400 walk and it gets a deeper and deeper conversation until 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:41.000 they're finally starting to unpack some of these really really 0:13:41.040 --> 0:13:43.760 meaningful events in their lives that are holding them back. 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:46.720 We get kids reconnected back to school. But when we 0:13:46.720 --> 0:13:49.400 get them connected back, then we've got the place for 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:52.320 those kids that are experiencing vulnerabilities to really open up 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:56.080 and share and that's where we see these huge differences 0:13:56.320 --> 0:13:59.440 happen in their lives. Does that cover the kind of 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:01.760 the mchin of the program and if not, is there 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:05.240 a a walk through what is a student experience of 0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:08.360 the Take a Hike program? On a weekly basis, they're 0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:11.040 in classroom four days a week throughout on the land 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:12.880 one day a week learning on and from the land. 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:15.760 Every single day starts with a circle where we get 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:18.800 the kids together in a circle. We asked them a 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:21.520 thought provoking question, uh, something that will help them open 0:14:21.600 --> 0:14:23.760 up be vulnerable with their peers, and then we asked 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:25.520 them to give a number between one and ten about 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:27.880 how they're feeling that day. It's a really great way 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.280 for us to check in and we can watch numbers 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:32.920 change throughout the day, So that's kind of what the 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:36.120 day starts like. They'll be academic instruction, just like in 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:39.040 any other classroom. And then there's that interaction with the 0:14:39.040 --> 0:14:41.160 mental health clinician. Some days it will just be a 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:44.520 casual conversations helping you out with math. The mental health 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:47.760 clinician gets to see issues that happened in the classroom 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:50.400 arise and gets to watch them in real time. So 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:53.360 that's part of what happens and take a hike. But 0:14:53.400 --> 0:14:56.560 then there's that finer stuff that happens in between the scenes. 0:14:56.640 --> 0:15:00.320 It's a ground kids actually starting to develop relationship ups 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:03.560 with each other, starting to find out that they're adults 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:06.600 in their lives that care about them, and being able 0:15:06.680 --> 0:15:09.680 to go from you know, never going to school to 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:11.960 having this adult that comes and sees them at their 0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:13.760 house and says, hey, what can I do to get 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:16.040 you back into school? We really miss you, we really 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:18.520 care about you, and showing up in their first day 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:21.520 with their hoodie on, not wanting to engage. And then 0:15:21.520 --> 0:15:24.120 on the last day of school, they're around a campfire, 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:27.520 they've got their hoodies down and they're looking around at 0:15:27.520 --> 0:15:31.040 a group of twenty other kids that they've made friends with. 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:34.880 They've never had friends before in their lives. This is 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:36.800 what take a high because it's about it's about building 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:38.960 that community, and it's about being able to show up 0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:42.320 and find that place of belonging in a really mentally 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:53.920 healthy way. You're listening to a podcast called Force Multiplier, 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:58.280 Action meets Impact. Now. I'm sure you've grown to expect 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:01.000 ads baked into your podcast us, but we're going to 0:16:01.080 --> 0:16:04.880 do something a little different to walk the walk. 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Do you have any partnerships 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:54.320 formally with sort of higher education third level education institutions 0:17:54.320 --> 0:17:57.439 going in BC? We are British Columbia, where the province 0:17:57.480 --> 0:18:01.080 where I live in Canada, we have lots of partnerships 0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:04.280 where we're able to get um youth and of experienced vulnerabilities, 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:08.320 some opportunities to look into what university life is like. 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:11.560 One of my favorite programs is the Trade Sampler program 0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:13.720 that we have here, and so this takes kids that 0:18:13.760 --> 0:18:17.000 are interested in some type of trades program and they 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:19.679 spend their last year of high school where they're actually 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:22.159 going into the college to be able to learn some 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:26.360 of the trade skills. Well, Gordon doesn't doesn't know this, 0:18:26.480 --> 0:18:29.520 but he's going to be opening up a satellite campus 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:33.680 in Kentucky. We have plenty of places for magnificent hikes. 0:18:34.680 --> 0:18:38.320 We just need more caring people like Gordon. I am 0:18:38.400 --> 0:18:43.239 so impressed that he's willing to take these individuals who 0:18:43.560 --> 0:18:48.040 suffer trauma, who are hurting, who oftentimes we give up on, 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:53.560 and turn their lives around. So Gordon, thank you. Well 0:18:53.560 --> 0:18:58.320 I'll take that as an official limitation. It is President Cappeluto. 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:03.600 You gave this really high impact commencement speech recently talking 0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:08.280 about careers and further education. But really what struck me 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:11.560 as the encouragement you offered to these graduating students to 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:15.560 find or build community. And I'm hearing this theme come 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:18.800 up between both of you, Eli and Gordon, about your 0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:21.840 engagement with the community, about extending the reach of the 0:19:21.960 --> 0:19:26.720 educational experience beyond the classroom, and about inviting support from 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:31.240 beyond the school institution, from businesses, from neighbors, from governments. 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:34.159 So what does it look like to you for someone 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:37.560 to to give back, to build community and to extend 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:40.879 that relationship and that learning experience beyond the school or 0:19:40.920 --> 0:19:46.680 the campus. Well, I think if we remain connected this 0:19:47.000 --> 0:19:49.960 era that we're going through now, which is to fund 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:54.680 too often by divudge. When we have any kind of disagreements, 0:19:55.280 --> 0:19:59.120 we have a better chance of bridging those. I think 0:19:59.200 --> 0:20:02.560 if one and vest in the common goods of community 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:05.720 are one is a part of that, we have a 0:20:05.760 --> 0:20:11.960 better chance of understanding one another at deeper levels. So 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:16.679 certainly we want our students to succeed individually and be 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:22.040 competent in many ways to do so. But it's time, 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:26.720 I think, to reinvest oneself in community. And you can 0:20:26.760 --> 0:20:31.959 do that through so many opportunities school board service today. 0:20:32.240 --> 0:20:34.040 You know, in the United States we've got a lot 0:20:34.040 --> 0:20:37.000 of conflict in school boards now. People may want to 0:20:37.040 --> 0:20:41.160 stay away from them. We need another generation to step 0:20:41.200 --> 0:20:44.000 forward to solve those problems. You can do so in 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:48.800 your faith community. They're a variety of ways to engage. 0:20:48.920 --> 0:20:52.480 We want to prepare our students to do so effectively. 0:20:53.359 --> 0:20:57.960 And with meaning and purpose? How do you handle the 0:20:58.119 --> 0:21:02.760 expectations that we continue to pour onto our educators. We 0:21:02.800 --> 0:21:07.840 want you all to be safety officers, counselors, serrogate parents, 0:21:08.080 --> 0:21:15.320 also occasionally teach curriculum, befriend the students, be ambassadors. It 0:21:15.440 --> 0:21:18.719 feels like we're asking more. Is that your experience of it? 0:21:18.840 --> 0:21:22.000 And uh? If so, how are you handling it? You know, 0:21:22.080 --> 0:21:24.920 we have all these people who come here every day 0:21:24.960 --> 0:21:30.000 to serve our students and our commonwealth, and we have 0:21:30.160 --> 0:21:33.000 to pause and say, if they're going to take care 0:21:33.040 --> 0:21:36.280 of our students and take care of our entire commonwealth, 0:21:36.720 --> 0:21:41.040 we need to take care of them. So, um, we 0:21:41.119 --> 0:21:47.120 have done a variety of sort of interventions to give 0:21:47.400 --> 0:21:54.520 our employees tom and support to carry these burdens that 0:21:54.680 --> 0:22:00.119 I think you so comprehensively describe that we're asked to 0:22:00.200 --> 0:22:05.359 do today. So in need Tom away, You need familyly 0:22:05.640 --> 0:22:09.879 policies that are supportive. You need pay in graces, you 0:22:09.960 --> 0:22:14.200 need a competitive wage. All those things that we've tried 0:22:14.240 --> 0:22:18.920 to address and I think been successful. Still more work 0:22:19.000 --> 0:22:22.960 to do. Yeah, Gordon, how are you all handling the 0:22:23.080 --> 0:22:28.000 increased expectations on our educators? I find that the educators 0:22:28.040 --> 0:22:29.640 and the adults that we see coming in to take 0:22:29.680 --> 0:22:33.480 a hike, they have these increased expectations of themselves and 0:22:33.560 --> 0:22:36.000 they get into the line of work that they're in 0:22:36.400 --> 0:22:39.720 because they really want to make a difference in people's lives. 0:22:39.840 --> 0:22:42.520 And so, of course it's about making sure we have 0:22:42.640 --> 0:22:45.760 all of those things that President Capa Luto has talked about, 0:22:45.800 --> 0:22:49.680 that fair pay, the good leave, time, the benefits programs. 0:22:49.720 --> 0:22:53.280 But we're also finding that we've been introducing something that's 0:22:53.320 --> 0:22:56.160 unique within the school system here in BC in Canada, 0:22:56.560 --> 0:22:59.320 and it's around to focus on the adults in the classroom. 0:22:59.760 --> 0:23:02.520 They're so much research that shows the healthier the adults 0:23:02.520 --> 0:23:05.240 in the classroom, the healthier the youth in the classroom. 0:23:05.760 --> 0:23:09.000 I've really shifted my thinking from my job is to 0:23:09.040 --> 0:23:11.560 care about youth to my job is to care about 0:23:11.600 --> 0:23:13.960 the people that care about the youth, because that's where 0:23:13.960 --> 0:23:15.680 I'm going to have the most impact, is to make 0:23:15.680 --> 0:23:18.159 sure that the people who are they're taking care of 0:23:18.200 --> 0:23:20.560 those youth that needed every day they need the love 0:23:20.600 --> 0:23:24.840 to That is a positive reinforcement. Gordon, I like that 0:23:24.960 --> 0:23:27.960 very very much, and it just keeps escalating in a 0:23:28.000 --> 0:23:32.080 good way. It does we We also have sometimes an 0:23:32.119 --> 0:23:37.000 increasing mismatch between the preparations that schools are offering to 0:23:37.040 --> 0:23:40.440 their students and what the workforce requires. We want more 0:23:40.600 --> 0:23:44.480 educated workers to power to economy, and I'm wondering if 0:23:44.840 --> 0:23:49.000 the relationship between business leaders and corporate partners and educational 0:23:49.040 --> 0:23:52.760 institutions is that something that's also evolving in terms of 0:23:52.800 --> 0:23:55.080 that the handoff. You know, we've got Gordon handing off 0:23:55.119 --> 0:23:59.000 to President Cappelutto, But President Cappelutto, how's that handoff going 0:23:59.040 --> 0:24:02.200 into the workforce in our There any changes that you're 0:24:02.240 --> 0:24:05.560 promoting in that relationship. I think to be able to 0:24:05.600 --> 0:24:11.040 offer our students internships, co ops, experiential learning is essential. 0:24:11.800 --> 0:24:15.840 We've made tremendous strides there. We certainly have more to do. 0:24:16.080 --> 0:24:21.200 I do believe a silver lining of COVID is how 0:24:21.200 --> 0:24:26.280 can we use the technology to make more opportunities available. 0:24:26.760 --> 0:24:30.639 You know, traditionally we've educated students in sixteen or eighteen 0:24:30.680 --> 0:24:34.240 weeks semesters. They may take a break in the summer. 0:24:34.920 --> 0:24:37.880 Everyone wants to take an internship coop at that time 0:24:37.960 --> 0:24:42.399 is pretty crowded. Well, now, why can't we have an 0:24:42.400 --> 0:24:48.879 on campus experience? Shift that to a online learning experience 0:24:48.880 --> 0:24:53.200 away from campus, while someone also has a co opera 0:24:53.280 --> 0:24:57.040 internship experience. So I think the technology is going to 0:24:57.160 --> 0:25:01.120 empower us to offer even more or of that kind 0:25:01.160 --> 0:25:05.000 of career life preparation. Gordon, do you have anything to 0:25:05.040 --> 0:25:09.920 add on on this kind of preparation for life beyond school. Yeah, 0:25:10.000 --> 0:25:11.919 that's a lot of what Take a Hike does is 0:25:12.040 --> 0:25:14.719 we really want to see kids be really successful in 0:25:14.840 --> 0:25:18.359 whatever way they define success. And for us, it's about 0:25:18.400 --> 0:25:20.400 making sure that they've got those skills to be really 0:25:20.400 --> 0:25:24.320 good human beings, to to find friendships, to build relationships, 0:25:24.680 --> 0:25:26.600 to have a family. If that's what they choose to do, 0:25:27.320 --> 0:25:30.439 then there's also that career part that is important to us. 0:25:30.800 --> 0:25:34.199 We often find ourselves handing off to President Cappolluter to 0:25:34.240 --> 0:25:36.880 take it on from there, and I can see here 0:25:36.880 --> 0:25:39.840 doing a good job of it. You also talked about 0:25:40.320 --> 0:25:44.760 corporations and and how we're handing off to them, but 0:25:44.800 --> 0:25:47.080