our 10 point plan
1. Canadian Classroom… is a joint venture of public, private and non-profit sectors to give a select and representative group of young people an in-depth experience of their country in two months travel and study together.
2. It is reasoned this investment will be more than repaid in the development of informed leaders, the fostering of closer relations among peoples and regions and the building of a more cohesive and resilient country as a result.
3. Students are selected on the criteria that our country must be sensed before it can be seen. Those to most benefit will be ones for whom the journey is a joining of dots and configuring of constellations rather than downloading data.
4. On the trip together students will visit all of Canada’s provinces, territories and capitals, set foot on all its land forms and in three oceans, and be exposed to the activities and life stories that grow from the breadth of land and water.
5. Travel will be by rail to regions served by the rail grid. This mode maximizes connection to (a) the land, (b) the industries that grow from it and (c) the group in a self-contained space suited to pursue an intensive course of studies.
6. Faculty will include an onboard core group of instructor-facilitators in 1:4 ratio with students and field resource staff such as elders, artists, workers and businesspersons from the peoples, regions and traditions through which we pass.
7. In addition to observations, presentations and other group activities, each student will keep a reading log, journal and portfolio and undertake an agreed project reflecting his/her strengths and submitted within 30 days of journey’s end.
8. A pilot group of 16 will provide each region with an alumnus who can serve as a contact person and recruiter for the next year’s class of students. Growing incrementally, it is envisaged that later classes could reach 3 times this size.
9. Classroom … can be an ongoing pillar and leadership talent pool in Canadian life. Fortified by such a core, our country will be less prone to sectionalism and second guessing to which we’re periodically subjected by less insightful leaders.
10. Classroom …‘s effectiveness depends on each year’s group gelling to become a pluralistic and pragmatic model culture. It entails participation by our principal economic sectors as well as our multi strands of citizenship for this to succeed.