Friendship Project (K-2)

I had the pleasure of working with the kindies and primary grades at Fulford Elementary and Salt Spring Elementary (SSE) this year. Delivering the Friendship Project with little kids is so fun, adorable, and inspiring. They have such real and immediate responses to the questions. Doing sessions with little kids about emotional literacy - the ability to identify, understand, label, and manage emotions while empathetically responding to the feelings of others - is very fulfilling because they are so good at it. Having them demonstrate all the ways they feel different things is pretty cute.

One boy stood out to me during these sessions. He laughed a lot, so we were guessing he was happy. But he explained that when he is upset or scared, he starts to laugh. That was a great reflection for a boy his age. Talking about emotional literacy and emotional awareness is as relevant for kids in kindergarten as it is for kids in Pass it On, some of whom are in grade 12. It never gets old. We always keep learning about the unique ways we express our emotions and respond to each other's emotions.

The Empathy Project (Grades 3-5)

The Empathy Project has one of the biggest reaches of our programs because it is delivered from Grade 3 up to Grade 5. The content shifts based on the emotional maturity of the group. I always think of classes as personalities. Some classes are very shy and some are more extroverted, or really silly, or they need to be more physical to get the content, or more reflective. At SSE, I was delivering this program in a class that was somewhat reluctant and defensive. The students were having a hard time connecting with the teacher and with one another. There was a lot of eyerolling, and kids didn’t want to work together. Until we played this game, where they had to hold hands and help each other up from a sitting position. One student stepped up, committing to helping everybody. The class went from not wanting to touch each other to really working together. I love it when there's a game that takes kids out of their assumptions and their preconceived notions of one another, so that they can fully focus on the task at hand and find a way to be united through that.

The Respect Project (Grades 6-8)

In the Respect Program, I did a session on friendship, and how we talk to each other and how we find a sense of respect for one another, as well as a sense of self-worth. In a Grade 7 class, we incorporated an activity with some scene work.  We talked about the conflicts that come up in friendships, and then they had to share back with us. We always give them options to relay their reflections. You can make a poem, a rap, a skit or a tableau. And usually I say: ‘or you can do an interpretive dance.’ Knowing that no Grade 7 class in the world would ever do that. But this time, every single group, except for one, did an interpretive dance about friendship conflict. They were joking, but also wholeheartedly and passionately dancing. And it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

The Trust Project (Grades 9-10)

I had great experiences delivering The Trust Project on Pender and Saturna Island this year, and I just said goodbye to the Grade 9 class at Pender Island School during their grad ceremony. That class was very diverse: kids from every island, kids with different personalities, characteristics, abilities and disabilities. Their acceptance of one another, their encouragement, and their willingness to listen and to be kind was profound. At the ceremony, I told them how radical that is. If they take that skill with them, they will have such great success. Often in this world, we attach a lot of status to people who make a lot of money or get high grades in school, but it is actually the act of kindness and connection that creates the relationships that will take us the farthest.  

Pass it on (Grades 9-12 after-school program)

It was a profound year for Pass it On because we had new facilitators in both our programs. In PIO Girls, we even had a volunteer and a facilitator who both had been in Pass it On. We had volunteers from the program before, but to have a past participant facilitate our program has been a long-time dream. The session I have the best memories of this year was the one that is called ‘words of affirmation’. It was a combined session of our girls and boys program, and we used the fishbowl technique where the boys went in the middle, and the girls sat in a circle outside of them and listened, and later switched positions. The checkout question was ‘I love you because’. They all told each other why they loved each other. I think it is radical when we can speak about the love we have without expectation or assumptions of what that means, without the idea that it is only related to romantic love. It was incredibly connective because they were demonstrating this deep vulnerability and care for one another, and saw that they were all capable of that.

Working with youth training (facilitator training)

We had two really engaged community trainings this year. These sessions are important because this way we create partners and friends within our community. And for them to apply our methods causes a big ripple. To be open and to be engaged in connection is fairly commonplace for the kids in our programs, but so unique in this world. I see that most when I work with adults. They are blown away by how much they desire connection and to be heard by each other, and how little they find that in their lives.

The Circle Educations provides usually two Working with Youth Training a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Send us an email at info@thecircleeducation.org for more information.

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Wendy Kaye retired on Salt Spring Island 23 years ago, but has lived in Courtenay for the past three years to be closer to her daughter’s family. Now that her grandchildren are a bit older and have their own lives, she will move back to the island next month. Wendy was a donor before our organization changed its name from SWOVA to The Circle Education, but became more involved in 2020.  She supports The Circle with a yearly donation and has also made a small bequest as part of her estate planning.

Rory Holland, who is now retired, was an entrepreneur throughout his working life. He moved from Bowen Island to Salt Spring, has three adult sons, and has been working with youth as a volunteer since he was twenty, striving to be a trusted person to youth, someone whom they can talk to besides their parents. Rory has been a supporter of The Circle Education since 2024. 

What inspired you to donate to The Circle Education?   

Wendy: “I know there are many non-profit societies on Salt Spring Island, but The Circle Education stood out for me. I have a strong interest in children and youth, and their development, and I love to support young people. I believe that the ability of our young to communicate with each other, collaborate, make healthy choices, play fair and respect others can lead to a better world. For them, and for us!

Rory: “When I moved to Salt Spring Island, I heard people talking about the Pass it On program. I was curious and wanted to hear more about it, so I called executive director Janine Fernandes-Hayden. When she told me about the programs The Circle offers to the island, I wanted to support that. The idea that there is a proactive program that encourages kids to be themselves and that builds compassion and empathy and positively impacts the way young people choose to engage with themselves and with the world. What is a better thing to invest in?”

What matters most to you about our work?

Wendy: “To me, the most important aspect of the work starts with The Circle Education’s ability to attract and train excellent facilitators. That’s where it all begins, really. Their leadership and mentorship are the cornerstones of the program. I love the range of subject matter they provide in such an integrative way.”

Rory:  “I support two organizations on the island: IWAV and The Circle Education, and at first I didn’t know they were connected in the past. It was coincidental. When you talk about gender-based violence, we often think of what women can do to protect themselves, but it is important that we focus on boys as well. Telling them that they can’t be angry or violent won’t solve anything. Working with them on their own sense of self in connection to others, and talking about other ways to express themselves, ways that do not include harming others, or harming women, does work. I love the idea of the tomato fight the participants of Pass it On boys had at Bullock Lake farm, and them talking about anger afterwards. That just gives me the chills; it is so perfect.”

Why is the work The Circle Education does urgent and important right now?

Wendy: “We all know that online negative influences directed toward young people are growing exponentially. The news they absorb in the media makes the world seem a scary place. There are lots of questions for pre-teens and teens to grapple with. What better place for kids to have than a setting with their peers where they feel safe and where they can talk and practice new skills with trained facilitators?”

Rory: “Social-emotional education really should be at the forefront right now. Kids these days are facing much greater challenges than when I was young. Just the impact of mobile phones, social media and the influencers they find online. That is kind of scary. It is healthy to have positive real-life role models. I am so impressed with the facilitators of the boys’ program whom I met in the past years. They are hard-working good men who are young enough to connect and engage with the younger generation.”

Do you have a memory or a story about our organization that really stands out to you?

Rory: “I got invited to the Pass it On Boys intergenerational session, where older community members and parents came to talk with the participants and share perspectives. As a parent, you don’t often get the chance to hear the kids talk the way they did during that session. I was just listening as a random adult and I was learning things about myself as well. It was just a remarkable afternoon. When I got home, I just couldn’t stop talking about it. Not every kid slides through high school, and as a parent it is so comforting to know that your child has a place where they have people and peers to talk to.”

What would you say to others who might be considering a gift of their own?

Wendy: “These special times and stabilizing core values together will impact the lives of our youth in so many ways, enabling them to make their way in every aspect of their interpersonal relationships as they head out into the wider world. Especially with parents so busy in their work lives and teachers overburdened in the classroom, we are very fortunate that Circle Education Society provides such a well-rounded, experiential program in our community. I wish that my teenage grandchildren, living in other parts of British Columbia, could have access to a program like this.”

Rory: “I would tell them that this is a program that builds our community. It is not an add-on; it is not nice-to-have. It’s a need. We are talking about the social fabric, the social structure of our island, making sure kids are not falling through the cracks. We want them to have adequate support, and that they’re building positive networks as they’re making their way through school. I hated every day of school, from day one up to Grade 12. It can be a hard place to be if you do not fit in. And teachers already have way too much work, so we should be grateful for an organization that is willing to come in. It should be funded by the province, 100 percent, but as we know, that isn’t the fact; we should find ways as a community to support it.”

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

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Sparkfest originated in 2011 when Kate Nash, now program manager for The Circle Education, was in her first year working as a facilitator for SWOVA. In second semester, she was asked to lead Youth Team, a group of high school students who supported as facilitators with the organization’s in-school programs at the time.

“We didn’t have a lot of budget for our Pass it On program, and the Youth Team wanted to be of service,” Kate recalls. “They came up with the idea for the fundraiser, an event that showcased Pass it On, run for youth and by youth, and that would appeal to youth. Which was new, because a lot of the fundraisers, although raising funds for programs for youth, were not necessarily youth-centered.”

While Kate and the Youth Team were full of ideas, they lacked experience in organizing a festival, so she asked her friend and event organizer, James Cowan, to assist them.  “That first year, I said ‘yes’ mainly as a favour to Kate”, he says. “I didn’t know much about SWOVA, or Pass it On, but when I learned more, I realized the importance of the work they did, and the programs they were offering in school. My child had just turned six, and I thought: I need this to be around in another eight years when my child is old enough to be in Pass it On, so I’ll do anything I can to help.”

Together with the participants of the Youth Team and Pass it On, Kate and James organized eight Sparkfests. “The youth and I would come up with plans, and James would ask me: Have you thought about ‘this’, and have you done ‘that’? It cemented the way we communicated. We brought in the creative ideas, and James backed it with his organizational brain.”

The first Sparkfest happened in 2011 at the Farmers’ Institute. “In hindsight, that location was hilarious because it’s massive”, says Kate with a smile. “Way too big for the fifty people who showed up that first time, but it was super fun. We made waffles, we had a bike smoothie blender, door prizes and live music playing all afternoon. We ended the festival with sparklers that we lit, because the group wanted the festival to be called Sparkfest. We wanted to spark ideas and connections.”

A year later, Sparkfest took place at Harbour House and eventually the event moved to Barb’s Buns. “The Orchard Room at Harbour House had hands down the best acoustics on the island”, James continues. “It was a great location and we were lucky because Harbour House donated the space for many years in a row before we ultimately moved to the heart of Ganges at Barb’s Buns.”

Kate adds: “In the first years, I just called people and asked if they wanted to buy a ticket; it was all word of mouth. When we moved to Barb’s, the event became more visible. We opened the sliding doors when the weather was nice and people who passed by wondered: ‘What is this?’ It felt really special to turn a place that people love so much into a musical venue. It also gave me the opportunity to get on that soap box and tell everyone how important Pass it On was. It generated a lot of awareness for the program and what we did as an organization.”

With their different connections in the music scene, Kate and James managed to establish amazing line-ups over the years. Not only did local musicians support Sparkfest but established Canadian singer-songwriters like Kinnie Star, Mae Moore, Tara MacLean and Ashleigh Ball also performed at the event. “We hustled hotel rooms and meals for them, and artists that otherwise wouldn’t have come to the island, all performed here for free.”

What started as a way to fundraise for Pass it On, grew into a yearly highlight for youth on Salt Spring Island. “Sparkfest was initially a strategic move to secure my job and a way to make sure this program continued, but it became so much more”, Kate says. “We generated a couple of thousand dollars a year for Pass it On, but when the program became more established, more funds became available. That’s when we started using the Sparkfest money to set up a similar program for boys.  I thought Pass it On was only relevant if we had a program for both genders.”

Sparkfest concluded prior to the pandemic as part of a strategic shift in organizational priorities. Both Kate and James look back at the Sparkfest years with affection. “It was awesome. Throwing a show is a pretty fun thing to do,” James says. Kate adds: “Wouldn’t it be fun to bring it back one more time?”

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SWOVA started to focus on prevention and education in 1996. Birch joined the organization in 1999. Bringing his fifteen years of arts-informed social education, he worked alongside executive director Lynda Laushway, and co-facilitators, Kim Davidson and Ahava Shira (pictured with Robert Birch and Christina Antonick) to develop the first iteration of the Respectful Relationships Program for middle and high school students.

R&R was an in-school program that addressed gender-based violence. “Our approach was to do more than attempt to change an individual’s way of thinking. We knew we needed a structural approach if we were to address socially embedded, harmful norms toward encouraging youth, parents and educators to more actively participate in gender equality,” says Birch, who now works as a consultant and a writer on Salt Spring Island. “We wanted the program to have a more cultural influence.”

With the Respectful Relations Program, an award-winning model that eventually extended to other rural and remote communities in B.C. and other provinces, youth from grade 7 through grade 10 received 48 sessions of social-emotional programming in four years. “The Respectful Relationships Program was about understanding who we are within the context of social bias and how biases influence our behaviour towards others,” Birch continues.

“We began by looking at the nature of bullying, and by the end of those 48 sessions of sitting in a circle with two facilitators, students were able to identify patterns of healthy and unhealthy relationships, —understand how difficult, but necessary it is to leave one, and how to carefully support somebody who might be in one. One of the big indicators of the success of this program was that when young people felt safe in social learning models, the research revealed their scholastic outcomes also improved.”

Annually, students also spent two sessions in separate groups. “It created safety for girls and boys to speak their minds and hearts more freely. It wasn’t always easy, especially for the boys,” Birch remembers. “One question that almost always sparked meaningful conversations in the boys’ group was: ‘Who wants to be a father one day?’ Many said yes. They then shared what kind of father they wanted to be, who their role models were, and identified approaches to parenting they would rather not emulate. Often, this was the first time they had ever talked about this topic —exploring what it means to parent. It made them realize that boys and men can have values and roles that transcend gender; that they can choose how they show up in the world, what kind of family they want and what kind of relationships they will build.”

Birch was also involved with SWOVA’s Youth Team. The Youth Team consisted of bright, caring and socially engaged youth who came together once a week to participate in a deeper learning of the curriculum. “Eventually, they would join us in the younger classrooms as assistant facilitators. It was a critical part of the program's success to have older kids guiding their younger peers, as they were able to contextualize the learning through their own lived experiences. As an aside, it was also great for their resumés.”

Looking back, one of the highlights for Birch was the time when he was one of the provincial trainers for the Respectful Relationships Program in British Columbia. “Just seeing the light go on for many educators, the relief that they had finally found a program which the school system could benefit from. They were excited to bring R&R into their schools. Many teachers felt powerless around bullying. There wasn’t a strong educational framework at the time; while some schools had a no-tolerance policy on violence, most schools didn’t even have that as a baseline. R&R went right down to the roots of what education is and what it stands for: classroom cultures where every student is free to learn. It’s similar to being hungry, if you don’t feel seen and respected, it’s hard to focus.”

 While programs today may look different, the foundational work of Robert Birch and other early forerunners established core values, including safety, social-emotional competence, critical thinking, respect, equality, awareness of bias, and skills for healthy relationships, which remain strong in The Circle Education’s ongoing mission.

After his time with SWOVA, Birch built an international career as a facilitator and writer on sexuality and intimacy. His work for SWOVA in the schools was often challenging, but he remains convinced these social-emotional programs are vital. “Kids need a place to practice their innate intelligence, kindness, and care. These types of programs could make the difference between a life of connection or one of isolation, violence or even death. That sounds dramatic, but considering the times we are living in, it remains true.”

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Photo: Sarah Belknap (second on the right) with boardmembers and other friends of The Circle Education during the AGM in October 2024.

It was a personal experience that drew Sarah Belknap to SWOVA (Saltspring Women Opposed to Violence and Abuse), now known as The Circle Education. She experienced sexual violence in her twenties and had some other experiences that left her with a firm conviction about the importance of the work the organization does.

Sarah’s professional and educational path deeply informed her commitment to SWOVA’s mission. Growing up in Dallas and studying in Memphis and Nashville, she earned a master’s degree in Social Work and Divinity.   Her work as a psychiatric social worker in Los Angeles, and later her ordination as a priest in the Episcopal Church (the Anglican Church in Canada), gave her a unique blend of compassion and leadership—qualities she brought to her role at SWOVA.  Years later, Sarah and her husband moved from Los Angeles to Victoria and eventually retired to Salt Spring Island in 2009. 

On Salt Spring Island, she attended the first International Women’s Day Dinner (IWD) at Harbour House in 2012, and that was when she first heard of SWOVA. The dinner was organized by Lynda Laushway, the founder of SWOVA, and the person who ran the office at the time. It was a lot of work between the two of them, so when they gathered a team for next year’s dinner, Sarah decided to be part of it.  She enjoyed organizing the dinners, which were well-attended fundraisers that also raised the profile of SWOVA and the work the agency did in the community.

Through the International Women’s Day Dinners, Sarah met program coordinator Kate Nash, who was the facilitator of SWOVA’s Pass It On program, a mentorship program for middle and high school students, at the time. Kate had invited women from the community to talk about their personal experiences with sexual violence and abuse, and Sarah decided to share her story because she felt that it happens to many women, but at that time, and this was before the ‘MeToo’ movement, no one talked about it.

Sarah was impressed with Kate’s leadership and the program itself. Participants were open and not afraid to be honest and to share deeply. It sparked her interest in the organization even more. 

It was the beginning of a lengthy involvement with SWOVA, which became The Circle Education in 2020. After the second IWD dinner, Sarah was recruited to the board, and a year later, she was asked to become board chair. When she was six months into her term, executive director Lynda Laushway retired. It was a huge shift, Sarah recalls, as Lynda had been there from the beginning and had developed the organization's programming.  

During her chairmanship, the organization faced leadership transitions, regulatory changes, and the loss of key programs, including the cessation of the Respectful Relationships Program in local high schools. These challenges prompted a period of reassessment, leading to new programs, updated bylaws, and ultimately a rearticulation of the mission and vision. A significant turning point came with the rebrand to The Circle Education, reflecting the organization’s evolving identity and program model based on circles.

In 2020, her term as a board chair ended, but it wasn’t hard for her to step away. It was time, she said, looking back on a challenging but also interesting time. The agency had come through a vulnerable time, but people had stepped up, recognizing that the work needed to be continued. There was a strong board and a competent director. She walked away knowing the organization was in good hands. The highlight of her time with SWOVA and The Circle Education was the great satisfaction of seeing the agency being reborn with the help of many people.

Five years after she left, Sarah is still following The Circle Education, quietly cheering from the sidelines. She is delighted to see the organization soar, as she knows that the work the agency does continues to be crucially important. Giving young people the life skills to succeed, to have a good life, and to avoid violence is fundamental.

Photo: Sarah Belknap (pictured on the right) in 2017.

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Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Setting and reinforcing boundaries (consistency is key here) is an important way to keep relationships within families healthy. Boundaries are the limits we set with or for people. Children need clear boundaries. Their developing lives require a sense of order and without this, their worlds would simply be too overwhelming. Boundaries give them a framework to grow into confident (young) adults.

Every family has a different set of boundaries. And setting boundaries for young kids is very different from the ones you set for your teenagers. That’s what podcast host Kate Nash found out with her daughter. “It is easier to tell a three-year-old that she can’t eat pebbles at the beach, than a thirteen-year-old that she can’t have a cell phone”, she says. “Both are non-negotiable for me, as I want to keep her safe, physically and mentally. When they’re young, they will have a temper tantrum, but when they are older, they will try to negotiate. Having boundaries is sometimes hard and can cause stress, but I hope she will understand when she’s an adult.”

Do you struggle to say ‘no’ to your kids, or do you think you say ‘no’ too often? You’re not alone!

Listen to episode 7 here (or in your favourite podcast app)

For each episode of the Parent Project Podcast, host Kate Nash curated games, activities, resources, reflections and family practices to use, listen to, and do at home.

This podcast is sponsored by Island Savings, a division of First West Credit Union.

Game

As a family, read through some offered scenarios below or take a few moments to create your own. After each scenario, have a discussion about what you would do or what your boundary would be.

Sample scenario: This family is made up of 5 members, two parents and three teenagers. At this point, everyone has a cell phone. The parents want the kids to have some time away from their phones and ask that all phones get put in the kitchen at 10pm every night. Is this a fair boundary?

Sample scenario: This family has two kids who each have their own room. The younger sibling always wants to go into their older siblings' room. The older sibling does not want to be barged in on. The mom decides that everyone will knock on the door of the room they wish to visit and wait to be welcomed in before entering. Is this a fair boundary?

Sample scenario: In this family, a parent regularly reads their teenage child's private messages and emails without the child's knowledge or consent. The parent justifies this behavior by saying it's necessary to keep the child safe. Is this a fair boundary?

Sample scenario: In this family, there is a dad and a son. The son wants to be a vegetarian and does not want to eat meat in his lunches anymore. The dad says that he will buy vegetarian food if the son will make his own lunch. Is this a fair boundary?

Sample scenario: In this family, there's a mother and a teenage daughter. The mother is very affectionate and expresses love through physical touch, particularly hugging. The daughter, however, is not comfortable with frequent physical contact and prefers other forms of affection. Despite the daughter repeatedly expressing her discomfort with hugging, the mother continues insisting on hugs, saying things like, "But I'm your mom”. Is this a fair boundary?

Activity

Answer the questions asked in the podcast for yourself and listen to what other parents say.

What are the clear boundaries you have in your home?

What are the boundaries that keep getting crossed?  Why do you think this happens? What could help?

What are the societal pressures that affect the boundaries in your home? 

How does this affect your ability to maintain boundaries within your home?

What are some tools that you have for creating clear boundaries for everyone?

Watch:

Let’s Talk About Boundaries

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In the empathy podcast, one parent confesses that it is harder for her to show empathy when her ego is involved. Another one says it is easier if you can relate to what your kids are struggling with. A third one knows that when she’s triggered, or dysregulated, it takes a minute to remind herself, “that it's not about me in this moment, it's to help my child through something.”

Podcast host Kate Nash thinks that being empathic towards your kids, is all about setting clear boundaries. “Because a relationship with no boundaries can feel unsafe So sometimes the way we show empathy may seem contrary to the notion that empathy is full of love and compassion. It sometimes is about recognizing what your kids need and offering them the guidelines to get there.”

Listen to episode 4 here (or in your favourite podcast app)

For each episode of the Parent Project Podcast, host Kate Nash curated games, activities, resources, reflections and family practices to use, listen to, and do at home.

Watch

What is empathy and what is the best way to ease someone's pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated short video, Dr. Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities.

Activity

Empathy exploration

Participants write down scenarios that happen at home where they have an easy time feeling and practicing empathy and scenarios where they have a hard time feeling and practicing empathy.

Fold them all up and put them in the middle of the table.

Give everyone a piece of paper to keep track of their answers.

Have each person choose one, one at a time, and read a scenario out loud to everyone. 

Each person can mark down whether they would or would not be able to have empathy in that scenario.

Feel free to discuss the why or why not for each answer for those who want to.

At the end notice how many scenarios you are or are not able to practice empathy for.

Talk about what you notice about the times you can and cannot.

Talk about the ways that everyone may be able to grow their empathy muscles in more scenarios.

Reflection

Listen to the podcast and answer these questions:

When is it easy for you to feel empathy for your children?

When is it hardest for you to feel empathy? Or for what child or which situations are the most difficult for you to feel empathy?

How do you role model empathy to your kids? How do you role model your practice of empathy to your grandkids? How do you role model being a person who practices empathy?

What are tools that you use to practice empathy for your children, especially when they may have a different opinion than us or a different experience and perspective?

Take Home Message

In hard parenting choices, allowing your children’s perspective to be heard and acknowledged while still holding your own boundaries. Often times, people just want to be heard.

Photo credit: Mike Scheid/Unsplash

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For each episode of the Parent Project Podcast, host Kate Nash curated games, activities, resources, reflections and family practices to use, listen, and do at home.

Listen to episode 1 here (or in your favourite podcast app).

Healthy relationships take time, practice and awareness. This means being present, responsive, reliable and open.

When do you have the most meaningful connections with your family?

Some parents have the best talks with their family right after dinner, while others like to do something together that their children are passionate about, or have their children open up to them during the confined and private moments of a car ride.

Our participants learned that meaningful connections are not happening when you are angry or charged.

Try to laugh and have fun. Relax, and you will have a more genuine connection.

“Just listen and be surprised”, says Anne Millerd in the first episode. “I used to prepare conversations with my kids, but they never go the way you planned. They never say what you think they’re going to say, so I try to do it differently with my grandchildren. I just show up and listen.” 

Listen to the first episode to learn more about the tools we can use to foster deeper relationships.

Game:

Either /Or:  A fun and light game to get everyone chatting, laughing and connecting is the Either/Or game. Put together a list of questions for your family and bond over the similarities and wonder about the differences between your answers. For example, choose two options and have family members pick which they prefer: movies or books, running or walking, sleeping in or getting up early, alone or in a group, text or call?

Watch: Relationships Matters

How connected are our students? How important is connection? Dr. Neufeld argues that without healthy relationships, learning will not happen.

Gordon Neufeld is a Vancouver-based developmental psychologist with over 45 years of experience with children and youth and those responsible for them. A foremost authority on child development, Dr. Neufeld is an international speaker, a bestselling author (Hold On To Your Kids) and a leading interpreter of the developmental paradigm. Dr. Neufeld has a widespread reputation for making sense of complex problems and for opening doors for change.

Activity:

In addition to listening to Building Relationships with our Children, to hear what other parents think, you can respond to or journal your answers to the discussion questions that are asked in the podcast. 

*What surprised you most about becoming a (grand)parent, or in your experience of being a (grand)parent?

*What does it look like when you feel you're having a deep and meaningful connection with youth that you love in your life.

*What stands in the way of you making deep and meaningful connections with your children?

* What is a tool you use to connect with your child?

Family practice: Name Story

Share with your family the story of your name, as well as the story of their name if they don’t already know it. Sharing stories about last names, their origin, cultural significance and meaning is also important in giving children and youth a sense of belonging and identity.  It can be useful for members to research a little beforehand from online sources.

Why is this game important? How does it facilitate family relationships?

A person’s name is the greatest connection to their own identity and individuality. The more we can understand ourselves, including what makes us similar and different to others, the better we can treat ourselves and others.

This podcast is sponsored by Island Savings, a division of First West Credit Union.

Photo by Annie Spratt (Unsplash)

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