In My World Citizenship Initiative

Calgary Board of Education
Contact: Nancy Close at 1.403.294.8120

  1. What problem were you trying to address when you launched this program?
    The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) “In My World” citizenship initiative was not launched to address a particular problem in the system but rather to encourage children to become more aware of human rights and the social, civic and global responsibilities of all citizens. In teaching the 3R’s, rights, respect and responsibility, it is hoped that children will learn new ways of communicating with each other and how to become responsible, caring citizens. The “In My World” citizenship initiative ties in beautifully with the CBE’s mission of Educating Tomorrow’s Citizens Today.

  2. Describe the program/project?
    “In My World” is a Calgary Board of Education citizenship initiative based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The central purpose of “In My World” is to help learners become good citizens. Themes and principles from the UNCRC are connected to the Alberta Program of Studies and used in the classroom setting in science, math, social studies, language arts or other classes. Through these lessons, students learn how to express themselves in ways that respect their rights and the rights of others. They learn what “responsible” citizenship behavior means and how to extend this behavior into the community through community service projects. “In My World” began as a pilot project in 1999/2000 with 18 interested CBE teachers in Division I (Kindergarten-Grade 3). The project has now expanded into Division II and III in both English and French immersion settings.

  1. How did you involve your school council/community in developing this approach?
    Collaboration has always been an essential part of “In My World.” Parents have played a key role, working with teachers and administrators to extend the learning in the classroom within their home environments and the community. An advisory committee consisting of community partners, teachers and administrators provided direction and guidance during the initial phases of “In My World.” Currently the initiative has links with a number of local, national and international agencies such as the Alberta Community Development, Alberta Civil Liberties Association, The Calgary Foundation, Canadian Heritage, UNICEF-Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency.

  2. How do you know it is working?
    Since the project’s inception, successful connections have been forged with several key partners. With the help of these partners and the support of teachers and the curriculum specialist in the CBE, the pilot project was expanded from the primary grades to Kindergarten to Grade 9. As well, a number of high quality educational tools/resources for students and educators have been created.

    Evaluation has played a key role in the “In My World” initiative. An evaluation was conducted during the pilot phase of the project and another is currently being conducted with teachers who are assessing some of the tools and resources.
    Results from the pilot showed that not only did participating students become more fully aware of their rights and responsibilities but their language and behavior towards each other changed. They became more tolerant and respectful of each others’ rights and responsibilities. In addition, teachers found that their own pedagogical beliefs and practice changed as a result of working with “In My World.” Finally, as parents learned more about children’s rights and responsibilities, it had a positive impact on the home environment.

  3. What would you do to improve this program?
    The Calgary Board of Education has had to focus its spending on ensuring all classrooms in the system are functioning well. As a result, internal curriculum positions that were allocated to initiatives such as “In My World” had to be placed elsewhere. So while teachers in the system are continuing to implement “In My World” concepts in their classrooms, the initiative lacks a project leader/champion. The project would benefit enormously from the recruitment of a permanent sponsor that would allow for a project leader position to be re-instated. This in turn would provide support for teachers in the system, expand the program from Kindergarten to Grade 12, raise the profile of “In My World” outside of the CBE and permit a sustainable future to be created.