British Columbia Teachers for Peace and Global...

BC Teachers Federationwww.bctf.ca

Summer 2012www.pagebc.ca

Sandbox 6’x8’, oil on canvas, 2007

by Michael James Joyce

British Columbia Teachers forPeace and Global Education

a Provincial Specialist Association of the BC Teachers’ Federation

Summer 2012 WWW.PAGEBC.CA ii

REGULAR FEATURES1 Editorial: Thank You, and Keep on

Rockin’ in the Free World!

Patrik Parkes

2 Cover Image: Statement on Sandbox

Michael James Joyce

3 President’s Message

Susan Ruzic

4 What Would Gandhi Do? Because who would haveread articles titled “What Would Pummy Do?”

Pummy Kaur5 Forty Year Perspective

Pummy Kaur

PAGE BC

7 PAGE Financials Ending May 31, 2011

7 Get Involved!

8 Culture of Peace calendar art submissions needed

9 Gandhi Youth Award Nomination Form

FALL CONFERENCE

10 How to Create a Better World - The 2012 PAGE Fall Conference and Celebration

11 PAGE Conference 2012: Workshops

ISSUES AND IDEAS

12 Kick in the Eye’s Guide to Third Wave Action

Marian and Donnie Lochrie

15 Oh Our Oil, Canada!

Pummy Kaur17 Oxfam Canada and PAGE:

Supporting the Change Makers of Tomorrow

Manjot Bining and Simon Child

19 Indigenous Diplomacy and the Rights of Peoples:

Achieving UN Recognition by James (Sa ke j)

Youngblood Henderson

Louise Gonsalvez

SATIRE

20 Our Pension A Social Justice Issue

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Table of Contents

Submissions to The GlobalEducatorThe Global Educator,journal of B.C. Peace andGlobal Educators (PAGE),is published twice yearly,and welcomes unsolicitedarticles and graphics byDecember 15 (for thewinter issue) and June 15(for the summer issue).Writers are highlyencouraged to read thesubmission guidelines atpagebc.ca/pages/global-educator or by clickingThe Global Educator tabon the main PAGE site.

Editor: Patrik Parkes [email protected]

Assistant Editor:Robyn Joyce

iii the Journal of the B.C. Teachers for Peace and Global Education

PAGE EXECUTIVESusan Ruzic, PresidentPhone: 604-936-0478 (w)Email: [email protected]

Donald Wilson, Past PresidentWork: [email protected]

Greg van Vugt, Vice-PresidentPhone: 604-582-9231 (w)Email: [email protected]

Scott Parker, TreasurerEmail: [email protected]

Robyn Joyce, SecretaryEmail: [email protected]

Patrik Parkes, EditorPhone: 778-240-2680Email: [email protected]

Betty Gilgoff, Web AdministratorEmail: [email protected]

Bob Bussanich, Member-at-LargePhone: 604-436-0635Email: [email protected]

Navnit Dosanjh, Member-at-LargePhone: 604-596-5533Email: [email protected]

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

Frank BonvinoEmail: [email protected]

Roz JohnsEmail: [email protected]

Pummy KaurEmail:[email protected]

Harleen GillEmail: [email protected]

Treena GoolieffEmail: [email protected]

“Global Education is education that opens people’s eyes and minds to the reali-ties of the world, and awakens them to bring about a world of greater justice,

equity and human rights for all.

Global Education is understood to encompass Development Education,Human Rights Education, Education for Sustainability, Education for Peace

and Conflict Prevention and Inter-cultural Education; being the global dimen-sions of Education for Citizenship.”

The Maastricht Global Education Declaration, 2002

For more information about PAGE, visit our website: www.pagebc.ca

British Columbia Teachers forPeace and Global Education

Provincial Specialist Association

PageBC Executive 2011 - 2012PAG

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Summer 2012 WWW.PAGEBC.CA Regular Features - 1

Patrik Parkes

One of my favourite Devosongs goes like this: “It’sa beautiful world we livein / A sweet romanticplace / Beautiful people

everywhere / The way they show theycare / makes me want to say / It’s abeautiful world / For you.” Indeed! Devoa strong point. But to whom does thesecond person refer? Is it the “99% ofpeople” who, in the recent words ofCzech humanist Slavoj Žižek, “are bor-ing idiots”? (After which I am promptedto ask: am I one?) Or can we also finda connection here to John Ralston Saul’sobservation of the environmental move-ment’s but one significant achievement?That is, its ideas are now “an integral partof [our] assumptions”, and yet, of 500internationally recognized environmen-tal agreements, “some” progress has beenshown only in about 40, according to theUN Environment Programme. Or per-haps it’s a “beautiful world” for thoseconservatives whose beliefs only getstronger when confronted by contraryevidence (according to a study discussedon the Tom Hartmann show). Thisextends also to those who internalizeassumptions about the progress ofhuman rights in the world: mention USPresident Obama’s ‘kill list’, which definesenemy combatants as “all military-agemales in a strike zone”, and you maysoon find yourself looked on suspiciouslyby ‘progressive’ friends. Confronted withsuch tendencies, there is but oneresponse: Neil Young’s invitation to“Keep on rockin’ in the free world”.

Sorry to get so dreary on you, butI’m just sayin’ – as they say. Conser-vatism – and I’m not talking about thepolitical movement, but the thoughtprocess – is doing us in. This extends toso-called ‘progressive’ organizations –even our beloved BCTF – in which pol-icy is determined as much by privilegeand fear as by a desire to do good. I’venever been under any illusion that, asan executive member of PAGE – one ofthe BCTF’s more truly progressive sub-

groups – we were going to change theworld overnight. It’s been more like agame of whack-a-mole. But games existbecause we like to be entertained. Andthat’s also the reason, for example, Ihave a subscription to The GuardianWeekly: so I can relax with my Satur-day morning coffee, and read entertain-ing short stories about the world as averitable William-Gibson-novel-come-

to-life. If ever a politician comes alongwho says that, from now on, all at once,all together, international travel willhappen only with the power of thewind, that we’ll give up our cars, workless and more equally, etc. – they’ll getmy vote. In the meantime, in a worldwith very little will and imagination, I’mhappy just to observe, and to keepdreaming and planning for the outsidechance those values will one day becalled upon.

Here I’d like to thank BC Teachersfor Peace and Global Education(PAGE) for the opportunity, over thelast five years, to edit The Global Edu-cator. Through my work as Editor, I’vehad a chance to read and think aboutthe global responsibilities of teaching,and to reach out to writers and visualartists making the same considerations.As well, I’ve developed a network oflike-minded friends – indeed, family.The PAGE Executive Committee getsmy highest recommendation as a groupof people who are serious about theirpursuit of knowledge; sincere in theirdesire to make the world a better place,and know how to balance it with a gooddose of the absurd; and without theambition for power we often find among

organizational leaders. Thanks to you,I’ve had lots of laughs, inspiration, andengagement. If there’s one place forteachers who are honest about wantingto engage young people in the projectof a better world, it’s PAGE.

Here I’d specifically like to thankpast Editor Gudrun Howard for help-ing me in my transition to the role in2008, and Robyn Joyce for her recent

help as Assistant Editor – not to men-tion her friendship. I consider all mem-bers of the PAGE Executive my friends,and I’m especially grateful for the excel-lent conversations and personal confi-dence I’ve had in Susan Ruzic, Greg vanVugt, and Pummy Kaur. Susan will bemoving to a position at the BCTF, mak-ing way for Greg as PAGE President: Iknow you’ll both be superb in yourroles. Pummy, I am sure, will keep writ-ing and inspiring. And here I’d also liketo thank Betty Gilgoff, who has givenme a lot of useful feedback in my workas Editor, and takes full responsibilityfor our fabulous web presence; andScott Parker, our Treasurer, for the greatchats at Joe’s Café the occasional week-end morning; and I’d like to send greet-ings to Kim Meredith, Navnit Dosanjh,and Donald Wilson – who I hope willbe disposed again to get involved.

In case it sounds like I’m goingaway, I’m not – and of course I’ll beavailable to help whoever takes over asEditor. It’s just that I’d like my PAGEcommitments to be somewhat less time-intensive than they have been until now.The following year will require moreresponsibility in my role as BurnabyTeachers’ Vice President. As well, I look

Editorial: Thank You, and Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World!PA

GEB

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Thank you again to the PAGE Executive, andall PAGE members, for the chance to edit TheGlobal Educator during the past five years. It

has been a privilege, and a pleasure.

Michael James Joyce

Cover Image: Statement on Sandbox

forward to keeping my weekends freefor personal writing projects. Mostimportantly, I’m going to be a dad, andwant to do my best to support my wife,Aya, and our baby – name to beannounced.

Thank you again to the PAGE Exec-utive, and all PAGE members, for thechance to edit The Global Educatorduring the past five years. It has been aprivilege, and a pleasure.

LINKS:

Slavoj Žižek: ‘Humanity is OK, but 99%of people are boring idiots’ (DeccaAitkenhead in The Guardian)

http://tinyurl.com/c49utag

Secret ‘Kill List’ Proves a Test ofObama’s Principles and Will (Jo Beckerand Scott Shane in The New YorkTimes)

http://tinyurl.com/7fd7s3d

Many treaties to save the earth, butwhere’s the will to implement them?(John Vidal in The Guardian)

http://tinyurl.com/d4tfn6k

Canada’s Spiritual Quest (John RalstonSaul in Adbusters)

http://tinyurl.com/6lnbw7q

continued from page 1

Editorial

2 - Regular Features the Journal of the B.C. Teachers for Peace and Global Education

As a member of PAGE,I’ve never been underany illusion we weregoing to change theworld overnight. It’s

been more like a gameof whack-a-mole. But

games exist because welike to be entertained.

The work is a humorous allegory ofour current condition. It serves as anexamination of the inherent falsehood

in adult interactions and motivations:structure taking the place of careless-ness and carefree, regimentation replac-ing experimentation, and ego trumpinghonesty. A satire of the corporate pre-tence: they are basing their work on

whimsy, fantasy or innocence insteadof profit. A gentle reminder of the inher-ent value and values we had during

innocence when we valued “play”. Toomany likeminded people are pattingthemselves on the back.

Michael James Joyce is an artist andeducator who lives in Nelson, BritishColumbia.

Too many likeminded people are patting themselves on the back.

Sandbox 6’x8’, oil on canvas, 2007


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Susan Ruszic

As 25 years of PAGE passesus by and we move for-ward into our 26th year,the struggle for a betterworld continues. With

continued attacks on public education,democracy and basic human rights, bothlocally and globally, we as Global Edu-cators always have a lot of work to do.We hope that this journal gives you achance to get away from the madness,if only for a short while, and connectwith like-minded individuals. I have

always enjoyed my time on the PAGEexecutive as it is a chance to meet withfriendly colleagues who are on the samewave length.

My four year president’s term haspassed and in the fall a new presidentwill be elected at our PAGE PSA con-ference. This year’s theme, “How toMake a Better World”, will be held atEric Hamber Secondary in Vancouver.We have shortened the day so that youcan network with colleagues, go back

to work in your classroom, or join us atour AGM immediately following theconference. We would love to haveyour expertise on our executive, so don’tbe shy and please attend our AGM.Adriane Carr will be the keynotespeaker following the AGM business.

I will be working at the BCTF build-ing starting in August, as I have beenhired as an Assistant Director of SocialJustice programs. I look forward toworking with you in this capacity.When you attend our conference, you

will get a taste of some of our newer SJworkshops available, and if you findthem suitable for your school’s PRODdays, please call the BCTF and bookthem. Although, I will be steppingdown as president, I will be availableon the executive as past president. GregVan Vugt, our capable, knowledgeablevice-president will assume Acting Pres-ident duties until the elections at the fallAGM.

I look forward to seeing you in the

fall at our conference and if for somereason you are not able to attend, pleaserenew your membership again. AllPSA’s rely on membership in order tobring you the journals, conferences andteaching resources that are offered. Asthe rights to our professional autonomyare being threatened like never before,belonging to a PSA gives you an oppor-tunity to receive teacher directed work-shops and materials.

I hope that you have a wonderfulsummer, with time to recuperate andrejuvenate. Namaste

“Civil disobedience is not our problem.Our problem is civil obedience.

Our problem is that people all over theworld have obeyed the dictates ofleaders…and millions have been killedbecause of this obedience…

Our problem is that people are obedi-ent all over the world in the face ofpoverty and starvation and stupidity,and war, and cruelty.

Our problem is that people are obedi-ent while the jails are full of pettythieves… (and) the grand thieves arerunning the country.

That’s our problem.”

Howard Zinn

President’s Message

With continued attacks on public education,democracy and basic human rights,

both locally and globally, we as Global Educators always have a lot of work to do.


Pummy Kaur

Gandhi lived a fairly long, produc-tive life, making more positive differ-ences in his lifetime than severalgenerations of most families could claimto have done. By no means was he faultfree; like the rest of us he had his warts.

What set him apart was the exception-ally high standards he set for himself,based on his strongly held spiritual val-ues, rooted in the Jain and Hindu faiths,with influences from the sacred scrip-tures of most major world faiths, spiri-tual traditions, and philosophies of life.

One of the spiritual practices thatmost influenced Gandhi was the under-standing that life is divided into fourmajor stages. These are not age deter-mined, nor does everyone ever passthrough all of them. The first is of child-hood and education, the second is of

adulthood and building a family, thethird is of middle age for giving back tothe community, and the fourth is of aspiritual giving back to the Divine. Itwas in the fourth stage of Gandhi’s lifethat returned to The Source of his being.

At the time of writing this I am threedays away form retiring after a forty-year teaching career. I plan on movinginto the third stage listed above. Duringthe second stage of my life I had begunthe series What Would Gandhi Do? forthe PAGE Journal, about sixteen or sev-enteen years ago. Then a few years agoI wrote and published a book of thesame title; a journey through global edu-cation for all ages and every aspect oflife as humans.

In this next, third stage I plan todevote myself to giving back to my com-

munity (children, educators, underdogs,activists, et al) with more books andseminars, and also to start training forgiving back to the Divine. I will con-tinue to write the What Would GandhiDo? Series, and will still offer the occa-sional article – that is, unless readerssend in questions on topics of concernto them and ask, “What Would PummyDo?”

So, in this WWGD article I willpractice WWPD? As Pummy I wouldadvise you all to cherish the stage inwhich you find yourself, and live it outfully. Even though these stages are notmutually exclusive, and not everyonewill experience all of them, it is coun-terproductive to be hard on one’s selffor not being in a different stage. Youare where you are, and it is you obliga-tion to do your best there. You will bemuch happier if you understand andaccept this, and the world will be bet-ter off for it.

It has been a privilege to be a fixtureof The Global Educator. Now you startplanning to take over!

What Would Gandhi Do? Because who would haveread articles titled “What Would Pummy Do?”

It has been a privilege to be a fixture ofThe Global Educator. Now you start

planning to take over!

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And yet, we managed to send peo-ple to the moon and to the depths of theocean; feed all our citizens with pro-duce full of nutrients; have enoughfunding for health care for all; makemovies, music and radio; create the Uni-versal Declaration of Human Rights;provide an education and social assis-tance to all. In general, we somehowmanaged to develop our good, decent,productive Canadian citizens with lowlevels of crime and high levels of civicengagement; we did this without all the

high tech gadgets in the classroom, andthe failed educational practices of theUSA.

Teachers should be educators, notjust teachers, in order to graduate fromuniversity with a license to teach. Thatis, they know how to cultivate “… thebalanced development of the emotional,physical, intellectual and spiritual inter-dependent parts of being human …,”and children are guided “… to acquireskills needed to be human, skills thatmade a person literate in Life: such as

procurement of food, shelter, safety,belonging, meaning and wellbeingwithin a community, without placingexcessive strain on the natural sys-tems…”. Kaur, What Would GandhiDo? 2008.

This, being the primary purpose ofschools, must guide every decision madetoday. Of course our modern technol-ogy makes many things easier, faster,and more accessible. But, I defy anyone


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Pummy Kaur

Istarted teaching in January of1972, the same year that theBCTF came into being. Sincethen I have taught pretty mucheverything from K-12, summer

school, Work And Learn, university stu-dents, teachers, and seniors, in severalcountries. The following are someobservations:

Forty Year Perspective

continued on page 6

Forty years ago …

… if a student was “high” it meantthey were far on the right of theBell curve

… teachers wore gym strip onlywhen they were actually going toteach PE

… it was teachers who wore theexpensive clothes, shoes andaccessories, not the students

… teachers taught curriculum, nottext books

… teachers taught children, not stu-dents

… teachers had to have an educa-tion, not just a schooling

… students passing notes was unac-ceptable, and now passing out isroutine

… if a teacher called home the childwas in big trouble. Now it is theteacher who is in big trouble withboth the parents and administra-tors.

… children and staffs ate real food,drank water, and made little orno waste

… children were taught how towrite on paper, not just fill inphotocopied worksheets

… children were not passed on tohigher grades to spare their feel-ings, or appease their influentialor whiney parents

… children with serious difficultieswere often overlooked and lost

… governments, educators, and par-ents were on the same team

… there was little waste of resourcesbecause there were few resourcesto waste

… men held the leadershippositions, and women… well…pretty much like it is now

… the staff room was a peacefulplace for a little R&R duringdaily preparation times

… schools were small and numer-

ous enough to know the entirestudent population

… administrators actually limitedthemselves to administering tothe need of the teachers and chil-dren

… parents brought gifts, not perpet-ual fund raising activities andunreasonable demands

… human interaction was the norm,not virtual interaction

… communication in all its formsmattered, not just the computergenerated kind

… children knew little of the biggerworld

… sexism, racism, homophobia, elit-ism, classism, ageism etc. existedas a norm, now they are at epi-demic levels, though with lowerlegal tolerance

… the highest tech thing in anyclassroom was perhaps a sliderule

I defy anyone to convince me that any hightech classrooms, schools and institutions

have actually been more effective.

to convince me that any high tech class-rooms, schools and institutions haveactually been more effective in cultivat-ing the kind of child/student describedabove, or providing a better education,not just schooling. Given that some ofthe poorest countries in the world(India, China, Africa, Cuba amongst

them) turn out more professionals percapita than we do, and that these areoften poached by our N. American cor-porations to head up our military R&D,hospitals, university departments etc.,can we even claim to be schooling forthe future?

This is not to suggest that the past

was perfect and to return to it. It nowbehooves us to be much more mindfulof:

1 how we train our teachers

2 what we consider to be the primepurpose of schools

3 how we prepare the next generation

This is the challenge I leave to thenext generation of teachers as I retire;become educators of global minded chil-dren, not teachers of students and sub-jects!


Forty year Perspective


40 years ago human interaction was thenorm, not virtual interaction.

This is the challenge I leave to the nextgeneration of teachers as I retire; becomeeducators of global minded children, not

teachers of students and subjects!

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PAGE Financials Ending May 31, 2012

To ensure that PAGE continues itsservice to teachers and the commu-

nity at large, there are a number ofactions you can take:

1. Maintain your membership

Membership fees fund the journalyou are reading now, the PAGE annualconference, and more. High member-ship numbers show the BCTF that BCteachers support PAGE, and help bringour voice to the table.

2. Write for The Global EducatorShare your ideas with PAGE mem-

bers and the general public. To find outhow, visit www.pagebc.ca and click onthe tab for The Global Educator.

3. Take a leading role on the Execu-tive CommitteeMany hands make light work. Your

help will be much appreciated, andyou’ll get to know some great people!Contact anyone on the PAGE Execu-tive to ask how you can get involved.

4. Start a PAGE Local SpecialistAssociation (LSA)

If you start a PAGE chapter in yourBCTF local, your concerns will alwaysbe on the PAGE Executive Committeemeeting agenda, and space is reservedfor you in The Global Educator. What’smore, you’ll build local networks to sup-port PAGE initiatives.

Please see the PAGE Executive list forcontact information.

Get Involved!

Percent Current Current OriginalIncome Month YTD Budget Used

Income surplus 0.00 -6,070.45 -6,070.00 100.00Conference surplus outside account 0.00 0.00 -3,158.00 0.00Membershipisubscriptions fees -60.00 -1,828.72 -12,252.00 14.90BCTF grant 0.00 -5,000.00 -5,000.00 100.00Interest Income 0.00 -23.88 0.00 0.00Other 0.00 -2,743.05 0.00 0.00Conference fees 0.00 -1,585.00 0.00 0.00Conference grants 0.00 0.00 -8,400.00 0.00Conference miscellaneous 0.00 -48.00 0.00 0.00

Total Income -60.00 -17,299.10 -34,880.00 49.60ExpensesMeeting-executive 0.00 0.00 3,000.00 0.00Meeting-table officers 0.00 0.00 300.00 0.00Meeting-council 0.00 0.00 500.00 0.00Meeting-subcommittee 0.00 0.00 500.00 0.00Meeting-annual general meeting 0.00 0.00 750.00 0.00Meeting - TOC costs 0.00 0.00 3,000.00 0.00Meeting-other 0.00 0.00 1,000.00 0.00Publication-journal 0.00 4,813.97 6,000.00 80.20Publication-other 0.00 124.98 3,120.00 4.00Operating 0.00 3,500.00 1,000.00 350.00Chapter support 0.00 0.00 1,000.00 0.00Curriculum development 0.00 0.00 2,580.00 0.00Scholarships 0.00 500.00 500.00 100.00Miscellaneous 0.00 40.00 2,130.00 1.90Conference-operating 0.00 1,306.33 1,000.00 130.60Conference-facilities 0.00 0.00 400.00 0.00Conference-catering 0.00 0.00 1,500.00 0.00Conference-promotions 0.00 0.00 500.00 0.00Conference-committee costs 0.00 0.00 500.00 0.00Conference-entertainment 0.00 0.00 1,200.00 0.00Conference-equipment rental 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00Conference-speakers 0.00 3,000.00 4,300.00 69.80

Total Expenses 0.00 13,285.28 34,880.00 38.10Total -60.00 4,013.82 0.00 0.00

8 - PAGE BC the Journal of the B.C. Teachers for Peace and Global Education

Summer 2012 WWW.PAGEBC.CA PAGE BC - 9

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Gandhi Youth Award Nomination Form

Please print and complete the following for each nominee:

Name of nominee:________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

School:____________________________________________________________________ Grade: _________________

School District:______________ City: ______________________________________ Province: _________________

Nominator(s): _______________________________________________________________________________________

Parent /Guardian: ___________________________________________________________________________________

Signatures of the following are required:

Nominator(s):_________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

__________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

Nominee: ____________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

Parent/Guardian:_______________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

Content of nomination letter: Please give examples showing how this nominee lives by some of the Gandhian Prin-ciples. (One – two sides of 8- 1/2 x 11 paper with 10-12 size font). Include any other relevant information you wishto.

Please send a hard copy and an electronic copy to the Surrey PAGE President Greg Van Vugt([email protected]) at Fraser Heights Secondary, 16060 - 108 Avenue, Surrey, BC, V4N 1M1

The corporate state has nothing to offer the left or the

right but fear. It uses fear to turn the population into pas-

sive accomplices. And as long as we remain afraid, or

believe that the formal mechanisms of power can actually

bring us real reform, nothing will change.

– Chris Hedges

(in the July/August 2011 issue of Adbusters)

10 - Fall Conference the Journal of the B.C. Teachers for Peace and Global Education

British Columbia Teachers forPeace and Global EducationProvincial Specialist Associationwww.pagebc.ca

Date: Friday October 19, 8:30-1:30pmLocation: Eric Hamber Secondary, Vancouver, BC

5025 Willow Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 2N9

Registration: To register, visit www.pagebc.ca and follow the links for BCTFmembers and non-BCTF members.

Program:

8:30 – 9:00 AM Welcome and Gandhi Award

9:00 – 10:30 AM Workshops: First Half

10:30 – 11:00 AM Coffee Break and Table Display Viewing

11:00 – 12:30 PM Workshops: Second Half

12:30 – 1:30 PM AGM and Guest Speaker Adriane Carr

How to Create a Better WorldThe 2012 PAGE Fall Conference

Adriane Carr Biography:

Adriane Carr waselected to VancouverCity Council in2011. Born in Van-

couver, Adriane Carr earned aMaster’s degree in urban geog-raphy under David Ley andWalter Hardwick from UBC in

1980, writing her thesis on the role of citizen groupsin building community spirit and shaping develop-ment in the neighbourhood of Kitsilano.

Councillor Carr taught for twelve years at Van-couver’s Langara College, serving on the LangaraFaculty Association Board and, for several years, asChair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Stud-ies. In 1989 she left teaching to join the executiveteam at Western Canada Wilderness Committee, agroup founded by her husband, helping it grow intoone of Canada’s largest membership-based conser-vation groups.

Councillor Carr is a well known leader in Greenpolitics. In 1983 she co-founded the BC GreenParty, North America’s first Green Party, and in1984 co-founded the Green Party of Vancouver.From 2000 to 2006 she led the BC Green Party andbecame the first Green leader in Canada to beincluded in televised leaders’ debates. Under herleadership the party garnered one of the highest lev-els of voter support of any Green Party in the world.In 2006, after co-chairing the successful campaignto elect Elizabeth May as leader of the Green Partyof Canada, she was appointed as May’s DeputyLeader, and ran for federal office in Vancouver Cen-tre in 2008 and 2011.

Councillor Carr has two children in their twen-ties and lives in Vancouver’s West End with her hus-band Paul George. She currently co-chairs theCanadian Women Voters’ Congress non-partisanWomen’s Campaign School.

Hand in Hand – Using Arts BasedSocial Activism Projects with the

Power of New Technologies toEngage and Empower

(1.5 hours: First Half only)

This session will highlight success-ful arts-based activism projects

(including but not limited to song,dance, street theatre, visual art, lipdub, short film, and flash mob) thatcan be used or adapted for social jus-tice, social studies, or leadershipclasses. It will also connect how socialmedia and mobile technology foundin the average cell phone or iPod canbe used as tools for student/commu-nity engagement and reflection, as wellas way to connect to other like-minded groups throughout the world.

Ryan Cho is Curriculum Coordinatorwith the Pearson Seminar on YouthLeadership and teaches music andmath at Terry Fox Secondary Schoolin Port Coquitlam. He is an alumnusof the WUSC International Seminaron HIV/AIDS in Botswana, andspoke at the World AIDS conferencewhen it came to Toronto in 2006.Ryan currently sits on the Board ofDirectors for the Vancouver basededucation non-profit Check YourHead, and is an alumni of NextUp, aleadership program partially spon-sored by the CCPA focused on build-ing capacity and networks amongstemerging leaders in BC’s the progres-sive change movement.

A Season of Non-violence(1.5 hours: Second Half only)

There are 64 days between theanniversaries of the assassinations

of Mahatma Gandhi and MartinLuther King, two of the greatest peaceactivist of the last century, both assas-sinated violently. These 64 days beginand end on January 31st and April4th, respectively. In between there area number of days reserved for reasonsof international, local, and spiritualsignificance.

We will examine the concepts of peaceand security, some root causes for thelack of both in our world, and also ourpersonal complicity in the absence ofboth for others and for ourselves. Thisworkshop will examine the linksbetween personal actions one maytake during the season of non-violenceto create peace in one’s own life, andto further global peace. Other signif-icant days during these 64 will brieflybe discussed.

Ideas will be shared and developed onhow this season could/should be pro-moted in our classrooms and schools.The workshop will include a smallpackage with ready-to-use lesson ideas.

Pummy Kaur is director of the GlobalEducation Center, dedicated to edu-cation as if life really matters. Shetaught for many years in several coun-tries, and retired last year to focus onseminars and writing non-fiction. Shehas published several books, includ-ing the acclaimed best-seller, WhatWould Gandhi Do?

Strategies for discussing controversial issues

(3 hours: First & Second Halves)

Have you thought about teachinga controversial issue with your

students but you’re not sure where tobegin? This hands-on workshop givesyou practical strategies that you canuse the next day in your classroom todiscuss controversial issues in arespectful manner. Participants willlearn key skills and ways to integratethis approach into their classroom.(BCTF facilitator)

Responding to racism throughADT and ally-building


This is a skills-based workshop oneffectively responding to discrimi-

natory remarks and incidents of

racism, sexism, and homophobia.Based on the antidiscriminationresponse training (ADRT) programdeveloped by Dr. F. Ishu Ishiyama(UBC), and Dr. Vikki Reynold’s ally-building model, it is a powerful, prac-tical way to promote awareness,empathy, and develop the skills to fightdiscrimination. (BCTF facilitator)

Linking thinking: Integrating environmental educa-

tion into all classrooms(3 hours: First & Second Halves)

This interactive workshop providesstrategies and lesson plans that

teachers can use to integrate environ-mental education into most aspects ofthe curriculum. This workshop mayinclude sample lesson plans on envi-ronmental, social, and economic issuesrelated to food, habitat loss, transporta-tion, and water. The focus of the work-shop is on making environ mentaleducation accessible to all teachers andon highlighting the links between cur-riculum areas and our local commu-nities. Through the incorporation ofenvironmental education into all class-rooms, educa tors and learners alikewill be inspired to think criti cally aboutconsumption and ways to live moreresponsibly, thus reducing the overallimpact humans have on the environ-ment. (BCTF facilitator)

Global education: Creating cultures of peace


With ever-increasing violence inour society, what can we do as

teachers to create cultures of peace inour classrooms and schools? Thisinteractive workshop will develop adeeper understanding of peace edu-cation, clarify the concepts of peaceand violence, and provide hands-onactivities and lessons for integrationinto the classroom. (BCTF facilitator)

Summer 2012 WWW.PAGEBC.CA Fall Conference - 11

PAGE Conference 2012: Workshops

12 - Issues and Ideas the Journal of the B.C. Teachers for Peace and Global Education

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Marian and Donnie Lochrie

The following is a reprint of a newslet-ter by Kick in the Eye, a band com-prised of Marian and Donnie Lochrie.In the past year, Kick in the Eye hasperformed at events hosted by PAGEand the Burnaby Teachers’ Association,among others.

“Conforming to society’s norms is nolonger the right thing to do, whenwhat’s become normal is so obviouslyharmful.” – Kick in the Eye

This newsletter is an introduction toCulture Jamming, the Third Wave, andthe music of Kick in the Eye. We’veincluded an Action Checklist / Score-card to show you how you rate as a Cul-ture Jammer, a list of fifteen experiencesthat can change your paradigm, and ourcommentary on selected songs from ournew CD Sea of Bitterness.

THE THIRD WAVE ACTIONCHECKLIST

The following steps may seem too sim-ple to be revolutionary; yet, companieshave spent billions on social engineer-ing and propaganda to convince you toforget all about age-old practices. Sinceour steps run counter to corporateprofit, they are very subversive. Histor-ically, ideas like these have been sup-pressed because they ARE revolutionary.

Are you a Culture Jammer? Tick off allthat apply and calculate your score atthe end.

I. Practice Consumer Disobedience

❒ 1: Become a producer; not just aconsumer.

(Learn a craft, trade or art, or producean alternative to a consumer product.)❒ 2: Trade with producers in your own

community. ❒ 3: Trade with anyone you can.❒ 4: Borrow or lend rather than buy.❒ 5: Purchase as much as you can

from local markets and producers.

❒ 6: Buy second hand.❒ 7. Consume less: Reduce, Reuse, &

Recycle.

II. Take Care of Your Health

❒ 8: Don’t buy from publicly-tradedcorporations.

❒ 9: Eat organic.❒ 10: Eat local, seasonal produce (100-

mile diet).❒ 11: Eat lower on the food chain.❒ 12: Grow your own, or forage for

food.❒ 13: Find out more about toxins in

your food, household products, andcosmetics.

III. Avoid Compartmentalization

❒ 14: Avoid entertainment in isolation.❒ 15: Use technology to initiate face-

to-face contact, rather than replaceit.

❒ 16: Find, make, or take back meet-ing space.

❒ 17: Reduce the time you spend inyour car.

❒ 18: Make mealtime a social event.

IV. Form a Clan

❒ 19: Extend your “family” to includenon-family members.

❒ 20: Do things as a group: socialize,work together (on what you’re pro-ducing), join forces to fight forchange.

❒ 21: Find other groups and formlarger clans.

V. Press for Change

❒ 22: Gather with other “culture jam-mers” and promote a new sense ofcommunity and activism.

❒ 23: Support or form a political groupin your area that curbs corporateinfluence and presses for new initia-tives. Write to local politicians.

❒ 24: Campaign corporations to takeinto account not only profits, butalso people and the environment.

❒ 25: Talk to everyone around youabout new ideas.

Calculate your score out of 25 and usethe following scale to rate yourself.0-5 Please use this checklist to help youon your way.5-10 You are making a good start.10-20 You are a culture jammer!20-25 You are starting the THIRD WAVE!

FIFTEEN EXPERIENCES TOCHANGE YOUR PARADIGM

Millions of people all over the worldhave experienced a sudden awakening,a “kick in the eye”. Here are the fifteenexperiences that led to ours:

1. The Corporation (DVD) The ques-tion: If the corporation has beendeclared a person under our laws, thenwhat kind of citizen is that corporation?The answer: A psychopath. Further casestudies reveal the collusion betweengovernment and corporation. The Cor-poration today is as powerful andomnipresent as Europe’s CatholicChurch a few centuries ago, and the evi-dence is literally all around us, all thetime. The implication of this is thatthere’s an omnipotent psychopath con-trolling everything around us, all thetime.

2. No Logo by Naomi Klein (book) No

Kick in the Eye’s Guide to Third Wave Action

continued on page 13

Since our steps run counter to corporate profit,

they are very subversive.

Logo chronicles the erosion of three pil-lars of society: employment, choice, andspace. It also provides an in-depthanalysis of modern corporations andsociety’s failure to obligate itself tochange what is happening. Even at uni-versities, you would be hard pressed tofind counter culture thought or action.Many students today think they havenothing to believe in and nothing tofight for. Naomi Klein redresses thatimbalance with detailed accounts of cor-porate atrocities.

3. Culture Jamming by Kalle Lasn(book) Culture Jamming is action takento disrupt the flow of corporate culture.

Kalle Lasn suggests that we use themethodology of the corporations againstthem. Essentially, culture jamming issabotage. This is an important book toread because it will define who you are:a culture jammer.

4. The Third Wave by Alvin Toffler(exerpt) The Third Wave is a revolutionthat is both highly technological andanti-industrial. This new civilizationbridges the recent breach between con-sumer and producer, giving rise to “pro-sumer” economics, and it recognizesthat the growing problems of our worldcannot be solved within the frameworkof the old, industrial order. The ThirdWave advances with an understandingof how to co-exist with Nature, notdominate or destroy it.

Natural Cures (That They Don’t WantYou to Know About) by Kevin Trudeau(book) This book contains natural remedies tomany of our modern ailments, but it ismore important for the connections itmakes between the government, theFDA, and the drug and food companies.

If you need any more proof that capi-talist democracy is failing us, look nofurther. Let your common sense be yourguide, and if you have the means andstrength of conviction to follow whatKevin Trudeau says, you WILL becomehealthier.

6. The Consumer Smart Cancer Guideby the Labour Environment Association(guide) This guide identifies the manyhousehold and workplace products thatcontain cancer-correlated contaminants.There are cleaning products to avoid, aguide to reading the numbers on thebottoms of plastics, and a list of the veg-etables that have the highest amounts

of pesticides in them. How could suchtoxic products have ever hit the market-place? What’s really our point here isthat criminal, lackey governmentsshould never have allowed these harm-ful products.

7. An Inconvenient Truth with Al Gore(DVD) Don’t expect a rollicking, adven-turous, fun-filled blockbuster movieexperience, but do be prepared to sit atthe edge of your seat. It’s scary becauseit’s NOT science fiction.

8. Walmart: The High Cost of LowPrices (DVD) There’s something notquite right about buying a DVD playerfor twenty-five bucks. Find out wherethe costs are hidden, and then avoidWal-Mart and big box stores like theplague. We have all asked ourselves,how could the Germans in Nazi Ger-many have turned a blind eye? Watchthis movie and you’ll understand howwe all have been avoiding the truth.

9. Who Killed the Electric Car? (DVD)This movie identifies the culpritsinvolved with the destruction and

defamation of the electric vehicle. Oneof the best pieces is actually a deletedscene that explains how corporationsand government many years ago system-atically destroyed the electric buses andtram system.

10. “The Great Transition” by KennethEwart Boulding (essay) This is a veryprophetic essay written in 1964. Bould-ing correctly identifies that we are in themidst of a Great Transition to a post-civilized society that is much differentthan our current society. Most peopleare so accustomed to giving the wordcivilization a favourable overtone thatthe notion of a post-civilization mayseem frightening. But in his own words,civilized society is “a rather disagree-able state for most people living in it,and its disappearance need occasionfew tears”.

11. The Future of Food (DVD) Thismovie details the corporate attempt todominate Nature. There is no doubtabout the power of technology, but theremust be more debate about its applica-tions. The future of food is a world ofsuicide seeds owned by a few corpora-tions, who in effect have the power tosustain or starve humanity. But willhumanity have the ingenuity to saveitself when something goes terriblywrong?

12. The Ingenuity Gap by ThomasHomer-Dixon (book) The powerfulmessage of this book is that the furthertechnology takes us away from Nature,the more ingenuity is required to sus-tain ourselves. Dixon also identifies thebiggest obstacles facing ingenuity arepowerful groups who stall or preventkey institutional reform. When that hap-pens, civilizations begin to decay. Thesimple fact is that ingenuity require-ments skyrocket as environmental prob-lems worsen because societies needmore efficient technologies to reducepollutants and conserve resources. Butthe answer isn’t necessarily in moresophisticated systems.




Summer 2012 WWW.PAGEBC.CA Issues and Ideas - 13

Millions of people all over the world have experienced a sudden

awakening, a “kick in the eye.”

13. 1491 by Charles C. Mann (book) Ifthe ingenuity gap that Thomas HomerDixon identifies is going to be quicklyand efficiently closed, then we may haveto adopt systems from the past that haveshown themselves to be successful. In1491, Charles Mann reveals such amaz-ing facts about past First Nations civi-lizations that readers are compelled tocompare First Nations technological andsocial achievements with our own today.

14. Nickel and Dimed by BarbaraEhrenreich (book) This book chroniclesa year in the life of a bourgeois profes-sional attempting to survive by workingfor minimum wage. It is interesting to

see how the affluent baby boomers com-pletely neglect the physical and emo-tional welfare of their fellow citizens.

15. The Structure of Scientific Revolu-

tions by Thomas Kuhn (book) If youneed proof of the inevitability of change,and the power of paradigms, turn to thisclassic.

KICK in the EYE’s SONG COMMEN-TARY

Many of our songs appear to be aboutrelationships, but there are actuallymany layers of meaning to uncover.They reveal our deeper impressions ofthe world.

Worseful Life (Track 1)This song was inspired by our hatred ofliving in a modern metropolis. Life in

Vancouver gave us a taste of the evilscorporations bring: pollution; poorwages; compartmentalized, isolated liv-ing conditions; traffic nightmares; smallbusiness takeovers; MSG addictions;

advertising assaults; no nature, no realart, no free space; jobs no one caresabout doing; and a myriad of mentalfrustrations. Capitalism today has noth-ing to do with free enterprise, fair play,morality, community, or humanity. So,listen to this song as a boy meets girlscenario if you must, but understandthat the bitter emotions that inspired itrun very deep.

Red Army Overdrive (Track 3)This song is written from the perspec-tive of Russia during WWII. Russia isthe girl “voice” in the song. We’vealluded to many famous historicalquotes: Hitler’s – about Germany hav-ing only to kick in Russia’s front doorand the whole rotten structure wouldcome “crumbling down”, Stalin’s policyof “not one step back”, etc. We’ve evenprinted a picture of a T-34 Soviet tankon the cover of the single. The heroismof the forty million Russian men andwomen who gave their lives to defeatan enemy, who considered them lessthan human, has always been down-played in the West. This is a moralitytale: don’t underestimate the power ofthe people.




Many of our songs appear to be aboutrelationships, but beneath this surface are

deeper impressions of the world.


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Pummy Kaur

Lyrics for a possible future scenario: Oil Canada!

Oil Canada!Lost home and native land.True patriot lore, the myth makers command.Through burning smog we see thee not, With big banks strong and free.From hovels underground,Oil Canada, we dare not stand for thee.OMG, what’s become of liberty?Oil Canada, gone to Bush and Chaney.Oil Canada, gone to Bush and Chaney.

Lyrics for a desired future scenario: Our Canada!

Our Canada;A safe and open land!Universal love in all our hearts command.Our heads, hands, and hearts do make thee rise,A true beacon strong and free.From far and wide,In Canada we stand for peace and security.Let’s keep the world glorious and free.Oh Canada, we stand for global equity.

Oh Canada, we stand for all to be free.

Official Lyrics of O Canada!

O Canada!Our home and native land!True patriot love in all thy sons command.With glowing hearts we see thee rise,The True North strong and free!From far and wide,O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.God keep our land glorious and free!O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, originally a patriotic poem by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier, was first sung in 1880 during a nationalconvention of French Canadians in Quebec City.

In 1901 Whaley and Royce in Toronto published the musicwith the French text and a translation into English madeby Dr. Thomas Bedford Richardson, a Toronto doctor. TheMendelssohn Choir used the Richardson lyrics in one oftheir performances about this time and Judge Routhier andthe French press complimented the author.

Richardson version:

O Canada! Our fathers’ land of oldThy brow is crown’d with leaves of red and gold.Beneath the shade of the Holy CrossThy children own their birthNo stains thy glorious annals glossSince valour shield thy hearth.Almighty God! On thee we callDefend our rights, forfend this nation’s thrall,Defend our rights, forfend this nation’s thrall.

In 1908 Collier’s Weekly inaugurated its Canadian editionwith a competition for an English text to Lavallée‘s music.It was won by Mercy E. Powell McCulloch, but her versiondid not take.

McCulloch version :

O Canada! in praise of thee we sing;From echoing hills our anthems proudly ring.With fertile plains and mountains grandWith lakes and rivers clear,Eternal beauty, thos dost standThroughout the changing year.Lord God of Hosts! We now imploreBless our dear land this day and evermore,Bless our dear land this day and evermore.

The English version, widely accepted, was written in 1908by R. Stanley Weir in honour of the 300th anniversary ofthe founding of Quebec City. It reads as follows:

O Canada! Our home and native land!True patriot love thou dost in us command.We see thee rising fair, dear land,The True North, strong and free;And stand on guard, O Canada,We stand on guard for thee.RefrainO Canada! O Canada!O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.How dear to us thy broad domain,From East to Western Sea,Thou land of hope for all who toil!Thou True North, strong and free!

Oh Our Oil, Canada!


RefrainO Canada! O Canada! etc.O Canada! Beneath thy shining skiesMay stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,To keep thee steadfast through the yearsFrom East to Western Sea,Our own beloved native land!Our True North, strong and free!

RefrainO Canada! O Canada! etc.Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,Hold our dominion within thy loving care;Help us to find, O God, in theeA lasting, rich reward,As waiting for the Better Day,We ever stand on guard.

RefrainO Canada! O Canada! etc.

The Buchanan version became popular in British Colom-bia in early 1900s:

O Canada, our heritage, our loveThy worth we praise all other lands above.From sea to see throughout their lengthFrom Pole to borderland,At Britain’s side, whate’er betideUnflinchingly we’ll standWith hearts we sing, “God save the King”,Guide then one Empire wide, do we implore,And prosper Canada from shore to shore.

The version adopted pursuant to the National Anthem Actin 1980 reads as follows:

“O Canada! Our home and native land!True patriot love in all thy sons command.With glowing hearts we see thee rise,The True North, strong and free!From far and wide, O Canada,We stand on guard for thee.God keep our land glorious and free !O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.”


Oh Our Oil, Canada!


The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;

Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

- William Wordsworth


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Manjot Bining and Simon Child

The vast majority of socially-conscious individuals andstudent leaders, in my expe-rience, will tell you that theirengagement and commit-

ment to social justice is marked by acommitted professor, mentor, or teacher.BC Teachers for Peace and Global Edu-cation (PAGE) promotes the kind ofsocially aware teaching that plants theseed of curiosity and empathy in theminds of tomorrow’s leaders. Teachers,as a socializing force in society, have theextremely unique and invaluable privi-lege, opportunity, and responsibility tomould compassionate and active citi-

zens. From offering resources aboutinvesting teacher’s pensions ethically,to recognizing the work of activismwork of students through the GandhiPeace Award, PAGE in this regard leadsby example.

In my own experience, as a highschool student involved in several proj-ects, I had the privilege of connectingwith author and PAGE executive mem-ber Pummy Kaur. As a (some wouldsay idealistic) high school student, mypeers and I sometimes found it challeng-ing to get the ear of adults when it cameto talking about the issues of injusticethat our world faces. However, Pummyand PAGE recognized that the workand passion of young students is alsoimportant, and that when given a placeat the table (as I was), students alsomake contributions of great value. Forexample, the first panel discussion thatI was ever a part of was thanks toPummy and PAGE. That validation wasinvaluable for the development of my

social justice engagement. Now, as anorganizer of Oxfam Canada’s nationalCHANGE Leadership Summit I get thechance to see what youth engagementlooks like on a larger scale, and I get tocreate opportunities for more youth likemyself to become engaged. This year,CHANGE hopes to build support forOxfam’s new GROW campaign, focus-ing on the connections between climatechange, women’s rights, inequities inthe global food system, and worldhunger.

Leaders like Pummy are at the sametime challenging two assumptions.Firstly, that the youth, particularly here

in the Global North, are indifferent tothe global and local injustices of theworld they will soon inherit. Secondly,that if youth do begin to engage withthese issues, older generations will dis-miss them. PAGE is not “creating thechange”; perhaps more importantly,they are creating the educational spacefor those who will create the change inthe future.

Very much in the same spirit,Oxfam Canada provides the opportuni-ties for socially conscious youth tobecome engaged in actions, creatingstructures for us to fit in and participatein important dialogue. One of the bestof examples of this has to be our cam-pus club network and NationalCHANGE. The conference bringstogether students across the country fora weekend to discuss how campusgroups (and now, secondary students)fit into Oxfam’s structure and how wecan significantly contribute to Oxfam’scampaigns. CHANGE is a forum of

youth empowerment where we worktogether from the beginning of the plan-ning process through to the end of theconference to develop new actions. Wechoose the kind of voice we want tohave. This wouldn’t be possible if Oxfamdidn’t take our voices seriously. I knowit’s an opportunity I’m so excited tohave.

I first became a part of Oxfam a lit-tle over a year ago when I joined mycampus group at the University ofToronto Scarborough. I wasn’t quitesure how everything worked or whatwe’d be doing, so when I heard aboutthe chance to attend CHANGE 2011 Ifigured it would be a good place to startlearning. In the end, the conferenceturned out to be so much more thanthat. It was really the catalyst for myever increasing involvement with Oxfamand engagement with social justiceissues.

CHANGE is a place to openly shareideas. The kind of environment fosteredduring the conference allows everyone,delegates or facilitators, to learn fromone another and build on each other’sideas. That’s what made it so great forme last year. The agenda worked as aguideline to drive discussion, but wedecided what we took out of CHANGEby the end of it. And it was really suc-cessful; the connections that were madecreated the basis for campus clubs tobegin taking on coordinated nationalactions, both for World Food Day andInternational Women’s Day. So evenafter CHANGE ended, we were all stilltalking, sharing our ideas, and movingforward.

CHANGE not only was a space forus to have our thoughts heard but alsobecame the foundation for us to makethose thoughts into actions. Studentswho have had the opportunity

- thanks to groups such as BCPAGE- to get involved and share theirvoice, now have opportunities toexpand their platform of expression and

Oxfam Canada and PAGE: Supporting the Change Makers of Tomorrow


Teachers, as a socializing force in society,have the extremely unique and invaluableprivilege, opportunity, and responsibility tomould compassionate and active citizens.

All children are artists. The

problem is how to remain an

artist once he grows up.

- Pablo Picasso

action. Like any system, this builds onitself so that youth have a chance toshow what they can do; simultaneously,they set the basis for becoming adultswith the same kind of principles.

That’s the beauty of this conference.I find that it creates a network for new

delegates to join and get involved inshaping what they want their engage-ment to look like. Coincidentally, it alsoreinforces and expands re-attending del-egates’ networks. However, there’s moreto it than that: CHANGE is anchoredas the place for all campus groups tocome and share new ideas for the nextyear. It’s the guaranteed place to go andrevitalize our programming and out-reach. Essentially, all “Oxfammers”know that they have the ability to haveinput on how we work as a part ofOxfam’s network and the place to go to

start sharing that input. The amount ofempowerment youth have to createtheir own system of engagement ispretty amazing when you think aboutit, and it starts here at CHANGE for alot of us. With the addition of highschool students, CHANGE 2012 offers

even more opportunity to expand andreinvigorate how we look at the cam-pus group/youth network. Being some-one who’s gone from being a delegateto a planning team member, I have tosay I’m extremely excited to see wherewe’ll go this year. I know thatCHANGE will be the start of anothergreat year of youth action for Oxfam.

Manjot Bining and Simon Child aremembers of the Content Committeeorganizing Oxfam Canada’s CHANGELeadership Summit.


Oxfam Canada and PAGE: Supporting the Change Makers of Tomorrow


The conference brings together studentsacross the country for a weekend to

discuss how campus groups (and now,secondary students) fit into Oxfam’s

structure and how we can significantlycontribute to Oxfam’s campaigns.


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Louise Gonsalvez

James Youngblood Henderson is amember of the Chicksaw Nationand was involved in the twenty-five-year negotiations that lead tothe 2007 United Nations Declara-

tion on the Rights of Indigenous Peo-ples that Canada eventually signed in2010. Using a decolonizing framework,Henderson looks at the struggles of

indigenous peoples to reaffirm their fun-damental human rights by way of inter-national human rights instruments andlaw. He explains the significance of theDeclaration to Canadian law, the indige-nous peoples of Canada, and all Cana-dians. For anyone interested inunderstanding the intersectionality ofAboriginal politics, law, and social jus-tice and the current status of Indigenousrights in Canada, this is the book toread.

According to Henderson, “ Under

the Human Rights Covenants, whichare binding multilateral treaties, Canadaand other states have a duty to ‘promotethe realization of a right of self-deter-mination and ‘respect that right, in con-formity with the provisions of theCharter of the United Nations’”. UnderArticle 41 of the United Declaration onthe Rights of Indigenous Peoples, sig-

natories are responsible to promote “fullapplication of the provisions of the Dec-laration”. The Declaration establishesa new standard for applying state law –it has some legal clout! It provides aninstrument and mechanism to reforminstitutionalized colonialism. Hender-son notes that for the Indigenous Peo-ples the Declaration is not only adeclaration of rights, but it also repre-sents an awakening of “the inner spiritof decent politics” and an aspiration for“an inclusive vibrant democracy based

on human rights”.In 2005, Henderson was honoured

by the Aboriginal Bar Association to berecognized as an Indigenous Peoples’Counsel. His expertise in this field istop-notch and his understanding andvision for a postcolonial way forward isprofound. This book is a must read notonly for those interested in the decolo-

nization project, aboriginal law, but alsofor anyone interested in human rights.The book is also an excellent resourceas it includes copies of pertinent UNdeclarations, international covenants,and other global conference reportsrelated to achieving the rights of indige-nous peoples.

Indigenous Diplomacy and the Rights of Peoples:Achieving UN Recognition by James (Sa ke j) Youngblood Henderson

The courts are not the answer to the realization of the human rights ofIndigenous peoples. As our elders teach, the Declaration, like our Aboriginal andtreaty rights, is but one wing of Indigenous diplomacy. The other wing is politicalaction and strategy. As with eagles and condors, both wings are necessary forflight, and these two wings are necessary for us to move toward our dignity andresponsibilities … Politics is the principle diplomatic force of human rights advo-cacy and implementation. Political inspiration is vision; it is also struggle, con-

tests, and compromise. – James Youngblood Henderson

20 the Journal of the B.C. Teachers for Peace and Global Education

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Dear editor, I have very grave concerns I mean “grave” concerns

about our AGM. Their were some delegates that wanted to divest in our pen-

sion namely Lockeed Martin. A company they say makes unethical weapons

but that’s not true. Actually some weapons are very “ethical” and so is the oil

sands. What do you want to do just get oil from “Iran”!!! They have stoning

and make women wear that heejab thing. And not even just for murder. These

people want us to divest in “everything”. Walmart, weapons, forests, et al.

We’d have nothing left for our retirement. Personally whats the problem with

Walmart. What am I suppose to do? Am I suppose to just “starve?” And

their rude, too. One of them on the website said we’re conservative because

we just get more harsh in our ways when we here there side. I’m a “liberal”! I

take my kids to me to we but sometimes you can just go so far. Its not true I

just get more harsh in my ways when I here another opinion. Where’s the evi-

dence for that there’s just none. Anyway I’m glad the AGM came to our senses

and didn’t just divest of Lockeed Martin, a good company that yes makes some

weapons – but not cluster bombs just the “delivery” systems!!! That’s right

“DELIVERY systems” not the bombs. So that’s just not true. And what would

we do without weapons you can’t say they’re all bad. Half of all medical dis-

coveries come from weapons. And you know those “bicycle reflectors”! Even

those were made by the Nazis so you can’t just say all weapons are bad.

Where would we be without freedom? T hose soldiers fought for our

“freedom”! Like “FREEDOM OF SPEECH”!!! So you can say what you want

about Lockheed Martin it’s a free country, but don’t take away my pension.

That’s a social justice issue.

Our Pension A Social Justice Issue

www.pagebc.ca

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