“I knew SEEDschool would be transformative for my students, but I never expected it to translate into other subjects like math.” - SEEDschool Classroom Teacher
SEEDschool is a program offered by The Mustard Seed where students are engaged in hands-on learning about poverty and homelessness with the goal of challenging them to raise awareness about these issues in their community. This unique program targets students from grades 5 to 12 and serves children in the Calgary Board of Education, the Calgary Catholic School Board and some independent schools.
The goal of the program is to increase students’ understanding of homelessness and poverty and build skills to engage with social and civic issues. SEEDschool is part of the Calgary Campus/Open Minds consortium, a partnership of several different experiential learning programs in Calgary. Classes are facilitated by The Mustard Seed’s staff with the support of classroom teachers.
“Prior to the student's arrival, I go to each school, and I give students an idea of what to expect,” says Cecily, Community Engagement Coordinator with The Mustard Seed in Calgary.
“We use games, simulators, books, activities, and guest speakers as engaging methods to learn about the complex topic of homelessness and poverty,” explains Cecily.
“What I notice most is that students love learning in a different environment. They love exploring their city, going on outdoor walks, and demonstrating what they are learning,” says Cecily.
Cecily says that after learning more about homelessness and poverty, they love having the opportunity to give back. SEEDschool offers the opportunity for classes to be able to volunteer and tangibly give back to the community in a safe, and age-appropriate way- whether it is at The Mustard Seed, within their own community, or other non-profit organizations.
This type of programming can be transformative for students in more ways than one. After her class had taken part in SEEDschool, one teacher said that a student of hers unexpectedly started really excelling in math after months of little effort. When parent/teacher interviews came along and the teacher asked what had changed, the parents said it was because of the students' experience with The Mustard Seed.
“The weekend after their SEEDschool experience, the student said they need to live a life full of gratitude and have had a different attitude ever since,” said the teacher.
SEEDschool provides students and adults alike with the opportunity to learn from diverse groups of people. For many students, a week of SEEDschool provides them with a chance to see parts of downtown they never have before, and to learn from people from different walks of life and career paths.
Thanks to the support of BMO, SEEDschool continues to empower students to make a difference in their community and grow in understanding homelessness and poverty. BMO’s contributions help provide transportation, classroom set up, and supplies for students, holding a vital role in this programming.
SEEDschool is a critical program in Calgary and leaves participants with a new-found sense of perspective, empathy, compassion, and ambition to make changes in our city so everyone can feel welcome and included.
