TVDSB and 'young & free' to Deliver Innovative Experiences for Local Students
Photo (left to right): Daniel Kharlas, Chief Operating Officer, EXAR Studios; Andrew Gunn, Andrew Gunn Consulting and young & free press; Nikita Miller, Experiential Learning Lead, Thames Valley District School Board; Emily Stage, Andrew Gunn Consulting and young & free press; Laura Briscoe, Learning Coordinator, Innovation, Thames Valley District School Board; and Shishir ‘S’ Pande, EXAR Studios Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer.
Our team at young & free press is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with the Thames Valley District School Board. From January to June 2021, we will be designing unique, challenging, and memorable learning experiences that will engage elementary and secondary school students directly in real-life projects. The pandemic is limiting how much students can connect right now with local businesses and organizations. We view this as an opportunity to try a new approach that puts students front and centre!
Over the past year, members of our staff at young & free press have served as consultants on the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell, and we have arranged $3M in funding for a series of extraordinary community projects in St. Thomas & Elgin County. Additional private sector donors have supported our work in the London community, too. Now, we want to connect students directly to the process, gathering input from learners of all ages as we implement these projects and share the stories through social media. This will provide students with a platform to inform how our communities rebuild from the pandemic.
What will students have the opportunity to experience? Here are some examples:
· EXAR Studios is developing a new augmented reality app for London, St. Thomas, and Port Stanley, and students will be able to research local history, provide input on creative elements, and test out the app, too;
· Students will have the chance to participate in the new ‘STEAM Community Studio’ at the STEAM Centre in St. Thomas … through this program, students will provide input on how to address real challenges facing the community, including the need to reduce waste, provide safe and welcoming spaces for children with special needs, build online marketplaces for retailers, and imagine opportunities for local youth;
· In collaboration with the Forest City Film Festival, we have commissioned filmmakers to make short documentaries about some of our recent projects in St. Thomas & Elgin County, including the ‘Track to the Future’ mural project … students will be able to view the films, meet the filmmakers virtually, and then be challenged to build a team and make short documentaries as well;
· We are collaborating with the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation and Railway City Tourism to manage the $300,000 ‘Track to the Future’ mural project, which will be continuing in spring 2021 … this project intersects with the augmented reality app and is the focus of one of the documentary films … students will have the chance to meet the artists involved and learn about designing and painting large-scale murals;
· Funding has been provided to the City of St. Thomas to establish a new park in a vacant lot adjacent to the St. Thomas Public Library … students will be involved in examining the design of this park, assessing the social dynamics related to the site, and providing input on how to make this space attractive and enjoyable for the community … we are excited to know what students want to see happen in public spaces!
This is just a sample of all the projects that we have happening in the coming months. We cannot wait to engage elementary and secondary school students in the process. Through young & free press, we will interview students regularly to amplify the voice of youth in our community.
Teachers who are interested in getting involved can reach out directly to Andrew Gunn at gunn@andrewgunnconsulting.ca or by phone at 519.709.5227. We are grateful to be working with Laura Briscoe, Learning Coordinator — Innovation, and Nikita Miller, Experiential Learning Lead, at TVDSB.
Notes on young & free press
Beyond our social media work and partnerships with private companies and government organizations, our team at young & free press function as consultants alongside owner Andrew Gunn through his consulting firm, Andrew Gunn Consulting Inc. This gives our team of teenage staff members the opportunity to provide ideas and develop special community projects! Currently, we are the consultants on the Estate of Donna Bushell, who passed away in November 2019 in her hundredth year. Andrew and our teenage staff members have taken the lead on announcing $3M in donations from the Estate to support a series of remarkable initiatives in St. Thomas & Elgin County. Additional projects are happening around southwestern Ontario with funding from a variety of private sector partners. We have five teenage staff members who work on these projects and share the stories continuously through our website and Instagram account.
