Canadian teachers travel abroad to expand professional and personal horizons
Ottawa – Although school may be out for Canada’s youth, some of their teachers are getting ready to pack their bags for a summer learning exchange abroad.
The Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF/FCE) is excited to send 59 teachers to 11 countries in the Caribbean and Africa to work with their resident teacher colleagues as part of Project Overseas (PO). Running since 1962, the program has sent more than 2,200 teachers on 3,200 missions.
“As the world becomes increasingly connected, our program continually proves to be an invaluable learning experience for both Canadian teachers and their colleagues abroad,” said CTF/FCE President H. Mark Ramsankar. “This is an opportunity for teachers to step outside of their classrooms in pursuit of an enriching professional and cultural exchange to broaden their skills and perspectives.”
This year’s edition sees teachers traveling to Burkina Faso, Dominica, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, Sierra Leone, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Togo and Uganda.
A joint initiative between the CTF/FCE and its provincial and territorial member organizations, PO sends teams of teachers to various countries with the aim of strengthening publicly funded public education at home and abroad. The program is designed to create a professional development exchange between Canadian teachers and their colleagues in order to enhance services offered to members of teacher unions in Canada and abroad, and to address topics such as gender equity and special education.
This year’s crop of participants convened in Ottawa for orientation sessions from July 5-7 at Carleton University. The three days of preparations covered a number of subjects including health and safety, intercultural competence, positive team dynamics, social media guidelines, project financing, and partner organization goals. In addition to covering logistics, participants also learned historical, political, cultural, and societal details surrounding their country of assignment.
The teams depart from Ottawa on July 8 and 9, and remain abroad from three to four weeks.
This year’s participants are:
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO)
- Catherine Inglis – Team Leader to Dominica
- Pamela Evans, team member to Ghana – New Entrants
- Rohan Gaghadar, team member to Ghana – Nkabom-TAL
- Andrew Campbell, team member to Grenada
- Marcia Thompson, team member to Sierra Leone
- Lisa Gidlow-Aldrich, team member to St. Lucia
- Sarah Benoit, team member to St. Vincent
- Ann Pharazyn, team member to St. Vincent
- Marie-France Laguë, team member to Togo – Lomé
- Gary Stewart, team leader to Uganda Central
- Bea Yeung, team member to Uganda Central
- Uloma Onyido, team member to Uganda Southwest
- Martine Engel, team leader to Guyana
- David Douglass, team leader to Ghana – Nkabom-TAL
- Nicole Beaulieu, team leader to Montserrat
- Cecilie Rosairus, team leader to Uganda Southwest
The Manitoba Teachers’ Society (MTS)
- Arianne Cloutier, team leader to Burkina Faso
- Debra Morrissey, team member to Dominica
- François Rémillard, team member to Montserrat
- Michelle Rosner, team member to Togo – Lomé
- Rachel Thiessen, team member to Uganda Southwest
The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA)
- Marie-Eve Allaire, team member to Burkina Faso
- Lorie Masur, team member to Ghana – New Entrants
- Marianne Darlet, team member to Grenada
- Shawn Arseneault, team member to Montserrat
- Lawrence Hunter, team leader to Sierra Leone
- Ellen Braaten, team member to Sierra Leone
- Stephanie Clements, team leader to St. Lucia
- Monique Wilson, team member to St. Lucia
- Karen Dion, team member to Uganda Central
- Michelle Dickie, team member to Uganda Southwest
The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF)
- Anahita Konjin, team member to Burkina Faso
- Karin Farquhar, team member to Ghana – Nkabom-TAL
- Heather Kennedy, team member to St. Vincent
- Cindy Lister, team member to Togo – Kpalimé
The Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO)
- Christine D’Lima, team member to Burkina Faso
- Nicole Boissonneault, team leader to Togo – Kpalimé
- Hugo Prud’homme, team leader to Ghana – New Entrants
The New Brunswick Teachers’ Association (NBTA)
- David Gbongbor, team member to Dominica
- Katherine VanGenne, team member to Uganda Southwest
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA)
- Brian Stather, team member to Dominica
- Annamaria Di Paolo, team member to Ghana – New Entrants
- Sandra Morassutti, team member to Ghana – Nkabom-TAL
- Jennifer Coyne, team member to Grenada
- Melissa Bingley, team member to Guyana
- Erma Weernink, team member to Guyana
- Tanya Da Silva, team member to Sierra Leone
- Sarah Robinson, team leader to St. Vincent
The Yukon Teachers’ Association (YTA)
- Trevor Ratcliff, team leader to Grenada
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF)
- Tennille Fishley, team member to Grenada
The Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association (NLTA)
- Melissa Taaffe, team member to Guyana
The Prince Edward Island Teachers’ Federation (PEITF)
- Lana Mill, team member to Montserrat
- Megan Morrison, team member to Togo – Lomé
The Nunavut Teachers’ Association (NTA)
- Gail Matthews, team member to St. Lucia
The Syndicat des enseignantes et des enseignants du programme francophone de la Colombie Britannique (SEPF)
- Andrée-Anne Guillemette, team member to Togo – Kpalimé
The Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (QPAT)
- Sandy Plamondon, team leader to Togo – Lomé
The Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association (NWTTA)
- Cora America, team member to Uganda Central
The Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU)
- Stephanie Deagle, team member to Togo – Kpalimé
- Julie Cameron, team member to Uganda Central
Who we are
Founded in 1920, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation is the national voice for the teaching profession. As the national alliance of provincial and territorial teacher organizations, the CTF/FCE represents over 273,000 elementary and secondary school teachers across Canada. The CTF/FCE is also a member of Education International, the global body of national education organizations in 173 countries.
Media contacts:
Andrew King, Canadian Teachers’ Federation
Contact
+1 819-213-7847
