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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04 Report 07-014 Trustee Appointment to the Outdoor Education Council of OttawaECI-_ OTTAWA-CARLETON DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD 30 January 2007 Report No. 07 -014 to Chairs' Committee Re: Trustee Appointment to the Outdoor Education Council of Ottawa ORIGINATOR: Dr. Lorne Rachlis, Director of Education/Secretary to the Board Neil Yorke - Slader, Acting Superintendent of Instruction PURPOSE: To provide an update on the status of the Outdoor Education Council of Ottawa (OECO) in order to confirm the on -going participation of the OCDSB and to appoint a trustee representative to sit on the Council. BACKGROUND: 2. In April 2002, the Board passed the following motion: A. A. THAT a task force be formed to develop strategies to ensure the viability of the MacSkimming and Bill Mason Outdoor Education Centres, and innovative proposals to achieve the objective, B. THAT the task force include members of the community, businesses and organizations with interests in nature and outdoor education, interested students, alumni, members of staff who wish to volunteer, including staff with experience at the Centres, teachers who use the programs, trustees, and administration, and C. THAT the Chair of the task force, to be elected by its members, report to the Education Committee on progress." As a result of that motion, a task force was formed which included representation from the City of Ottawa, the three Conservation Authorities serving the Ottawa region, the Friends of Lasting Outdoor Education, the National Capital Region YMCA -YWCA, and the Ottawa - Carleton District School Board. 4. In December 2003, the task force retained a consultant from the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) to develop a five -year plan to preserve outdoor education programs for students at the Bill Mason and MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centres through coordination and cooperation with the region's other outdoor education centres (Baxter Centre, Mill of Kintail Centre and Camp Bonnefant). The business plan, entitled "Outdoor Education in the Ottawa Region" addressed four main issues: the possible closure of the outdoor education centres due to budget constraints, the duplication of effort in a number of administrative and maintenance areas, the overlap of program delivery by other facilities, and over - capacity in relation to existing demand. At the 08 March 2004 Board meeting, a motion was passed to approve in principle the recommendations in the report on "Outdoor Education in the Ottawa Region ". That motion read as follows: A. THAT the OCDSB approve in principle the recommendations contained in the February 2004 Report prepared by the Grand River Conservation Authority on "Outdoor Education in the Ottawa Region ". 1. That program capacity among the study participants be reduced to a level at or below existing demand, to ensure that the programs are operating at the lowest vacancy level possible, 2. That a "partnership group" be formed to coordinate program delivery, diversity, quality, bookings and marketing, thereby achieving program efficiencies and economies of scale, 3. That programs at Bill Mason and MacSkimming provide an equal opportunity for every student in the OCDSB to have a minimum of two outdoor education visits during a student's elementary school career — at no student cost (busing excepted), and 4. That this model, if successful, be considered for extension to the students of other Ottawa area school boards. B. THAT the OCDSB staff be authorized to work with the potential partners to develop a proposal that meets all employment obligations, to be brought back to the Board as soon as possible, to ensure continuity of programming at the OCDSB Outdoor Education Centres; C. THAT the OCDSB write a letter to the Minister of Education requesting financial support for a pilot project to enable the transition to the partnership, for the purpose of providing outdoor education opportunities for our students. 6. At the 29 March 2004 Board meeting, the appointments of Trustees Lange and Scott to the "Negotiating Committee for Outdoor Education" were confirmed. 7. Although a negotiating committee was struck, it appears that a number of legal barriers emerged which resulted in no formal partnership agreement ever being signed. In December 2005, the group known as the Council to Sustain Outdoor Education (CSOE), secured funding in the amount of $90,000 through the TD Bank Financial Group and went on to secure matching funds from the Province of Ontario. STATUS: 9. As a result of the funding, the Council was able to engage a full -time program coordinator. The coordinator, Diane Beckett, began work in November 2006 and will work with the Council over a two year period implement their work plan. The work plan includes four main components, program coordination, program development, marketing and council development. More detailed background information about the Council and its work plan is attached as Appendix A. 10. At its meeting of January 8, 2007, the Council to Sustain Outdoor Education (CSOE) was renamed the Outdoor Education Council of Ottawa. Like its predecessors, the Council is comprised of the Friends of Lasting Outdoor Education, the YMCA -YWCA, the City of Ottawa, the OCDSB, and the three conservation authorities serving the Ottawa area. 11. The OCDSB has invested considerable effort in the development of this partnership. For the first time, the Council has dedicated resources available to it and may finally be in a position to develop a sustainable long -term delivery model for outdoor education in Ottawa. The continued participation of the OCDSB is critical to the success of the Council and therefore, the appointment of a trustee representative to the Council is required. 12. In response to questions raised about the governing structure of the Council, it should be noted that the Council has recognized "council development" as one of its top four priorities in their work plan. As a part of that process, it seems reasonable to expect that the Council will confirm its organizational structure, governance model and decision making structures and share that information with the partners in order to establish a common understanding of how the recommendations and /or decisions of the Council will be implemented. 13. The Board has not formally appointed a representative to the Council. Trustees Lange and Scott were previously appointed to the "Negotiating Committee ". The Council has been operating with one representative per partner and therefore it would seem that only one trustee appointee is required at this time. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended: A. THAT the Board recognize the Outdoor Education Council of Ottawa (OECO) and reaffirm its commitment to this partnership, and B. THAT the Board appoint a trustee to the Outdoor Education Council of Ottawa (OECO) as soon as possible, to ensure that the interests of the OCDSB are fully represented and to keep trustees informed of the work of the Council. Dr. Lorne M. Rachlis Director of Education/ Secretary of the Board Neil Yorke - Slader Acting Superintendent of Instruction Appendix A to Report 07 -014 Backgrounder for Outdoor Education Council of Ottawa DRAFT Description of the Council The Outdoor Education Council of Ottawa is a council of outdoor education providers in the Ottawa area including the Ottawa - Carleton District School Board, the National Capital Region YMCA -YWCA, Friends of Lasting Outdoor Education and the three Conservation Authorities serving the Ottawa area — the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and the South Nation Conservation Authority. The Council was established with the over - arching goal of increasing the accessibility for students and the community to outdoor environmental education programs. The purpose of the Council is to increase the accessibility and the cost effectiveness of the members' outdoor environmental education programs through the development of an innovative partnership of Ottawa area outdoor education providers. The initial two year work plan of the Council is designed to support program coordination, program development, marketing and partnership development with a focus on effective and efficient delivery of services. The TD Financial Group and the Province of Ontario take pride in assisting this initial phase. The funders are supporting this project as a pilot project. If it is successful, it is expected that it may be shared and applied to other similar programs in the province. The real beneficiaries, of course, are the kids and the environment. As parents of our children and as stewards of the earth, a way to perpetuate the health of our environment through learning is perhaps the greatest legacy we can leave. Ms Diane Beckett began work on November 6th and has completed the initial task of the two year work plan - a review of the outdoor education programs delivered by the member organizations and the trends and pressures that these programs are currently experiencing. She states "What has struck me the most is the variety of programming that is offered by each of the organizations and the thought that has gone into developing each of the quality programs. Each program is an outdoor education jewel in a necklace of facilities that surrounds the City of Ottawa. Whether it is a program that combines First Nations' ecological knowledge with scientific information to explain forest and watershed management, a recreation -based program focused on outdoor skills for day campers, an experiential program designed to encourage a love of nature, an in- school program aimed at making links between our lifestyles and environmental degradation or a hands -on program tied to educational learning objectives in specific subjects and grades, all the members of the Council are delivering outdoor education programs that provide valuable knowledge and important life experiences for the children in the region. I would also add that these program descriptions mention only a portion of the incredible range of outdoor education programming that is being delivered by the Council's member organizations. Increasing environmental literacy, developing outdoor skills to enjoy nature and the out -of- doors, and exposing our children to the joys of the wondrous natural world are increasingly important. The world is becoming more urban and our children need to be provided with opportunities to learn about the natural world if they are to have the necessary decision - making tools to live on our increasingly fragile planet. I encourage everyone to visit the members' facilities and participate in their outdoor education programs." The Council's office is located at the National Capital Region YMCA - YWCA's downtown Metro location, 180 Argyle St., Ottawa. The real site of the initiative, however, is at the outdoor education facilities of the Council's members. For information about the programs and facilities, please go to the outdoor education pages of the Council members' websites: • Conservation Authorities: - Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority runs the Mill of Kintail Conservation Area, Historic Site and Outdoor Education Centre near Almonte. http://www.mvc.on.ca/areas/mill.html - Rideau Valley Conservation Authority runs the Baxter Conservation Area near Kars and North Gower http: / /www.rideauvalley .on.ca /careas /baxter /index.html - South Nation Conservation Authority runs a spring program at the Sand Road Sugar Camp near Moose Creek.: http: / /www.nation.on.ca/ (information on Outdoor Education program is available seasonally • National Capital Region YMCA -YWCA runs Bonnenfant Outdoor Education Centre near Dunrobin. http: / /www.ymcaywca.ca/ • Ottawa - Carleton District School Board runs Bill Mason Outdoor Education Centre co- located with the West Carleton High School and MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre near Cumberland. http: / /www.ocdsb.ca /continuweb /Outdoor /occhome.htm • Friends of Lasting Outdoor Education, a community -based organization, supports the OCDSB's Outdoor Education Centres. (It does not have a website and does not run Outdoor Education programs.) Synopsis of Initial Work Plan Program Coordination: Facilitate the formalization of a broadly based council for outdoor education in the Ottawa area. The Council will include the founding members plus other organizations as they join. • Assist organizations within the Council to identify and implement cooperative, mutually supportive and cost reducing initiatives to enhance and sustain outdoor education in the region. Broaden community support for all outdoor education programs, services and sites in the region and facilitate long term and sustainable funding. Program Development: Facilitate an increase in the range of programs and services in the Region, while where possible, decreasing the net costs to programs and facilities management. • Facilitate the establishment, compliance with and enforcement of an accepted regional "Environmental Code of Ethics ". This code is intended to protect the natural environment of the sites where outdoor education is provided, while setting an example for others. • Encourage and facilitate French - language programming to extend outdoor education services in the area. Marketing: • Develop joint marketing approaches. • Broaden the promotion of the Centres to include adjacent school boards and potential new community users. Council Development: • Explore new strategic opportunities and partnerships with other groups and agencies. • Develop new program partnerships through innovative program delivery mechanism such as off -site visits to City environmental facilities and "outreach programs" to non- traditional teaching sites.