One of our new and exciting ventures is the Kootenay Columbia Learning Center’s Castlegar Café.
We currently operate the Castlegar Jr. Alt. Program, the District School Meals Program and now the Youth Café (name and logo contest now under way) out of this site which is located on 3rd Avenue in downtown Castlegar.
At present our Jr. Alternate students spend part of each day volunteering for the School Meals Program. This allows these students the opportunity to gain life skills and social skills while at the same time using personalized learning to meet components of Prescribed Learning Outcomes as set by the Ministry of Education.
Just last week, six students from the Kootenay Columbia Learning Center’s Trail campus: Trail Middle School, began training to work and help run the Youth Café.
The café will open to the public the first week of April. (April 4 - 8.) It will be a mid-day coffee shop (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.) which offers a soup and sandwich menu for lunchtime patrons.
This program will provide some of our more senior students the opportunity to complete work experience hours required for some courses that lead to graduation. Examples include: Pre-Employment 12, Work Experience 12 and Career and Personal Planning 12.
The Ministry of Education has clearly stated that “work experience and/or volunteer/community experience as a graduation requirement recognizes the importance of experiential learning and the importance of extending education beyond the classroom into the community.”
Kim Williams
Director of Student Support Services
School District No. 20 (Kootenay-Columbia)