The ATA News , December 9, 2025 ❚ 9
Change for Children Canada–Honduras program aims to boost intercultural education
Julia Di Giovine Change for Children Staff C hange for Children is now recruiting teachers to join its July 2026 Teacher Brigade in rural Honduras, where participants will work together to strengthen classroom practice and expand opportunities for students in low- resource schools along Honduras’s Caribbean coast. The initiative, delivered in partnership with the Alberta Teachers’ Association as well as local Honduran education authorities and community leaders, brings teachers together for hands-on collaboration, peer learning and cultural exchange. A central focus for the 2026 program is intercultural bilingual education (IBE), a model that supports children in learning in their first language while integrating local culture, identity and world view into daily lessons. Honduras is home to diverse Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, including Garifuna, Lenca, Miskito, Maya Ch’ortí, Pech and Tawahka peoples, many of whom speak languages other than Spanish at home. Strengthening IBE helps ensure students receive instruction that honours who they are and how they learn.
Participating teachers will observe bilingual classrooms, exchange teaching techniques and cocreate resources that support early- reading skills, phonics, storytelling and culturally rooted learning. For many participants, the experience is transformative. Alexis Crich, a Grade 9 math and science teacher from Calgary, described last year’s program in Guatemala as a turning point in her career. “I can’t begin to explain how much my experience with the ATA and Change for Children has impacted not only my teaching but also my entire world view on education,” Crich said. During the trip, she was struck by the generosity of the communities and the enthusiasm of the students they worked with. Facing a language barrier herself—she was the only member of the team who didn’t speak Spanish—gave her a new appreciation for the challenges many English-language learners face at home. “That perspective alone has changed the way I teach,” she reflected. Digital learning is another key area of opportunity. Many schools lack reliable internet, so teachers use offline educational tools, such as RACHEL servers, which help bridge the digital divide. These tools
SUPPLIED Calgary teacher Alexis Crich teaching math to Guatemalan students through a place- value activity using base ten blocks.
allow students to access storybooks, science videos, Indigenous-language materials and other resources that enhance classroom learning. Crich said the contrast between digital access in Canada and Guatemala shifted her perspective. “Now, reflecting on this experience after the challenges we have faced in our classrooms recently, being asked to do more with less, I keep returning to what I witnessed in Guatemala,” she said. “Some teachers we met had only the most basic supplies and virtually no technology beyond the 15 Chromebooks provided by Change for Children. Yet they showed such resilience, creativity and dedication.” The 2026 program will build on
the momentum of previous years. By working side by side, educators from Honduras and Canada will strengthen classroom instruction, expand digital access and elevate the role of cultural identity in education. As education systems worldwide grapple with widening inequalities, the Change for Children program highlights the importance of partnerships rooted in respect, reciprocity and community leadership. Change for Children is now accepting teacher applications for the summer of 2026. Information is available at https://abteach.cc/ changeforchildren. The application deadline is January 18.
Diversity Equity Networks strive to support and connect
ATA News Staff
The ATA GSA builds partnerships within the Association and beyond, acting as a consultative body, a creator of resources and a hub for collective learning. We aim to connect GSAs across the province, document our histories, and celebrate queer joy through events, storytelling and shared learning. Through newsletters, conferences, public education and research initiatives, we strive to diversify the ATA membership and representatives, raise awareness of career pathways and foster a more inclusive profession and society. Membership is open to all active or associate ATA members. Teachers with Disabilities (TWD) The Teachers with Disabilities (TWD) DEN is a provincial network that provides a safe and brave space for teachers with disabilities. TWD meets regularly to provide mutual support for teachers who identify as having disabilities and their strong allies.TWD focuses on support and strategies that enable teachers with disabilities to thrive in their work and amplify the voices of teachers with disabilities as strong contributors to public education. The primary goal of the TWD is accessibility: the opportunity to access equitable conditions, services, supports and work environments when they are needed without facing barriers. The TWD advocates for and promotes accessibility within schools, workplaces and at Association events. To balance and sometimes challenge
clinical understandings of disabilities as individualized deficits, the TWD supports and is guided by the social model of disability, which focuses on the elimination of barriers, and the rights-based model of disability, which works to ensure the human rights of people with disabilities are routinely met. TWD strives for and contributes to accurate and positive representations of people with disabilities in all educational contexts. Membership is open to all active or associate ATA members. Together We RISE: Racialized Teachers’ Circle (RISE) Visibility matters. This network isn’t just about support; it’s about action, transformation and justice. Together, we will not only lift each other up but also help reshape the structures we work within. The Together We RISE: Racialized Teachers’ Circle is rooted in a powerful vision: to build a community of connection, strength and empowerment for racialized educators. Our goal is to create a space where members feel seen, valued and supported, not only by one another but also by the broader Association. The RISE DEN will work to amplify the voices and experiences of racialized teachers within the Association, confronting systemic barriers head-on while pushing for inclusive practices that uplift everyone. Professional development will be a component of our work, offering mentorship, leadership opportunities and career- building pathways that specifically
address the unique challenges and strengths of equity-deserving educators. Membership is open to active or associate ATA members who identify as racialized teachers, as well as allies.
A lberta teachers are coming together to drive equity, inclusion and antioppression in the profession. Provincial Diversity Equity Networks (DENs) are teacher-led networks that support members of systemically excluded and equity- rooted communities in advancing inclusion and antioppression through collaboration, shared resources and a sense of belonging. Three provincial DENs are being piloted for the 2025/26 year to offer Alberta teachers spaces of support and connection. The DEN descriptions below were provided by DEN members. Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) The Alberta Teachers’ Association Gender and Sexuality Alliance (ATA GSA) exists to create a safe, welcoming and empowering space for 2SLGBTQIA+ teachers and their allies across Alberta. We foster connection, affirm identity and advocate for equity through education, professional learning and collective action. Our work includes provincial outreach to isolated educators, capacity-building through professional development, and supporting teachers in navigating oppressive systems safely and collaboratively. We champion intersectionality and strive to accept, affirm and uplift the voices and experiences of marginalized educators, including those who are Two-Spirit, racialized or living with disabilities.
For information on these DENs and their upcoming meetings, please reach out by email. ATA Gender and Sexuality Alliance ATAGSA@ata.ab.ca Teachers with Disabilities TWD@ata.ab.ca Together We RISE: Racialized Teachers’ Circle: RISE@ata.ab.ca
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting