The Circle Salt Spring Education Society

We run programs within schools, the Salt Spring community, and other communities in Canada. We also host awareness-raising events within the community.

Pass It On (PIO) is an after-school, cross-peer group mentorship program with intermediate students (as buddies) and high school students (as mentors). Its goal is to foster capacity for healthy relationships and support life transitions.

Young people need safe spaces to connect, to be vulnerable, to listen, and to be listened to without judgment. This simple act of meeting weekly, sharing deeply, and supporting those younger than them has a notable impact on all program participants.

Through the support of PIO, young people build confidence, self-awareness, empathy, acceptance of differences, and the ability to make better choices. The Circle offers two separate programs, one for boys and one for girls (cis, trans, and non-binary inclusive).

This program builds on the content in The Empathy Project and The Respect Project with reflection and discussion of deeper, more vulnerable topics.

The Respect Project is an in-school program for Grades 6, 7, and 8 designed to offer students the opportunity to get to know one another better and learn about the foundational role respect plays in their lives.

Program goals are for students to a) understand and experience healthy, respectful relationships; b) become more aware of their own identify, feelings, and biases; c) develop verbal, nonverbal, and online communication skills and strategies to support respectful relationships.

Students are guided through a range of fun and engaging activities that introduce key concepts, and they are invited to share their opinions and ideas through small and large group discussions.

The Empathy Project, formerly Peace Kids, provides students in Grades 3 to 5 with the building blocks of social–emotional learning, to help them understand the value of their own stories and the stories of those around them.

Through a variety of activities, discussions, and improvisational theatre games, students explore topics such as emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, fairness, friendship, and appreciation in a way that's collaborative, spontaneous, memorable, and fun.

The program aims to equip students with some of the tools they'll need to navigate the tricky waters of their middle school years, with the long-term goal of helping to produce young people who are attuned and responsive to the emotional needs of the people in their lives, including themselves.

Training: Key Components to Facilitation with Youth: Facilitation is part of what makes our programs successful. Our facilitators strive to build relationships with youth, which allows us to explore “heavy” topics with a playful tone. Our focus is on giving youth the skills to develop their own insights around these topics. Rather than teaching them right or wrong, we guide them to think critically about the topics and what they mean for them.

In this 7.5-hr live, virtual course, you'll receive a companion guidebook and gain knowledge and practice with the signature facilitation tools and techniques that we use in our youth programs:

setting the tone

creating the ideal session structure

using games and improv activities to engage youth

developing group agreements

using practices like the circle to create shared accountability

Each year, we co-host two events: a community candlelight vigil to remember the 14 women killed in Montreal on December 6th, 1989, and to acknowledge the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women. This annual event engages our youth, our partners, and the broader community and is well attended. Every March, The Circle celebrates International Women’s Day with a community event aimed at recognizing the importance of this day.

* * *

At The Circle, we continue to strive toward our vision of communities living violence-free by offering programs for children and youth to give them the skills to create healthy relationships now and in the future. We do collaborate with other community organizations who are involved in directly addressing violence and crisis in our community. If you need help:

IWAV provides anti-violence services — crisis line, outreach, counselling, and Transition House — and supports and responds to women and families in our community.

IWAV encourages women who are feeling unsafe and needing support to contact IWAV's 24 hr crisis line at 250-537-0735 or email at [email protected]. Additional information about IWAV's services can be found at iwav.org

Youth and families can also seek support from Salt Spring Community Services. Counsellors are ready and available to meet with children, youth, and families who would like support. They can access this by phoning Community Services’ Navigator at 778-353-4731. More information about counselling support is also available on its website http://saltspringcommunityservices.ca

School counsellors are, as usual, available for students in need of emotional support. There are also many helpful resources — through phone, chat, or text — for youth struggling emotionally:

Kids Help Line, available 24-7, for students struggling with anything. 1-800-667-6868.

Vancouver Island Crisis Line (24-7) 1-888-494-3888 for youth needing support.