E-Mentoring Program Returns to Selected Yukon Schools
An e-mentoring and leadership program for grade nine Yukon students returns May 8 in four Yukon schools.
The DreamCatcher Yukon program, created by a group of Action Canada Fellows and piloted last year at Carcross Community School in Carcross, proved so successful that this year it is receiving funding from both the Yukon Department of Education and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
“Our purpose is to address the high drop-out rates from high school,” explains Action Canada alumnus Josh Silvertown, who helped introduce the program last year and helped expand the program this year. “We want to empower kids to understand the value of staying in school.”
The program matches students and their career interests with Canadian mentors in similar fields. During class time, students log on to the DreamCatcher Internet chat room to leave messages for their mentors, following a curriculum that details discussion goals and milestones. The five-week program culminates in a day-long job shadow at a workplace relevant to the students’ career choices.
Last year’s pilot involved 14 students in grades seven to nine. A survey at the end of the program found that 11 of the 14 were interested in staying in school and that all of those eligible to move on to high school did so, says Silvertown.
Action Canada alumni Beverly Sembsmoen and Josh Silvertown have since formed a registered society, the DreamCatcher Yukon Mentoring Society, and work together as co-directors. “We’re volunteering our time,” says Silvertown, who is now a post-doctoral fellow at the Ontario Cancer Institute. “We have a board of directors comprised of individuals in the Yukon who have the skills to see this through successfully.”
For next year, Sembsmoen and Silvertown are currently planning an intensive strategy to register all Yukon schools offering grade nine. “We plan to implement this across the north,” says Sembsmoen, a Dakl’aweidí clan member of Tagish and Tlingit heritage. “We’re working to include all levels of community and government in our program.”
Action Canada builds leadership for Canada’s future through a 10-month national program that is creating a network of emerging leaders who have a passion for Canada and its stature among nations. Fellows participating in the program must pursue a public policy project of value to Canada. The DreamCatcher Yukon program was one of last year’s projects and uses many Action Canada alumni from across Canada as mentors.
