VANCOUVER 2010 EDUCATION PROGRAM EXPANDS

VANCOUVER – The web-based Vancouver 2010 Education Program has expanded to include two new initiatives that are designed to connect teachers and students in B.C. and across Canada to the Olympic and Paralympic Movements and to the 2010 Winter Games. The expansion was announced today by Education Minister Shirley Bond and John Furlong, chief executive officer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

“Whenever I talk to students in British Columbia, they want to know more about the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” said Bond. “With the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to Canada, we want to ensure that students all across the country have an opportunity to learn and be inspired through our Vancouver 2010 Education Program.”

The first new program, the Pan-Canadian Paralympic School Week, will be launched across the country on Nov. 3, 2008. The week-long program offers an opportunity for students to learn about the Paralympic Movement, to explore the significance of human interdependence, and to recognize and celebrate wide-ranging examples of Paralympian achievements. The curriculum, developed by the B.C. Ministry of Education in partnership with the Canadian Paralympic Committee and VANOC, is inspired by VANOC’s Paralympic School Day, which engages students and guest Paralympians in Paralympic-style sports, such as ice sledge hockey, cross-country skiing or wheelchair curling. An educator guide is now available online to help teachers plan activities and events at their schools during that week.

On Nov. 12, 2008, the Ministry of Education is launching its Sharing the Dream Webcast Series with its first student-led webcast interview, with Olympic gold medallist Carol Huynh in Coquitlam. Students on-site will interview Huynh while students across the country will be able to log-on to view the webcast and email questions to contribute to the discussion. Following the webcast, discussions will continue through the TakingITGlobal website, which will connect Canadian students with students from around the world to help them all become global citizens.

“The Games have the unique power to positively inspire our youth through sport and culture and we encourage educators and students in B.C. and across Canada to visit our website and get involved in the spirit of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” said Furlong. “We want Canada to stand as a shining example of what can be accomplished for the youth of a country when a nation learns, plays and grows together.”

The Vancouver 2010 Education Program components are hosted on the Vancouver 2010 website at www.vancouver2010.com/edu. The site features additional information on the Pan-Canadian Paralympic School Week and Sharing the Dream initiatives, as well as other interactive programs connected to school curricula and student interests. Schools also have the opportunity to share their stories and showcase some of the exciting and innovative projects that are happening in classrooms across Canada.

“The Vancouver 2010 Education Program is the first totally web-based program geared towards the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Bond. “The program can be implemented anywhere in Canada, and we encourage schools to participate in some of the exciting activities, including Paralympic-style events and webcasts that connect students with Olympic athletes.”

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from Feb. 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com for more information.

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Contact:

Public Affairs Bureau

Ministry of Education

250 356-5963

Chris Brumwell

Vancouver 2010 Communications

778 328-6269

chris_brumwell@vancouver2010.com




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