University of Lethbridge Welcomes SWATCA Delegates
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For Immediate Release — Wednesday, February 20, 2013 Media Advisory University of Lethbridge welcomes SWATCA delegates While students are out of school this week, educators from across southern Alberta are heading back to school, specifically the University of Lethbridge, for their annual convention. University of Lethbridge Conference Services and the Faculty of Education are getting ready to welcome up to 2,000 delegates -- members of the South Western Alberta Teachers’ Convention Association (SWATCA) -- who will be on campus Thursday, Feb. 21 and Friday, Feb. 22. The conference theme this year –- the organizations 114th annual event -- is “Teaching: It’s Our World.” Complete conference information is available here: http://www.swatca.ca/ Two keynote sessions feature humanitarian Amanda Lindhout as an opening speaker on Thursday, February 21 and education advocate and former federal politician Deborah Grey to close off the conference on Friday, February 22. Lindhout will be speaking on “Freedom in Forgiveness,” while Grey will present a topic entitled “Creating Global Citizens: Educating Children for the 21st Century.” Both Lindhout and Grey have scheduled media availability for interviews following their presentations. Brief biographical information follows, below. Media representatives are welcome to attend and report on their sessions. Please note that no audio or video recording is permitted except for establishing shots. Still photos are permitted at the beginning or end of the presentations, and at the media availability. The media availability will take place in the 1st Choice Savings Centre gym, just offstage. SWATCA President Cory Hegland and ATA District representative Jason Schilling will also available for interviews relating to the conference in general. Over the two-day conference, educators can choose from nearly 200 different professional development sessions that cover all aspects of teaching. A ‘Conference at a Glance’ website is available to view here: http://www.swatca.ca/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,78/ If media representatives are interested in learning more about any particular session, or wish to attend and report on a particular session aside from the keynote addresses, please confirm your attendance with the SWATCA organizers by emailing [email protected]. Media passes will be available at the conference service desk, located in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness. It is advisable to pre-register to attend as the SWATCA conference is a convention open to Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) members only. The organizers will confirm membership and entry to a particular conference session by asking for an ID badge. Thursday, February 21, 2013 Speaker: Amanda Lindhout “Freedom in Forgiveness” 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Main Gym Media availability, 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. following the presentation. Biographical information: Amanda Lindhout is an internationally recognized humanitarian, public speaker, writer and activist, as well as the Founder and Executive Director of The Global Enrichment Foundation (GEF). Amanda’s experience as a hostage in war-torn Somalia, her courage and resolve in the face of adversity, and her achievements as an advocate for Somalia’s most vulnerable inspire audiences throughout Canada and around the world. Earlier this year, former President Bill Clinton invited Amanda to share her message of forgiveness and compassion at the Clinton Global Initiative and the Women’s Executive Network nominated her as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Her memoir, A House in the Sky, will be published across North America by Simon and Schuster in 2013. Additional information is available here: http://www.globalenrichmentfoundation.org/ Friday, February 22, 2013 Speaker: Deborah Grey “Creating Global Citizens: Educating Children for the 21st Century” 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Main Gym Media availability, 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. following the presentation Deborah Grey is an educator, pioneering federal politician and Canada’s first-ever female leader of the Official Opposition. During her career as an educator, Deborah taught high school at Alberta's Frog Lake Reserve and in Dewberry, Alberta. Her history- making political career began in 1989, when she won a by-election becoming the Reform Party's first Member of Parliament. She served in that position for fifteen and a half years. Following her retirement from politics, Grey has turned her attention to public service of a different sort – charitable work in Canada and internationally, including a trip to Nigeria as a representative of the International Republican Institute Electoral Observation Mission; public speaking on such diverse topics as leadership, balancing work and play and relationship building, and numerous other projects. Additional information is available here: http://www.debgrey.com/bio.html -- 30 -- Contact: Darcy Novakowski, Faculty of Education Communications (403) 332-4550 [email protected] SWATCA Contact: Cory Hegland (403) 915-5053 [email protected] Onsite ATA contact: Jason Schilling [email protected] .