All Posts – Page 17 – The Big Sky Centre for Learning and Being Astonished Inc.

Get On Board

May 18, 2016/0 Comments/in Board of Connectors

It is our pleasure to welcome Alykhan (Al) Bhanji to the Astonished! Board of Directors, effective June 1, 2016.

Al Bhanji is a 4th year Bachelor of Economics student at the University of Regina and he hopes to pursue his Masters in the same field in the same institution after he graduates next year. He has been volunteering consistently with Astonished! and hopes to continue to do so for many more years to come.

He is also an executive member (budget & planning) of the Best Buddies University of Regina Chapter (2016-2017). Al also volunteers as a facilitator with the Next Chapter Book Club (Inclusion Regina).

His passion and inspiration for volunteering in inclusive programs can be accredited and attributed to his father, Karim who encouraged Al from a very young age to engage and volunteer in programs that promote inclusion and foster care for all individuals from all walks of life.

Ever since learning about his grandfather’s partial paralysis which led to his untimely departure, Al has always had an endearing attitude and progressive mindset towards individuals and programs that comprise of an inclusive environment.

When not volunteering or at school, Al enjoys watching and playing tennis. His favorite player on tour being Stan “The Man” Wawrinka. Al is also a proud business owner. His company, West Star Agricultural Ltd owns farmland all across Saskatchewan that has been leased to local farmers. He purchased his first quarter section of land when he was 19 years old. Al hopes to one day apply his experiences and teachings from Astonished! to enhance the spirit of inclusion in Kenya, where he was born.

Photo: Pagan Racette, Al Bhanji, Paige Racette

Introducing Kevin Ma

May 17, 2016/0 Comments/in News

Location, location, location is the mantra for real estate, it might also be one of the mantras for Astonished! Being situated at the University of Regina gives us many opportunities to interact with students, faculty, staff, and volunteers. We are seeing more capacity among University of Regina student volunteers and faculty in working and interacting in meaningful ways, both personally and professionally, with Core Members.

We are pleased that Kevin Ma chose Astonished! for his four month (May-August 2016) Fieldwork Placement. Kevin is completing his last semester in a Bachelor of Kinesiology, majoring in Human Kinetics at the University of Regina.

Katherine Taylor (A! Program Coordinator) is Kevin’s supervisor and a graduate of Kinesiology with a Human Kinetics major.

At the age of 15 Kevin and his older brother moved to Regina to study at Luther College. Coming from Hong Kong they chose Regina and Luther College because they wanted a city and school where the primary language was English and they would have lots of opportunity to speak English. A year later, Kevin’s brother graduated from grade 12 and went on to further studies in England. Kevin chose to stay in Regina and has been here for almost ten years.

Kevin first learned about Astonished! by attending Wings On Our Wheels~ Astonished in Flight with the Kinesiology Student Society.

Kevin is interested in learning more about and with Astonished! and exploring ways people with physical disAbilities can expand their physical and social activity. Three of his learning objectives are:

Understanding the value and goals the organization holds,
Developing his inclusion skills,
Explaining, and understand, how specified program are launched and activated.

When asked about his strengths Kevin said ‘I am open-minded, I learned this from my parents, and growing up in the multi-cultural context of Hong Kong. My parents encouraged us to explore new things. I like finding new places, seeing new things. Sometimes, even though I have lived in Regina for ten years I still find some places that are new to me and I still find it fascinating. I am motivated to learn new things, listen to other people, and make new friends, this all helps to broaden my perspective.

We look forward to learning and working with Kevin.

Yoga For Every-Body

May 15, 2016/0 Comments/in Student Researchers

It is Wednesday afternoon in a dance studio in the Kinesiology and Health Studies building at the University of Regina. The lights are low, music is softly playing, and occasionally a deep yawn or a sweet laugh can be heard as energy is released. This is the adapted yoga pilot project that is being offered by Rebekah Lindenbach and Ruth Blaser to the Astonished! Teaching and Learning Centre (A!TLC).

This is what Rebekah wanted to share about the adapted yoga pilot project:

I have been doing stretches, breathing exercises and meditation since I was about 7 years old. Ruth (my Auntie) has been doing Yoga for a few years, and sometimes a lot of it. She says it helps her. I think it does.

Ruth and I were listening to an interview with Bruce Kramer who lived with ALS. The podcast is called Forgiving the Body: Life with ALS. Bruce Kramer talks about feeling connected to his body and to others by doing Yoga, even though he couldn’t move.

Then we read a book by Matthew Sanford who was Bruce Kramer’s Yoga Teacher. His book is called Waking, A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence. Matthew Sanford is a Yoga Teacher and he is paralyzed from the chest down.

Ruth and I are learning that Yoga can help everyone no matter how your body moves or doesn’t. So far we know that yoga is about using the breathe to focus our minds, relaxing, practicing no judgment of what we or others can or can’t do, and being quiet together.

As one of my PATH goals I want to learn and teach others how to practice simple safe Adapted Yoga and see what happens. Ruth is on my learning and teaching team.

Thanks to everyone at A!TLC for being willing to participate in the Adapted Yoga Pilot Project.
B+W Photo by Jennifer Hunchak

Event Planners

May 11, 2016/0 Comments/in Core Member, Events, Student Researchers

On May 5, 2016, Kennen Dorgan and Silvia Franco, with the help of their families, did a fabulous job as the event planners for the Astonished! Teaching and Learning Centre Cinco de Mayo party. This was part of Kennen’s PATH plans.

Have you ever looked at a job descriptions for an event planner? Here are some of the requirements:

Plan, design and produce events while managing all project delivery elements within time limits
Organize facilities and manage all event’s details such as decor, catering, entertainment, transportation, location, invitee list, special guests, equipment, promotional material etc
Ensure compliance with insurance, legal, health and safety obligations
Specify staff requirements and coordinate their activities
Cooperate with marketing and PR to promote and publicize event

Kennen and Silvia did all of this and more. They even helped us with our Spanish pronunciations. If you want a taste of the party check out our Cinco de Mayo photos on Face Book.

You might also want to get a look at what we are calling ‘Piñata therapy‘.

Thanks Kennen and Silvia and your team for this fabulous event.

Photo: Silvia, Heather, Kennen, Carmen

Seeking Two Summer Students

May 4, 2016/0 Comments/in Literacy, News

Do you love people, technology, literacy, and learning? This could be the summer job for you. This is the fourth year for the Astonished Summer Literacy program and we are proud of the knowledge and skills we have developed together. The summer literacy program is designed to meet the specific strengths, dreams, and needs of the Core Members who participate in the program.

Astonished! is currently looking for two summer students to work with the Astonished! Program Coordinator to plan, implement, and evaluate our summer literacy program. This literacy program is open to all Astonished! Core Members and participation is limited to approximately 8 Core Members. The summer position would start the week of May 30th and would conclude the last week of August. Click here for job description and application. All applications due by noon May 13, 2016.

Follow Your Passion

April 30, 2016/0 Comments/in Core Member, Student Researchers

We are often told to follow our passion, but not everyone knows what their passion is. This is not so for Kaitlyn Hoar. Kaitlyn has a passion for and a fascination with India. She is not sure when this began, possibly when she was eight and her grandfather spent several months working in India.

Kaitlyn wanted to share her passion with others at the Astonished! Teaching and Learning Centre (A!TLC). With the help of her companion Hannah, Kaitlyn interviewed someone from Regina whose original home is India. She also did online research, read articles, and watched a documentary about India. On Thursday April 28^th, Kaitlyn and Hanna presented Kaitlyn’s story of India to the A! Student Researchers, staff , and U of R volunteers. We learned some about the history, religious diversity, and cultures of India. Kaitlyn and Hanna told us about safety issues, especially for women travelling on their own. Kaitlyn also brought some of the gifts she has received from her cousin while he was living in India. She showed us a sari that is the traditional garment of women in India, and many feet long .

Kaitlyn paid particular attention to what it would be like to live in India, or visit India, if you have a disAbility. She told us about ADAPT (Able Disabled All People Together), a national resource centre for inclusion. ADAPT is making big changes in the culture and accessibility but overall wheelchair travel and inclusion in India is not easy. But none of this deters Kaitlyn, her passion to visit India remains strong.

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Get On Board

Introducing Kevin Ma

Yoga For Every-Body

Event Planners

Seeking Two Summer Students

Follow Your Passion

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