P.E.I. Home and School presents on online harm
Tackling the Digital Influence on Youth is the focus for P.E.I.’s Home and School Federation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, April 12 at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel.
Keynote speaker, Carl H. Burke R.N., who dedicated his career to Health PEI for 32 years, lost his 17-year-old son Harry to sextortion in April 2023. Mr. Burke now educates children, families and communities to prevent such tragedies due to social media predators.
The Souris Home and School Association submitted a resolution supporting Mr. Burke’s mission, urging the Government of Canada to enact the Online Harms Act to protect children from online exploitation, bullying, and harmful content. The resolution also calls on social media platforms and online service providers to implement comprehensive safety measures to protect children using their services.
All parents, guardians, educators, administrators, and staff of member schools in the Public Schools Branch are encouraged to attend the AGM.
Expert-led workshops will cover topics such as Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education; Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in Island Schools; and Youth Gaming and Gambling Addictions.
Local Home and School Associations will also lead discussions on Social Media Communications & Volunteers; Best Practices for Home and School Finances; and School Food Success Stories.
Heard of ChatGPT? Presenting on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Paul MacLeod, a researcher at the Department of Education and Early Years and a lecturer at the University of Prince Edward Island will explore the working of AI, its capabilities and the department’s response to its growing use and influence.
Concerned about your child’s behaviour or the behaviour of other children in school? Megan Etchell, a board-ertified Behavior Analyst with over 15 years in education, will introduce Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), currently piloted in 19 Island schools. The Somerset Home and School Association is sponsoring a resolution to add PBIS resource positions to future staffing allocations.
Worried about your child’s gaming or online gambling addiction? Chad Morash and Shelby McCarron from the Gambling Support Unit (GUS) will discuss youth gaming and gambling, helping students understand the risks of excessive play, gaming habits, and the connection between gaming and gambling behaviors.
If your local Home and School wants to share a story, ask questions or find out what other schools are doing, you will want to join one of the three Home and School success stories and strategies workshops on the topics of communications and volunteers, Home and School finances, and school food programs.
REGISTER for AGM at: peihsf.ca/agm
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For more information, go to email peihsf@gov.pe.ca, or call 902-620-3186. David Schutl, president of the P.E.I. Home and School Federation, lives in Charlottetown with his wife and two children attending UPEI and Colonel Gray Senior High School.