Plenary Sessions


March 29 Plenary Sessions

Poet Laureate, Anna Marie Sewell
Edmonton’s very talented Poet Laureate Anna Marie Sewell will join us for the Celebrating Lifelong Learning in our Communities conference. If you haven’t had a chance to be present at any of Anna Marie’s presentation, look forward to being moved and inspired by a very talented woman. We are delighted to having Anna Marie with us and embrace her commitment to the community and to Lifelong Learning in many capacities.

Special Panel Discussion: The Future of Lifelong Learning: Challenges and Opportunities in Alberta and Canada

With globalization, economic and demographic challenges and opportunities; is Alberta positioned to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population? Engage with community, post secondary, industry and government representatives as they discuss successes and challenges of meeting and planning for the growing need for lifelong learning opportunities in Alberta and Canada

Panel Members:

Carol Aubee Girard, CEO, Edmonton Community Adult Learners Association

Walter Archer, Associate Dean( Interim), Engaged Learning, Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta

Gary Bosgoed, P Eng, Vice President Business Services and Systems, Worley Parsons Resources and Energy
Judy Sillito, Director, Intercultural Programming, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers

Dan Rizzoli, Alberta Advanced Education and Technology


About our Panel Members:

Carol Aubee-Girard, CEO, ECALA

The Edmonton Community Adult Learners Association (ECALA) exists in order to establish a community of adult learners whose lifelong learning needs and wants are fulfilled. ECALA is a leader in the development, coordination and provision of lifelong learning opportunities for adults in our community.

Gary Bosgoed, P Eng, Vice President Business Services and Systems, WorleyParsons Resources and Energy

WorleyParsons Canada and their business unit CoSyn Technology worked with NorQuest College to initiate English for the Workplace for its newcomer staff in 2004. Since then, NorQuest College and its Centre for Excellence in Intercultural Education (CEIE) has provided WorleyParsons with customized, innovative and practical intercultural training that is grounded in evidence-based research. Gary Bosgoed’s presentation will include activities completed over the past seven years as well as plans for the future.


Judy Sillito, Director, Intercultural Programming, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers 

Using a model of holistic integrated practice, the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for New comers provides programs and services that enable immigrants to participate with equity, dignity and respect in all aspects of life; and contribute to the development of public policy.

Dan Rizzoli, Executive Director, Campus Alberta Partnerships, Advanced Education and Technology, Government of Alberta
The concept of Campus Alberta was developed in 2002 in Campus Alberta: A Policy Framework. Although the concept has since evolved, this document set parameters around the emerging notion of lifelong learning. The aim of the framework was to define a set of principles to ensure that the different learning systems across Alberta work together to deliver seamless learning opportunities. In practice, this means that learning providers collaborate to deliver learning opportunities where and when Albertans need them.

Walter Archer, Associate Dean (Interim), Engaged Learning, Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta
Universities, colleges, and technical institutes are usually thought of as part of the initial education system that prepares young people for entry into “the real world.” However, for many decades they have also played a role in the provision of learning opportunities throughout the lifespan and beyond their campuses. This role has evolved over the past two centuries and is continuing to evolve.

“Uplifting the Whole People”

Henry Marshall Tory, the first President of the University of Alberta, spoke these words when he addressed the first Convocation in 1908:


"The modern state university has sprung from a demand on the part of the people themselves for intellectual recognition…. The people demand that knowledge shall not alone be the concern of scholars. The uplifting of the whole people shall be its final goal."

Four years later, in 1912, the University created a Department of Extension to promote the “uplifting” of the vast majority of “the whole people” who would never set foot on the campus of the University. The mission of Extension, again in Tory’s words, was:

“… to find out from the people what the University can do for them beyond the classroom and the laboratory.”

What did Extension find out from the people? What exciting new media events ensued? How were the fine arts made to bloom and blossom in the midst of a Great Depression? How was wealth created in Alberta and beyond? And how is this important work continuing in our communities today, with a multitude of new players?


Watch the gripping drama of the whole people being uplifted! Be uplifted yourself! In 3D!

Free popcorn!


March 30 Plenary Sessions

Wake Up Learning, Judy Murphy 

This session invites you to explore how ways of breathing and gentle movement can restore your sense of well-being and open you to learning. Through chair yoga, you will be supported to move within your own capacity in a way that respects your own body. No special attire or props are required. Judy, a certified yoga teacher with the Yoga Association of Alberta (YAA), enjoys sharing her passion for yoga and learning with others. With a M.Ed. in adult education and as co-coordinator of Windsound Learning Society, she offers breath work, movement and meditation to adults as a way to open to learning. She has published a book, Move the Body. Stretch the Mind and has written a chapter, Body as Gateway to Learning, in the book, Our Bodies, Ourselves: The EmBODYment of Women's Literacy.

Edmonton Community Learning Plan, Don Iveson

 The City of Learners initiative seeks to assert the excellence in formal and informal learning already available 
in Edmonton, but the initiative also aspires to support and align organizations that are working to improve learning outcomes in key areas. The Draft Community Learning Plan has been prepared based on expert input and previous round table consultations. Edmonton City Councillor Don Iveson will discuss this initiative and its progress.

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