Welcome back to Community Room. This episode focuses on community partnerships as a whole. Community partnerships can enrich the care, education and wellness of our children and their families, even more. When we work together, we are stronger. Many of us cite the phrase “It takes a village to raise a child”, as we believe that together, an involved community can improve safety, increase resources and build skills for all of us. We have with us Iha Hayer, a District Vice Principal for Children and Youth in Care, to chat all about the importance of non-school partnerships for community schools!

QUOTE:

"As the old African proverb says, "It takes a village to raise a child." One could imagine then that it would take a community to raise a school. We can't rely on local, state, or federal governments to take ownership of the issues we face locally. We need to work as a community to nurture our schools for our particular community needs." - Brendan O'Keefe, Edutopia

RESOURCES:

www.safesupportivelearning.ed.gov
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/school-community-collaboration-brendan-okeefe
https://www.ascd.org/

BIO:

Iha is a settler in this country that we now call Canada, and she feels so privileged and honored
to live, learn and work on the traditional unceded territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Matsqui
and Semiahmoo First Nations.

Iha would say she is most importantly a mom of a 3.5 year old, a few fake adopted kids that are
all adults now, a dog, and the wife of a supportive husband. She says that her foremost passion is healthy community building.

Iha developed this interest while completing her undergraduate degree at the University of
Victoria where she volunteered with the Victoria Street Kids Association as well as working as a
children’s counselor at the Victoria Women’s Transition House. She decided that she could effect change as a teacher and has taught in several diverse communities including; Quebec City, Quebec; Langley, BC; and Hamilton, Bermuda. In each location she worked with predominantly populations where children and youth experienced barriers to academic and social emotional success. In June 2007 she completed her Masters and became interested in systems thinking and change
management. That year she also developed and piloted the Heroes Live Here program for 2010
Legacies Now. Heroes Live Here was a literacy based, leadership initiative. In 2011, Iha applied for a Community School Coordinator Position in the lower mainland to develop a pilot project of a High School Community School in the district.

She then became a Vice Principal at a Middle School in another lower mainland district and is
now at the School Board Office as a District Vice Principal for Children and Youth in Care. She
now leads the Vulnerable Student Support Team and the development of the Community School
Approach in her district.