UPDATE! - Click here to see where this work has gone now! - UPDATE!

At the beginning of this school year, the Grade 5 classes at Glendale Elementary noticed many headlines regarding the sudden population boom in our city!! We started talking about this change, and how it was affecting our families and community. We saw both negative and positive effects on life in Calgary. These included health care, sports, transportation, cultural diversity, employment, environment, and education.

As our discussions progressed, the students continued to be interested and inspired to become involed in a particular problem that was resulting from this boom. We discovered that the number of homeless people in Calgary had increased by 32% and was now sitting at approximately 3500 people in our city.

Through literature, artwork, visitors and research, we began to understand the complexities behind this issue. We peeled back layers to find deep stereotypes that were no longer true in our city, and fear around this topic. We discussed the idea of home, and what one needs in order to have a home. We realized the many things we take for granted and how little we understand about the issue of homelessness.

This project was featured on CityTV's "Your City" on January 18th, 2007 (5MB video).

The Public Service Announcements created and produced by students are now hosted online at Homeless Awareness Calgary. Click here to see them!

Copyright L. Temrick and M. Liddell

Glendale Elementary School, C.B.E.

2006-2007