Provincial Social Justice Conferences

The BCTF hosts a Provincial Social Justice Conference every two years, dependent on funding through the budget-setting process. The last conference, ReconciliACTION: Witnessing and walking together, was held on May 24–25, 2019. Hosted by the Committee for Action on Social Justice (CASJ) and the Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee, this event brought together social justice and Aboriginal education contacts from around the province to consider actions they could take towards reconciliation.

For information about this conference, see the article in the Summer/Fall 2019 Social Justice Newsletter. 

Regional Social Justice Conferences

The BCTF provides grants of $25,000 every second year to fund social justice conferences throughout the province. The intent behind these grants is to build capacity and support the growth of social justice in a given region.

Funding has been provided for the following Regional Social Justice Conferences to be held during the 2019–20 school year. More information on each conference will be provided soon. 

South Island
February 13–14, 2020
Tapestry—Climate Justice
The funds from this conference grant will be used to run a climate justice strand concurrently with the regular tri-local Tapestry Conference. Workshops specifically oriented to teaching climate issues and organizing for climate justice will be offered. The conference is open to all teachers, parents, and students. Tapestry is jointly organized by the Sooke, Saanich, and Victoria locals.

Metro/Fraser Valley
February 29, 2020
Solidarity in the Face of the Climate Crisis in Cascadia
The overall goal of this conference is to enable classroom teachers from all locals across Northwestern Forested Mountains Ecoregion—California, Oregon, Washington, and BC—and, even more specifically, the Fraser watershed, to create networks of mutual support for the necessary work in the areas of ecojustice, antiracism, antipoverty, LGBTQ2S+, status of women, and peace and global education.

Conference website: http://crossborderconference.weebly.com/

North Coast
May 15–16, 2020
Environment Justice for Northern BC
The focus of this conference is the intersection of environmental justice, antipoverty, reconciliation, and antiracism in Northern BC. Through meaningful dialogue, participants will gain greater insight into how that intersection manifests in our communities. The conference seeks to identify and understand the next steps for meaningful engagement with issues at the school and community level. The goal will be to identify ways to put ideas into action in our dual roles as teachers in the classroom and union members in the community.