“Learning Again in Almonte” will be offering exciting courses to make learning fun this fall. A new planning committee has been working with the library and has enlisted three dynamic instructors to start off this new season of classes:
Tony Belcourt is the founding president of the Native Council of Canada and is recognized internationally at the United Nations and other organizations. He will be offering four two-hour classes to us on subjects including “Indigenous Ceremonies—Unravelling the Mysteries” and “Indigenous Contemporary Life, Arts, and Expressions.” Tony Belcourt is a wonderful teacher and we are so lucky to be able to learn from him.
Valerie Steeves has been talking to young people online for over 20 years, and what they have to say might surprise you! Val will bring her unique perspective to talking about a range of internet issues. She will talk about the privacy debate, how tech giants are working to steer the democratic process, and how e-toys manipulate kids. Come learn about how online life is shaping the lives of Canadians, young and old.
Val is a professor at the University of Ottawa in the Faculty of Social Services and the co-leader of the eQuality Project (equalityproject.ca)
A sought-after instructor since the founding days of “Learning in Almonte,” Tom Shoebridge will bring a feature film to view every week for six weeks. We will not know in advance what the film will be, and we will also not know the decade or country of origin of Tom’s choice. Afterwards, there will be a free-wheeling discussion of the film that explores the creation, crafting and more of the week’s presentation. Tom Shoebridge has been a professor of communications, film and television, a film reviewer, and a screenwriting lecturer. An experienced teacher, he ran the Canadian Screen Training Center for 29 years. He loves teaching this course, and in the past, his class has filled up on the first day of registration.
Our new learning program has its roots in the “Learning in Almonte” program that was founded by Don Wiles in 2008 and later continued by Clair ApSimon, Marny McCook, and Glenda Jones. Covid brought the end of this enriching community program in 2020. Jane Ellens, a relative newcomer to Almonte, did not want to let this great community tradition go, so she is now heading up a strong committee eager to open doors again to learning in Almonte. With courses to suit diverse interests and foster new community partnerships,we look forward to enlivening experiences for many tastes.
Watch for more information from us as the summer progresses. A course registry will become available in August. To learn more about “Learning Again in Almonte” join our mailing list at learningagainalmonte@gmail.com (NOTE: Email address has been corrected.)
See you in September!
