Education

Enhanced Personal Education (EPE) Program

After a career in Engineering design , supervisionned technology,   Founder Sid Mirhashemy attended UBC to study in Teacher Education Program to improve his pedagogical skills in order to teach in K-12 students .On the mission statement in his application he wrote “when he finishes the program he will come up with an idea to be called “Enhanced Personal Education(EPE)Program” to assist student specially The under served students community During COVID-19.

In response to the consequences of COVID-19, the Immortal Canadians Disaster Outreach Foundation, ICANDO, was established in early 2020 to prepare and assist Canadians in emergency situations. Initiated in North Vancouver, British Columbia, the non-profit was formed by the responsible North Shore residents who believe disaster planning and preparation is key to reducing collateral damage and human loss and casualties at the time of natural and man-made disasters.

In the same direction, and along with our preparing plans to handle different aspects of unexpected disasters, we also deem it is necessary to implement action plans to deal with part of the outcome of COVID-19 in the community. With our dedicated volunteer educators and volunteer drivers, we were busy in distributing food and prescriptions to seniors and also supported the Lions Gate Hospital staff, and under served families and children of working people.

Founding members of the organization always have thoughts and researched the possibility of igniting the educational program for the under served and overlooked student community who needed much attention.

The Three Amigos (ICANDO) founding member and his team in BCTF Seminar & Training at UBC Campus .November 2016

During the pandemic, while being engaged helping the seniors and supporting Lions Gate hospital staff and helping the minor students of work we realized now is the time that EEE is most needed and has wider applicability dictated by the pandemic. 

The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), reinstates that the onset of the pandemic, 1 out of 6 high school students dropped out of school. There is a strong chance this percentage will increase as more students are taken out of school due to COVID-19. 

 We believe we should not let students be temporarily or permanently disconnected from their education. Our main goal is to help all but especially youth in low-income communities eg. Indigenous and First Nations in order to stay connected with their education.

As educators, being in touch with our students is of paramount importance as we strongly believe the barriers to education have never been higher.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt our world, youth from financially challenged families are being disproportionately impacted. They’re facing amplified barriers that could permanently disconnect them from their education—a disadvantage that could last a lifetime for Canadians.

ICANDO is planning to assist both students and their parents during this difficult time through our “ Enhanced Personal Education (EPE)” Program. Support from the community is much needed. Given the restrictions on school settings due to the pandemic and the adverse impact on student progress, it is necessary to develop extended education online. All the member of the organization including the directors and educators who are volunteers use their limited personal equipment for teaching, they also cover the overhead costs.

To sustain the successful impact of the project requires, hiring and training volunteers, system development, maintenance and expansion; as well as opening a teacher operating center (considering social distancing for attendants). We need to hire a full-time executive director and a few section managers. We need equipment and tools for a fully operating EPE program. Our enhanced classes start late September in Physics, Math, Science, English, French, arts and Physical Education (soccer).registration will open 3rd week of September 2020 We appreciate people   from the community to sit in our advisory Consulting committee. 

We do not want to charge the people and the recipients of our education services. Given that the education services cover Canada and abroad, support  from business communities  and different levels of government is the key to our success..

The graph on the left exhibits the six-year Dogwood Diploma completion rates for public school students between 2003-04 and 2017-18. The one on the right shows the Dogwood Diploma completion rate of aborignal students within the same time span.

The six-year Dogwood completion rate of Aboriginal students increased from 46.8% to 69.6% in the last fifteen years. The difference in completion rates of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students has also decreased from 35.1% in 2003–04 to 16.9% in 2017–18.

The six-year Dogwood completion rate of students in ELL programs has increased by 5.3% in the last fifteen years.

For more information on these statistics and graduation rates for aboriginal students in British Columbia please visit: https://www.bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/Publications/FactSheets/GraduationRates.pdf.

Online Summer Courses:
Our online summer school courses were designed to help students fill any knowledge gaps and give them a firm foundation for starting their next academic year. They will cover the key topics that students need to know going forward and address any areas that cause students difficulty.

ICANDO will make sure all students specially under served students stay connected with their school,  teachers and pears.

There are many barriers for education especially amongst underprivileged students that have been increased dramatically due to Covid 19 & Covid 19 carry on to disrupt Canada the globe.

Students from under served communities are being disproportionately affected. These disadvantages of staying away from education could last a long time.

Empty classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic

Major effects of Covid 19 on students and their parents life style .

Pandemic Have increase financial pressure due to tsunami of job losses , Digital technological divide by  losing the use of library, computer, workshop, internet connection,  E learning ,coaching

Increased financial pressures.

The sudden wave of job losses has put a huge burden on families from low-income communities, and many students must now prioritize part-time work ahead of their education, to support their families.

On top of that, the jobs that youth from low-income communities work are often in the service sector, putting both themselves and their families at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19.

Youth and their families are now facing an impossible decision: protect their health, or pay for basic necessities like food and rent. This gap will affect more of the under served communities .

Lack of technology

Many students, who used to rely on the library, school, or other  program location to use a computer and access the internet, can no longer do so with social distancing measures in place.

Now that schools have transitioned to e-learning, families have to choose between putting food on the table and an internet connection so their children can continue learning.

This exacerbated digital divide is widening the already pervasive socioeconomic gap for young people living in low-income communities is threatening to impact their success for years to come.

Many youth from low-income communities have lost access to quiet, distraction-free places to study. Parents working on the front line can’t coach their children, there is no one to keep them engaged and motivated.

 It is hard to make the home environment into a classroom.

In these challenging learning environments, some students struggle to focus on their schooling or feel like the only option is to opt-out altogether.

Communication with students

Since social distancing measures came into place, we will be adapting our program to meet the evolving needs of students. 

We will be working with local partners to ensure students have devices to engage in online learning.

We have deployed a low-bandwidth video platform to help students with limited or unreliable access to the internet to maintain a connection to ICANDO staff and tutors.

Staff are regularly connecting with students—providing encouragement, checking in on their mental health, and ensuring they have access to the resources they need.

Core to our program’s success are the supportive relationships staff form with students and our ability to tailor programming to each young person’s individual needs. With the impact of the pandemic differing from student to student and stressors at an all time high, this approach is more important than ever.

But we need to do more.

As the consequences and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt by young people across the country, we know there are more students that need the connection, affirmation, and skills development that ICANDO provides. Your support will help students stay connected to their education.


Your support will help students stay connected to their education.

Methods that ICANDO will implement to get students connected:

a)A simply prerecorded video to provide all the instruction.

b)Staff by  checking students’ mental health, and ensuring they have access to the resources they need. Core to our program’s success are the supportive relationships staff form with students and our ability to tailor programming to each young person’s individual needs. With the impact of the pandemic differing from student to student and stressors at an all time high, this approach is more important than ever.
  
c)Your support will help students stay engaged and  connected to their education.