Kayla's Story, Back In Bags, How Does Your Garden Grow?, Impact Market at Area 506 No Images? Click here AUGUST 2018Get that extra boost to get things moving in your own life with this month's learner story by Kayla! Read about some of the exciting experiential learning and social enterprise work opportunities that give our learners that extra boost in the classroom! Learner Story: Kayla Doucet I came to the Learning Exchange in June of 2017 because I wanted to better myself for my daughter and to be a better role model. I got my GED through CALP with Dale. Dale was an amazing teacher and helped me so much for the 2 years I was there. After getting my GED I did the WES Program, where I gained on-the-job experience in Stone Soup. After WES, I worked with the team at WorkLinks and they helped me get my current job with Stone Soup! Since getting my GED I've achieved many goals I set for myself. Getting my GED gave me the extra confidence boost I needed to get things moving in my life! I really like my job at Stone Soup. In the fall of 2019, I hope to attend Oulton College in Moncton to take corrections. Back In Bags ~ Popular Upcycled Newspaper Bags Are Back at the Impact Market Thanks to the hard work of our WES & GOALS classes, our popular newspaper bags are back in stock at the Impact Market. While the concept behind the bags is simple, they are intricate and time-consuming to make. This activity involves lots of attention to detail, focus and care. It's not easy, but it's usually fun and a great learning experience! It's especially exciting when a learner, like Ashley (pictured below), discovers they have a passion and skill for making the bags. Each group also brings their own style and innovation to the process. Special thanks to Juanita, another learner and bag maker, who introduced us to a new method of gluing that has saved time and enhanced the quality of the bags! You can purchase these fun and funky upcycled bags at the Impact Market! How Does Your Garden Grow? ~ Youth in the GOALS Class Tend a Garden and Reap the Rewards! Students in our GOALS Program learned the joys and challenges of gardening this summer by tending a plot at the Stephen Park Community Garden. Students were involved at every stage of the process, from preparing the soil, planting seeds, tending the plants and eating the fresh, tasty veggies straight from the garden! Experiential learning opportunities like this complement and enhance classroom instruction and bring theories to life! The garden provided students with a hands-on opportunity to explore growing and eating local organic food. This links directly to the Environmental Science curriculum outcomes. The students learned about soil ecology and chemical cycling as they cared for their crops. Area 506 Fun & New Goodies in Store! The Impact Market was thrilled to participate in the Container Village at this year's Area 506 Festival on August 4th & 5th. Thanks to everyone who visited our container and took part in the festival. The Impact Market staff had so much fun meeting everyone and showing off all of our new merchandise! If you missed out on visiting us at the festival, come on by the Hub at 139 Prince Edward St. to explore some of the most uniquely beautiful and socially responsible products!
We're also carrying an array of Jewelry & Home Decor items. We've partnered with the Black Market Boutique in Halifax to bring some more cultural items into our shop! They do all of their buying in person and their mission is to connect and work with people around the world while purchasing unique and beautiful items at fair prices. We are so pleased to be stocking these beautiful items! One such product is the Vegetable Tanned Leather Wristbands from The Loyal Workshop. The Loyal Workshop is an organization based in India that helps women leave the red light district by providing them with alternative skills and a means to provide for themselves. We are thrilled to be the first stockist in Canada! If you are looking for support achieving your academic or employment goals, The Learning Exchange has a program for you. Our staff and facilitators are ready to learn about your unique goals and help you create an individualized plan for success!
The Learning Exchange is a leader of social innovation in our community. We have created a number of services for the socially minded consumer. We pride ourselves in looking outside the box to provide our customers and program participants with the highest quality service. Our bottom line at The Learning Exchange has always been the success of every individual that walks through our doors. When people reach their full potential, our whole community benefits. We seek to share these stories in hopes of inspiring new stories of success and community engagement. |