YOUR FEDER ATION - ANNUAL MEE TING 2024 YOUR FEDER ATION (CONT’D . )
HEIDI YETMAN, PRESIDENT CANADIAN TEACHERS’ FEDERATION
P
resident Heidi Yetman brought greetings on behalf of the Canadian Teacher Federation. “Across the country,” she said, “educators are
facing governments that do not value education. From Quebec, where workers voted for an unlimited strike, to Saskatchewan where educators refused two govern- ment proposals that they felt did not respect their pro- fession, to Nova Scotia, teachers are saying “no. When we work together, we win together,” said Yetman. Yetman talked about the Pan Canadian strategy to
address the recruitment and retention crisis. “We don’t have a shortage of teachers. We have a shortage of good working conditions. We have a shortage of teachers feeling valued.” “When governments don’t put money into edu-
cation, they’re not putting money into democracy. You are the champions of democracy. Solidarity my friends,” she concluded.
CHRIS KOCH, SOCIAL JUSTICE SPEAKER D
isability Activist Chris Koch reflected on the power of self-acceptance, stressing his mot- to “If I can….” He talked about how he has
overcome adversity in his life and how he was raised to follow his dreams and work toward his goals. He attributes the ease of his growing up to his attitude, including his sense of humour. “If you worry about how you look, you’re cheating yourself of opportuni- ties,” he said. “I want to open people’s eyes to what’s possible and
advocate for other people with disabilities,” he said. Talking about how he moves around on his long board, Koch reflected on how he started doing marathons. His first attempt to participate in a marathon was on Val- entine’s Day in Los Angeles, but the organizers would not accept his skateboard as a mobility device. From there, he had a discussion with a marathon in Calgary, which decided to allow the longboard. Since then, he’s done 17 marathons, and will soon be participating in the New York Marathon. “I hope my doing marathons makes other people
with disabilities realize that doing a marathon is within the realm of possibility,” he said. “Everyone in this room can do some pretty amazing things,” he concluded.
40 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2024
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