Alberta Interscience Association

Alberta Interscience Association is Canadian nonprofit organization based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 2009. Alberta Interscience Association runs different programs for adults, youth, and children.

Youth projects

Russian Education Centre. Accredited Russian School in Edmonton

The Russian Educational Centre was founded in July 2010. The Centre is maintained by professional teachers and dedicated community members. One of its goals is to preserve Russian language and culture in the Russian community and to promote it in the multicultural Canadian society. In the Centre students learn not only Russian language but also Russian literature and history.[1] The Russian School of the Centre is officially accredited for teaching Russian language.[2] Some of the students continue their studies after grade 12 in the summer courses in Russian language, culture and technology of the University of Washington,[3] where they study the writings of Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol, Anton Chekhov, Korney Chukovsky, Alexander Vampilov, etc.[4]

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Alberta Interscience Association coordinates a group of young people (14 – 25 years) who are registered participants in Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program. It is based within schools, colleges, universities, youth clubs, churches, Air, Army and Sea cadets, Scouts, Girl Guides and Hockey clubs. Many young members of Alberta Interscience Association were awarded the Bronze, Silver and Gold Levels of the Duke of Edinburgh's awards.[3][5]

Johann Strauss Ball

Since 2007 Alberta Interscience members have participated in the annual Johann Strauss Ball, which is organized in Edmonton by the Johann Strauss Foundation in support of Edmonton musicians and their endeavors to further their musical study in Austria. Each year, Johann Strauss Ball brings an evening of ballroom dancing, delectable food and fine music. The Alberta Interscience Association is delighted to support such a worthwhile foundation to enrich Edmonton's community! [6]

Volunteering

Members of Alberta Interscience regularly volunteer in Accredited Russian School of Edmonton and take part in many activities of Alberta Interscience Association such as Family Camps or special celebrations. Besides that, they are volunteering at University of Alberta, Royal Alberta Museum, TIMMS CENTRE for the ARTS, Citadel Theater, Fringe Festival in Edmonton, etc. The Alberta Interscience Association is looking for outstanding people who want to share their talents and skills to help other people to reach to their full potential in our society.

Ecology

Native plants of Alberta

Together with Lillian Osborne High School (LOHS) Alberta Interscience maintains a garden of native Alberta plants.[7] The LOHS Native Plant Garden was opened on June 9, 2010 to promote knowledge of Alberta's native plants through education, to support the protection of them, to prepare the research and conservation projects.[8] As of 2012, the Osborne Native Plant Garden has about 1000 different species of plants. There are owls, rabbits and other animals attracted to the garden, and those are helpful for the students in many subjects.[7] Alberta Interscience also published on its website basic instructions for those who would like to start native plants garden of their own.[9] In order to provide students with basic knowledge about native plants, and why it is important to keep them alive, the Alberta Interscience Association organized the Interscience Summer Camp at Bed Rock Seed Bank Farm and later participated in a landscaping project which took place in one of the Edmonton communities.[10]

Museum and library

Sport museum

The Sport section of Alberta Interscience museum is dedicated to the legendary 1972 Canada-USSR hockey series and was opened in 2012 to commemorate its 40th anniversary.

Virtual Museum of Nikolay Zelinsky

The virtual museum of the famous Russian chemist, the inventor of the gas mask Nikolay Zelinsky was started in June 2014,[11] on the eve of the centennial of the World War I. The collection includes books, photos and videos, related to N.D. Zelinsky and his family, as well as web links to Zelinsky museums in Moscow and Tiraspol. The virtual museum is created and developed in collaboration with the Zelinsky foundation.

National costumes

Alberta Interscience maintains also a permanent exhibition of Russian[12] and Armenian[13] national costumes.

Library

Alberta Interscience Library contains over 20000 items, most part of them in digital form, in 12 languages - English, French, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, etc. Among those are books in history, culture and religion, teaching tutorials, fiction literature for adults and children.

International projects

"Between Alex and Sasha"

In 2010 Shohei Miyajima from Keio University (Japan) came to Edmonton to make a documentary on the Russian community in Edmonton.[14] He was hosted and helped by members of Alberta Interscience, and among participants in the documentary there were many members of the Association. The film, "Between Alex and Sasha", was successfully presented in both Canada[15] and Japan.[16] According to the filmmaker, his goal was "to change (...) prejudice against immigrants by filming a healthy, culturally rich and highly educated community."[16]

International Mother Language Day

As a member of International and Heritage Languages Association the Russian Educational Centre is among the organizers and participants of the annual celebrations of the International Mother Language Day in Edmonton.[1] In 2015 celebration the International Mother Language Day in Edmonton was officially proclaimed by the city Mayor Don Iveson and city Councillor Amarjeet Sohi.[17]

Universal day of culture

Since 2013 Alberta Interscience Association organizes the celebration of the Universal Day of Culture (April 15 - anniversary of the Roerich Pact) in Edmonton. The celebration in 2014 was organized together with Edmonton Theosophical Society.[18] In 2015 the Association participated in the International Week of the University of Alberta with a documentary about Nicholas Roerich and the Roerich Pact.[19]

Adult education

Another goal of the Alberta Interscience Association is to help newcomers to Canada to adapt faster in their new life. The Alberta Interscience Association offers English and computer classes for adults.[20] These programs are funded by Edmonton Community Adult Learning Association (ECALA)[21] and they are free for landed immigrants and Canadian citizens.[1]

The teachers and members of Alberta Interscience Association believe that the ability to understand different languages contribute to the linguistic diversity of the society, personal enjoyment, better understanding of people belonging to different cultures, and global citizenship.

External links

References

  1. 1 2 3 12th Annual Mother Language Book. Edmonton: IHLA, 2015. P. 219
  2. ↑ Alberta Education Private Schools. EIS1007P. February 15, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Koleso (Alberta bi-weekly Russian newspaper). March 22nd, 2012.
  4. ↑ The InterScience Cup
  5. ↑ Amoryn Engel. Golden moments in Alberta. National Post. Saturday, April 21, 2012.
  6. ↑ Johann Strauss Ball 2011. The Interscience Cup, February 13th, 2011.
  7. 1 2 Lillian Osborne High School School Council Meeting Minutes. December 6th, 2012.
  8. ↑ The perfect day for planting. The Interscience Cup, June 9th, 2010.
  9. ↑ Have fun with growing native plants. The Interscience Cup, June 2nd, 2010
  10. ↑ Interscience Summer Camp. The Interscience Cup, August 2nd, 2008.
  11. ↑ Virtual Museum of Nikolay Zelinsky. The InterScience Cup. June 16, 2014.
  12. ↑ Russian Folk Costume. The Interscience Cup, May 20th, 2012.
  13. ↑ Armenian National Costumes. The Interscience Cup, April 27th, 2012.
  14. ↑ Mosaic. Canadian Russian News. October 2010
  15. ↑ Thanks Shohei for great movie!!! The InterScience Cup, June 2010.
  16. 1 2 "Between Alex and Sasha" - official site of the documentary.
  17. ↑ Claire Theobald. International Mother Language Day declared in Edmonton. Edmonton Sun, February 21, 2015.
  18. ↑ Отбелязване на Световния ден на културата в гр. Едмънтън, Канада (Celebration of the Universal Day of Culture in Edmonton, Canada) Palitra, IV-2012/I-2013 (48-49). ISSN 1314-5002.
  19. ↑ International Week for a Better World. University of Alberta Global Education Program, 2015.
  20. ↑ ESL and Computer Literacy in the West End of Edmonton
  21. ↑ ECALA members
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