February 17, 2022
Province Launches Community Engagement and Consultations for Poverty and Education Task Force
– – –Task Force Work will Identify Recommendations to Support Student Success, Well-Being: Ewasko
The Provincial Task Force on Poverty and Education is launching community consultations and engagement to better understand how poverty affects youth and their education, Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko announced today.
“The role of the task force is to ensure engagement across sectors and communities through a child-centred approach to identify recommendations to support student success and well-being,” said Ewasko. “Listening to and consulting with those who have lived experience with poverty is integral to this conversation, and will shape the recommendations for the government’s strategy on poverty as it relates to equity in education.”
The creation of the Provincial Task Force on Poverty and Education was one of the recommendations of the Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education. The task force was launched in the fall of 2021 to examine the correlation between poverty and education and work in connection with the province’s Poverty Reduction Strategy.
The minister was able to discuss priorities and goals with the task force chairs when he met with them earlier this week. Key responsibilities of the task force include addressing joint poverty and education issues, and bringing forward advice on areas of action to the Poverty Reduction Committee of Cabinet.
The public consultations will include reaching out to high school students from across Manitoba. In the coming weeks, students will be asked to share their perspectives through a variety of creative or traditional approaches including songs, poems, videos, comics, art, dance, essays, letters, short stories or social media.
“We are pleased students will be heavily involved in the task force’s engagement work in ways that are unique to their backgrounds, skills and abilities,” said Ewasko. “The task force will move forward in a way that acknowledges and prioritizes the unique needs and cultural diversity of children and communities in Manitoba.”
The task force will also hold extensive, targeted engagement sessions across Manitoba this spring, as public health orders permit. They will seek input from a number of expert engagement panels and invite submissions from stakeholders and the public, noted Ewasko.
The minister added the issue of poverty extends beyond the education system and requires a whole-of-system approach to identify barriers and solutions. The work of the task force will lead to holistic support for the needs of children and youth, and respond to the impacts of poverty on learning.
Additional work underway by the task force includes:
- collaborating with the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy to understand the depth of poverty across communities in Manitoba; and
- establishing a subcommittee focused on nutrition and food security.
For more information on the task force, visit: https://edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/response/taskforceonpovertyandeducation.html.
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