Optimist Youth In Education Program Mid Western Ontario District Zones 5 & 9 Optimist Youth In Education Fund Scholarship

Speaker Series

Distinguished Guests

Application

Scholarship Fund

Winners

OUR ROOTS

Our Optimist Youth In Education Program (YIEP) is a joint venture project of the Optimist Clubs in London, the Museum of Ontario Archaeology (affiliate of the University of Western Ontario), the Thames Valley District School Board, The London & District Catholic School Board & the French first language school boards: Conseil Scolaire de District des Ecoles Catholiques du Sud-Ouest and Conseil Scolaire de District du Centre Sud-Ouest

Optimist YIEP History:

The Youth In Education Program started in January 1994 as a cooperative venture with The London Museum of Archaeology, now the Museum of Ontario Archaeology.  The museum was hosting a fundraiser evening garden party featuring guest speaker Dr. Joe MacInnis, Executive Director of the IMAX film TITANICA.  Dr. MacInnis was asked if he would be willing to make a presentation to a group of students.  He happily agreed and was astounded that he would be presenting to such a large audience.
The Optimist Clubs were contacted.  Several Optimist clubs in London came forward to assist with funding and volunteering their services as organizers, chaperones and ushers.  The former three Boards of Education: The Board of Education for the City of London, The London & Middlesex County Roman Catholic School Board and The Middlesex School Board unanimously agreed to support the program. The school boards’ role was to select the students and arrange busing to Alumni Hall at The University of Western Ontario.

 
Optimist YIEP Speakers:

On Wednesday June 15, 1994 Dr. Joe MacInnis presented his topic - "The TITANIC - In a New Light" to over 2,300 teachers and students.
Through the generous assistance and support of many Optimist and Museum volunteers the "Youth In Education Program" was born!

On June 15, 1995 Dr. Robert Bondar enthralled an extremely attentive audience with her presentation "From Space - Below earth". The spontaneous standing ovation at the end of Dr. Roberta Bondar's presentation was testimonial to the positive impact our program has on the youth of our communities.

Our 1996 YIEP speaker was Dr. John Coles, noted Archaeologist from London England.  Dr. Coles was born in Woodstock Ontario and thus became our third internationally acclaimed Canadian speaker.  His topic on wetlands archaeology featured the "BOG BODIES" of Northern Europe.  Bog bodies are remnants of corpses from individuals that were murdered and tossed into peat bogs. Their fate was sealed for over 2,000 years until recently being uncovered by archaeologists including our featured lecturer Dr. John Coles.

In June 1997, Dr. Jim Tuck addressed our YIEP Program with his talk on “Early Canadian Settlers”. His presentation was focused on the first settlements in Newfoundland and the hardships the new population faced in their harsh new home.

In November, December 1997 and January 1998 the Royal Ontario Museum lent their TITANIC exhibit to the London Museum of Archaeology. Students were provided with a detailed account of the Titanic’s history and fate. They also participated in an interactive shipwreck activity and viewed a program on the marine heritage of the St. Lawrence River. In the afternoon the students traveled to the IMAX Theatre to view the hit film "TITANICA". This program was open to the intermediate and senior primary grades. Our Optimist Youth in Education Program financially supported this special student education event.

In 1998 the Museum of Ontario Archaeology, then named the London Museum of Archaeology, decided not to continue with their Garden Party fundraiser that our Optimist YIEP collaborated with for a speaker. However the Museum Board of Directors and Fund Raiser Committee remain committed to work with our Optimist Club’s to continue the extremely successful Youth In Education Program.

Up until 1998, the theme of each year's program was centred on the science of Archaeology.  Archaeology is the study of history from the remains of early human cultures as discovered chiefly by systematic excavations. In 1998 we widened the scope of YIEP to include other educational subjects

In October 1998, Dr. Jane Goodall addressed 1600 grade 6 & 7 London and Middlesex students at Centennial Hall. She is world renowned for her years of research on chimpanzees that started in the Gombe reserve in Tanzania, Africa. Dr. Goodall was sent to Africa in 1961 by famed paleontologist, Dr. Louis Leakey. Classes that attended Dr. Goodall’s presentation were also recipients of an educational book and a complimentary offer to join Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots program.

The 2000-2001 YIEP was scheduled for November 2, 2000.  Olympic Gold and World Cup downhill skier, Nancy Greene Raine, was featured. Her presentation was “How to Make a Winner”. Along with the YIEP Speaker event in the morning, Nancy helped us with an evening fundraiser to support our YIEP Programs and Scholarship Fund.  An added bonus was a mini Nancy Greene ski clinic that she presented to 40 of the London Ski Team and their parents. Having an internationally renown Olympic athlete was timely as the 2001 Canada Games was held in London the following year.

In April 2009, our YIEP Speaker Emory Kristof, National Geographic Society presented live and web cast seminars to over 6,000 students, teachers and parents. Mr. Kristof has been a photographer with National Geographic since his internship in 1963. He is one of the longest career staff and has an accumulated knowledge of people, places and events around the world. He is noted for such projects as the TITANIC Expedition, finding the WWII warship Bismarck and the recovering of the ship’s bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald on the bottom of Lake Superior, Ontario,Canada. Emory’s most recent project “Into the Abyss” was 1st aired on National Geographic television on March 14, 2009. Our Optimist YIEP audiences were wowed with Kristof’s awesome deepsea film segments from his most recent release.

For each of the speaker programs the participating schools have been given an EDUKIT that contains learning materials for the students.
Optimist International has an Annual Optimist Community Program Award (CPA). Our entries, submitted as group London Optimist Club projects, won the 1st place at the District level in 1994, 1995 1998 & 2009.

We won 3rd place at the International level in 1994 and won 1st overall in the 1995 & 1998 International competition.  The 2009, featuring National Geographic Photographer Emory Kristof, our submission won 1st place in the CPA Mid Western Ontario District contest.

Special Events & Programs

The 2001-2002 YIEP sponsored a trek by a group of London students to Science North, Sudbury in May 2002. We attended the 3 rd Annual Roots and Shoots Conference at the Laurentian University. Dr. Jane Goodall, the founder of the Roots and Shoots Program and Ryan Hreljac, who founded “Ryan's Well” when he was 8 years old, were presenters

The Optimist YIEP collaborated with a “Tri-Alliance” environmental program in December 2006 with a partnership between the London Public Library, Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots and the Optimist YIEP. Presentations on the 80 different fish species in our local watershed by Cathy Reeves of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and the lemurs of Mozambique by Professor Ian Colquhoun of the University of Western Ontario delighted the enthusiastic crowd.

Looking ahead . . . . .

In April 2010 our Optimist YIEP keynote speaker is David C Woodman, mariner, author and explorer. Mr. Woodman will talk on Canada’s Arctic and the Inuit centring his theme around Sir John Franklin’s lost 1845 expedition to find a North West passage through Canada’s Arctic. This event will be web cast to our largest audience to date!

The Optimist Youth In Education Program Fund Scholarship:

The Optimist Clubs are extremely thankful to have received a generous donation from an anonymous donor to be used for educational events and awards for students.  Our 16 Zone 5 & 9 Optimist Clubs have been asked to help build this fund so that one graduating high school student in each London school can be recognized by this Optimist program for their involvement and contribution to our community.
An  "OPTIMIST YOUTH IN EDUCATION PROGRAM FUND SCHOLARSHIP" Committee was established to administer these funds. To date the Optimist YIEP Fund has awarded 23 $500 Educational Scholarships to graduating High School students in London.
In our current 2009-2010 Optimist & School year we will be selecting our 24nd & 25rd Annual Optimist Youth In Education Program Fund Scholarship winners.

Community Support:

Our Optimist YIEP program has received tremendous positive feedback from the school boards. Our Directors of Education have sent us glowing testimonials of support for our Optimist organization. In addition London’s Mayor and our London Museum of Archaeology Board President have sent the Optimists letters of commendation

Additional information on our Youth In Education Program can be obtained by contacting your Optimist Club representative or:

Don McLeod
Chair - Optimist Youth In Education Program
C/O Museum of Ontario Archaeology – Affiliate of the University of Western Ontario
1600 Attawandaron Road
London, Ontario N6G 3M6
email: donm357@yahoo.ca
Web Site: http:www.optimistmwo.on.ca    (Please see YIEP under Programs)