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  • Nature Watch: Exploring Our Solar System – Events To Watch In 2015

    Nature Watch: Exploring Our Solar System – Events To Watch In 2015

    Our solar system is our neighbourhood, with many questions remaining about our planets, moons, comets, and asteroids. If you are interested in space and planetary exploration, the search for water on other planets, and uncovering the secrets of our solar system, these are three events to keep an eye on this summer.

    Rosetta Mission – Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

    (European Space Agency)

    The Milestone: Rosetta is performing the first long-term close observation of a comet, and the Philae lander is the first scientific lander on a surface other than a planet or moon.

    The Mission: Launched in March 2004, Rosetta’s main objective was to catch up to and orbit comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and deploy the Philae lander to the surface. Both events succeeded in November 2014. In 2015, Rosetta continues to observe 67P as it nears its closest approach to the Sun, examining gas and dust interactions that create a comet’s characteristic “tail”. Both Rosetta and Philae have sent back stunning photographs of the comet from orbit.

     Events This Summer: 67P’s perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) will occur around August 13, 2015. The data gathered will show what happens to comets as they pass close to the Sun.

    More Information: http://sci.esa.int/rosetta

    http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta

     

     

    Dawn Mission – Protoplanet Vesta and Dwarf Planet Ceres

    (NASA and JPL)

    The Milestone: Using a specially designed ion propulsion system, Dawn achieved a remarkable feat: visiting two separate planetary bodies in the asteroid belt, and performing orbital observations around both. This also marks the first visit to a dwarf planet by any spacecraft.

    The Mission: Launched in September 2006, Dawn travelled through the solar system to encounter and orbit the proto-planet Vesta from July 2011-September 2012. After mapping and science observations, Dawn broke orbit from Vesta and travelled another two years to rendezvous with dwarf planet Ceres in March 2015. By studying these planetary bodies, we hope to learn about the early formation of the solar system.

    Events This Summer: August 2015 and December 2015 will see Dawn perform the two lowest mapping orbits, providing detailed surface photographs and scientific measurements, and hopefully solving the mystery of the “bright spots” on Ceres’ surface.

    More Information: http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov

     

     

    New Horizons Mission – Pluto System Flyby

    (NASA)

    The Milestone: The first ever flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto and its moon system, the most distant and still unexamined member of our solar system.

    The Mission: New Horizons launched in 2006, and will perform a flyby observation of the Pluto system, then continue on an extended mission into the distant Kuiper Belt to visit the small, icy bodies orbiting the outer edges of our solar system. This mission will provide detailed photographs, surface maps, and valuable scientific data about Pluto, and help us learn about the outskirts and formation of our solar system.

    Events This Summer: New Horizons closest approach to Pluto is scheduled for July 14, 2015. Currently in approach phase, new pictures with increasing detail are regularly transmitted back to Earth and made available to the public.

    More Information: http://nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons

     

  • Déposez vos appareils électroniques; Prendre un congé de votre téléphone cellulaire

    J’ai reçu mon premier téléphone cellulaire à l’âge de 10 ans. C’était un bon vieux cellulaire à clapet avec un pavé numérique traditionnel (le type que vous avez à appuyer plusieurs fois sur une même touche afin de changer les lettres pour écrire un message texte). Il devait être utilisé pour contacter mes parents afin de leur faire savoir où j’étais, ou autrement, en cas d’urgences … De toute façon, ce n’était pas comme si j’avais quelqu’un d’autre qui appeler. À l’époque, seulement quelques enfants de mon âge avait—ou avait réellement besoin—leur propre téléphone cellulaire. Fidèlement, je transportais mon téléphone partout avec moi dans mon sac à dos, mais le sortait rarement de sa poche.
    Plusieurs années plus tard, j’ai changé mon vieux téléphone cellulaire pour un modèle plus moderne avec la technologie smartphone. Mon téléphone me permet d’organiser des réunions, de planifier mon horaire, il m’aide à me rappeler des dates d’échéance, et de sauvegarder en plus de synchroniser des données avec mes autres appareils électroniques. Avec mon téléphone, je peux rejoindre qui je veux, à tout moment, que ce soit en téléphonant, en envoyant un message texte, ou en utilisant des réseaux de médias sociaux. J’ai intégré mon téléphone si parfaitement à me routine quotidienne, que lorsque quelque chose tourne mal—piles déchargées, perte de signale, etc. —je suis laissée complètement déboussolée. Il faut dire en toute franchise, qu’il est maintenant très difficile d’imaginer ma vie sans mon téléphone.

     

    Se « débrancher », ou prendre un congé de son téléphone cellulaire, peut paraître plus comme une punition qu’une bénédiction; par contre, éteindre son téléphone offre un bon nombre d’avantages. Passer des heures à jouer des jeux sur votre téléphone (probablement aussi pour éviter de faire d’autres tâches plus importantes) n’est pas un usage très productif de son temps. De plus, envoyer des messages textes ou défiler les pages d’actualités de vos amis peut en fait être une manière extrêmement impersonnelle de communiquer avec une autre personne. Vous pourriez découvrir que vous appréciez beaucoup plus la compagnie d’une autre personne, sans avoir votre téléphone pour vous distraire tout le temps.

     

    Il n’y a rien de mal à utiliser un téléphone cellulaire, mais songez à l’éteindre ou à le laisser chez vous de temps en temps. Voici quelques suggestions pour éviter de devenir trop dépendent sur votre téléphone cellulaire:

     

    Déterminez vos limites. Décidez pendant combien de temps vous voulez vous débrancher. Si passer une journée entière sans regarder votre téléphone vous semble une tâche trop intimidante, commencez par une heure (ce qui ne devrait pas être trop difficile!).
    Employez d’autres méthodes. Votre téléphone est censé vous rendre la vie plus facile, mais il n’y a aucune raison pourquoi vous ne pouvez pas trouver d’autres moyens de faire certaines choses par vous-même. Par exemple, il n’est peut-être pas nécessaire pour vous d’ajouter quelques items à votre liste d’épicerie électronique en les tapant dans votre téléphone —à la place, essayez de vous rappeler de ce que vous avez besoin d’acheter, ou écrivez les sur un papier.

     

    Se débrancher peut être amusant. Avez-vous déjà entendu parler du jeu qui se déroule autour d’une table de restaurant où la première personne à regarder son téléphone doit payer l’addition? Transformez le simple geste d’éteindre votre téléphone en une activité amusante, ou une compétition amicale entre amis. Ceci est aussi une excellente façon d’impliquer vos amis dans votre initiative (et de leur assurer que vous ne faites pas que simplement ignorer leurs messages textes).

  • L’école à la maison

    La plupart d’entre nous sommes familier avec les normes de l’école publique et privée; les salles de classes avec leurs tableaux noirs ennuyeux remplis d’équations mathématiques et de sonnets de Shakespeare. De l’autre côté, l’enseignement à domicile, est bien différent. Au Canada, plus de 20,000 étudiants sont éduqués à domicile. Dans le cas des enfants qui sont éduqués à la maison, ce sont les parents qui prennent la responsabilité directe de l’éducation de leurs enfants. Les parents instruisent leurs enfants selon leurs croyances et leurs manières de faire personnelles. Les enfants suivent un programme d’éducatif et progressent selon un curriculum qui est entièrement décidé par leurs parents.[1]

    Alors, quels sont les avantages de l’école à la maison? Il y en a plusieurs, tant sur le plan sociologique que psychologique. Premièrement les parents peuvent donner une attention individualisée à leur enfant. Ceci permettra au parent de voir les forces et les faiblesses de leur enfant où, au contraire, les faiblesses passent inaperçues dans les plus grandes salles de classes. L’école à domicile permettra aussi à l’enfant de penser de manière indépendante et de formuler ses propres idées, plutôt que de suivre les actions et idées des autres dans les groupes plus grands.[2]

    L’école à la maison permet aux parents d’évaluer les aptitudes de leur enfant et d’adapter les activités liées au curriculum afin de mieux correspondre à leurs besoins; ceci aidera à renforcer la confiance en soi de l’enfant. Avec moins de distractions, les enfants seront plus concentrés, contrairement à une salle de classe ordinaire. Les enfants éduqués à domicile sont plus susceptibles de développer une meilleure relation avec leurs parents.[3]

    La procédure à suivre pour qu’un enfant puisse être éduqué à la maison n’est pas compliquée. Les parents doivent chacun soumettre une lettre à la commission scolaire de leur juridiction avisant leur intention de dispenser un enseignement au foyer. En Ontario, les matériaux d’enseignement ne sont pas financés par le gouvernement; les parents doivent acheter les matériaux eux-mêmes. Toutefois, les règlements varient d’une province à l’autre où certains gouvernements participent au financement des matériaux d’enseignement, et permet aux parents de réclamer des crédits d’impôts relatifs à l’enseignement à domicile.

    Alors, l’école à la maison est certainement une option à considérer pour les parents et les enfants. Les élèves qui apprécient travailler de manière indépendante peuvent trouver l’environnement de l’enseignement à domicile plus bénéfique que celui d’une salle de classe traditionnelle.

    [1] http://ontariohomeschool.org/homeschooling-faq/

    [2] http://www.csse-scee.ca/CJE/Articles/FullText/CJE25-3/CJE25-3-arai.pdf

    [3] http://www.columbiaacademy.com/news/the-importance-of-individual-attention

  • June 2015 Scholarship Listings: Apply Today!

    June 2015 Scholarship Listings: Apply Today!

    Wait! School isn’t over, yet! There are tons of great scholarships to consider for June and the coming months. I know you probably don’t even want to think about it, but you should. All students need a bit of help when it comes to financing their futures, so why not take a little time and effort to apply? Some applications are more grueling than others, but if you work hard and put your best foot forward, you might just beat out the competition. And, if you don’t get one scholarship, there are always more around the corner.

    Here are some recent scholarships to apply for in June:

    • Lifestyle Dentistry Scholarship

    Scholarship Value: $1,000

    Awards Available: 2

    http://www.dentistskelowna.com/cosmeticdentistkelowna.php

    BBG Communications

    Scholarship Value: $1,000

    Awards Available: 1

    Award Deadline: June 30, 2015

    http://www.dentistskelowna.com/cosmeticdentistkelowna.php

     

    • International Merit Scholarship

    Deadline: June 19, 2015

    Website: http://www.glos.ac.uk/international/prospective/scholarships/Pages/scholarships.aspx

    Application Address: http://www.glos.ac.uk/international/prospective/scholarships/Pages/scholarships.aspx

     

    • Life: Pass It On Transplant Society Scholarship

    Deadline: June 3, 2015 to them via email

    Value: $500

    First awarded in 2014, the criteria for the award is to have a personal connection to organ and tissue donation and/or have demonstrated efforts in increasing awareness for organ and tissue donation.

    The applicant’s requirement is to provide:

    • a 300 word essay about organ or tissue donation
    • High school transcript
    • your post-secondary acceptance letter, and
    • details of any other scholarships or busaries they have been awarded.

    Applicants must provide the above via email to scholarship@lifepassiton.ca on or before June 3, 2015.

     

     

    • AIA and the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) Scholarship – Provincial/National

    Deadline:

    June 15, 2015

    Amount:

    $1,000

    Website:

    http://aiacanada.com

     

    • Brian Maxwell Memorial Scholarship – Provincial/National

    Deadline:

       June 15, 2015

    Amount:

    One male and one female are awarded separate scholarships in the amount of $5,000 each

    Website:

    http://www.ofsaa.on.ca/programs/scholarships/brian-maxwell-memorial

     

    • Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario (FWIO) Provincial Scholarship – Provincial/National

    Deadline:

    June 30, 2015

    Amount:

    $1,000

    Website:

    http://fwio.on.ca/fwio-scholarships

     

    • Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP)Bursary – Provincial/National

    Deadline:

       June 15, 2015

    Amount:

    $1,500

    Website:

    https://www.otip.com/About-OTIP/Bursary.aspx

     

    • The Worker’s Health and Safety Centre (WHSC) Scholarship & Bursary – Provincial/National

    Deadline:

    June 13, 2015

    Amount:

    $1200 each (2 given in each media category for a total of 6 per year)

    Website:

    https://www.whsc.on.ca/Resources/For-Young-Workers/Scholarship-Bursaries

     

    • Wado-Kai Student Development Fund – Provincial/National

    Deadline:

    June 30, 2015

    Amount:

    $1000

    Website:

    http://www.shintani.ca

     

     

     

  • The Competitive Nature of Scholarships: Some Tips on How to Deal

    The Competitive Nature of Scholarships: Some Tips on How to Deal

    When you hear the word “scholarships”, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Money? Reward? Work? How about competition? Some scholarships you don’t need to compete against others, but most of the time, you do. That can be an intimidating thought. There are many different types of scholarships out there. Some are related to sports, academia, the arts, and social activism. Applying for a scholarship in any case is a time to show your best self, proving that you are a worthy candidate for the goods in store. This means going above and beyond your usual work ethic.

    If you are applying for sports scholarships, you may already have that natural competitive nature about you-this is a good thing. Scholarship applications can be time consuming and stressful. Scholarship interviews are even more taxing. You can think of it as being interviewed for a job, and there are tons of other people wanting that same job, too.

    The bottom line when it comes to applying for scholarships is that you can only do the best you can, and also hope for the best result. Don’t give yourself more anxiety than you have to- this might hinder your chances.

    Basic tips and things to remember:

    • Make sure you give yourself LOTS of time to fill out the application form. This way, if you think of something more you want/need to add to the application, you will have enough time to do it.
    • Make sure you have a few other people in your circle check out your application form, making sure everything is in the right place. One small mistake could cost you the scholarship.
    • Think out of the box. Some scholarships call for more creativity than others, so don’t be afraid to inquire about the scholarship and see if you can add something a bit extra on your application, or present in your interview.
    • Practice your interview skills. If you will be meeting with the people giving the scholarship, make sure you are chilled-out and ready to blow them away. People can sense anxiety when someone walks in the room, so take deep breaths, do meditation or “leader posing” before you enter the room. This will make you feel strong!
    • If you are applying for a big scholarship that looks over your whole high-school or college history, make sure you examine or write down all your achievements and see what else you can improve on, before you apply. Adding to your curricular repertoire will always help you in the end. So, beef it up!
    • Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer.
    • Don’t tell anyone you are applying to a specific scholarship. This may be a bit secretive or sneaky, but as soon as you tell your friends or other students, they might apply themselves and you will be in direct competition with them. It is really up to you, but this is where that competitive thinking must come into play.

    Don’t let the competitive nature of scholarships scare you; let it fuel you! Bring out your fierce and dedicated nature and you might be surprised by the results. When you hear athletes speak about competing in the Olympics, you may notice that they never doubt themselves before their competition- they MUST win. Apply that attitude and you might just beat the competition and win your just reward.

  • Canadian and American Sports Scholarships: An Overview

    Canadian and American Sports Scholarships: An Overview

    Are you and school right now and love playing sports? Are you a top team player and want to continue playing sports when you go to college or university? You may want to consider looking into college and university sports scholarships. Sports scholarships can be national or international, and can take you across the world. A sports scholarship is described as “An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport.”[1]

    Sports scholarships are very common in America, with their highly fuelled sports culture. Players from all over the world can be offered scholarships to come and play for American teams, most commonly and most popularly, football and basketball. For Canadian students, sports scholarships can be awarded yearly, and can be renewable up to 4 years, which is the length of an undergraduate degree.[2] Canadian students may have many struggles trying to achieve a scholarship from the States. They must apply for visas, promote themselves, and take American college entry exams.[3] That is why a lot of applicants tend to have recruiting companies like athleticscholarships.net do the heavy groundwork for them.

    In an article in Maclean’s Magazine brings up the fact that most Canadian students forego Canadian athletic scholarships because US scholarships provide more money, opportunity and media exposure.[4] Maclean’s states: “Canadian schools are currently forbidden from offering athletic scholarships that exceed tuition and student fees. The vast majority get much less than this. While tuition in most provinces is over $5,000 a year, the average Canadian sports scholarship is $1,060.”[5] Now that is a hard pill to swallow for most universities trying to encourage their home-grown and trained students to stick around. At times it seems like sports scholarships come down to one thing; money. Sports scholarships can launch careers, but education is always the most important thing to consider. If you are a student who is not excelling in academics but is excelling in sports, you may want to balance yourself out evenly before you make any big commitments to go over-seas for a sports scholarship.

     

    CanScout[6], Canada’s leading sports recruitment agency (in Ontario), lists some very important facts about Recruiting:

    • College coaches lack the resources to recruit and find athletes.
    • If you are an excelling athlete in your high school, you should be receiving mailings from college coaches.
    • “As soon as the NCAA rules allow college coaches to contact prospects, they will begin to call you”
    • Ontario highs school athletes are being overlooked for international scholarships for their coaches lack knowledge of the recruitment process.

    Although some things need to change within Canada for Canadian high school students to gain exposure and just reward, don’t overlook what might be in your own Canadian back yard. You might find that you are more comfortable playing sports in Canada than in the U.S., despite the temptation of money. Check out the article “OF KNIGHTS AND EXCALIBUR COLUMN: Canadian athletic scholarships have value too” by Kyle Dupont.[7] He talks about some misconceptions about Canadian sports scholarships that you might want to look at before you jump into our neighbour’s yard and play the field.

    References:

    [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_scholarship

    [2] http://canada.usembassy.gov/educationusacanada/sports-scholarships.html

    [3] http://www.athleticscholarships.net/canada-athletic-scholarships-america.htm

    [4] http://www.macleans.ca/general/an-expensive-fix-to-a-non-existent-problem/

    [5] http://www.macleans.ca/general/an-expensive-fix-to-a-non-existent-problem/

    [6] http://www.canscout.ca/

    [7] http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2013/01/02/of-knights-and-excalibur-column-canadian-athletic-scholarships-have-value-too

  • Exercise Your Compassionate Nature through Volunteering this Summer

    Exercise Your Compassionate Nature through Volunteering this Summer

    No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks- You’re free! Summer is great time to let loose and shake off all the lingering anxiety of those dreaded tests, assignments and projects. However, the summer can’t only be about sunshine and lollipops. It can also be a time where you explore different sides of yourself because you have the time and space to do so. With this thought in mind, it is always good to embrace your giving, empathetic and more compassionate side. In order to get the most out of your summer, you can break your time down in to 3 categories: Work, play and volunteering. Volunteering can make you feel great, but the best part is that you are helping others. What happens when you help others in need? The world changes a little bit more for the better- and that is a beautiful thing!

    If you really want to make a difference in people’s lives this summer, you can. All it takes is a positive attitude and a willingness to give up some of your free time. There are volunteering positions that are full time and require travel and accommodations, but there are always part-time positions available, most likely in your own local area. You need to find and narrow down the right position for you. What subject matter do you feel passionate about? You don’t want to “get stuck” into doing volunteering for a cause you don’t even care about. There are many students/people that do volunteering work only because they think/know they have to, in order to fulfill guidelines for school or otherwise- this is the wrong approach. Exercising your compassionate nature through volunteering can increase your level of happiness, but most importantly, the happiness of the people you are helping.

    There are many different types of volunteering positions. They can range from stuffing envelopes for your local community newspaper, to helping out at a retirement home. In helping at a retirement home, you are really impacting the lives of people directly. When you are stuffing envelopes at your local community newspaper, you are more or less taking on a job that some of the staff members couldn’t fit into their schedule- there is a big difference, here. You can choose to do either one of these types of volunteering positions, but to become informed and make a lasting impact, I would choose the retirement home.

    Where you are 10 or 18 years of age, you should always exercise that more empathetic side of yourself; volunteering is one way to do it. Whatever you do this summer, be productive. Accomplish things. The carousel never stops turning and either should you.

    Listed below are some Volunteer options across Canada and Abroad for summer 2015:

    Therapeutic and social programs for elderly people in Vancouver, BC.

    Volunteering Abroad

    Volunteer with First Nations Communities in Alberta!

    Red Leaf Volunteer Programs in Canada

    Care & Rescue for Bears and other Canadian Wildlife

    Your Connection to Canada’s Volunteering Community

    Red Cross Volunteering

    Ontario Volunteering Options and Programs

    YMCA Volunteering- Toronto

     

  • Exercez votre nature compatissante à travers du bénévolat cet été

    Plus de crayons, plus de livres, plus de regards méchants de la part de professeurs – Vous êtes libre! L’été est une excellente période pour réduire l’anxiété causée par ces examens, travaux et projets tant redoutés. Cependant, l’été ne peut pas être seulement fait de soleil et de bonbons. Il peut également s’agir d’une période qui vous permet d’explorer différentes facettes de vous-même, parce que vous avez le temps et l’espace qui le permet. Avec cette pensée en tête, il est toujours intéressant d’exprimer notre côté plus généreux, empathique et plus compatissant. Afin de profiter le plus possible de votre été, vous pouvez diviser votre temps en 3 catégories : travail, jeu et bénévolat. Le bénévolat peut vous faire sentir très bien, mais ce qui est encore mieux, c’est que vous aidez les autres. Qu’est-ce qui arrive lorsque vous aidez des gens dans le besoin? Le monde s’améliore un petit peu plus – et cela est une très belle chose!

    Si vous voulez vraiment changer les choses dans la vie des autres cet été, vous le pouvez. Tout ce qu’il faut, c’est une attitude positive et la volonté de renoncer à certaines choses pendant vos temps libres. Il y a des postes de bénévolat qui sont à temps plein et qui demandent de voyager et de se loger, mais il y a toujours des postes à temps partiel disponibles, et sans doute près de chez vous. Vous devez limiter les choix pour arriver au poste qui vous convient. Quel sujet vous passionne? Vous ne voulez pas rester pris à faire du bénévolat pour une cause qui ne vous importe pas. Plusieurs étudiants/personnes qui font du bénévolat le font seulement parce qu’ils croient/savent qu’ils sont obligés, afin de remplir des exigences pour l’école ou autre chose – mais c’est la mauvaise approche. Exercer votre nature compatissante à travers le bénévolat peut augmenter votre niveau de bonheur, et, de plus, le bonheur des gens que vous aidez.

    Beaucoup de types de bénévolat différents sont disponibles. Cela peut aller de remplir des enveloppes pour votre journal local à aider des gens dans une maison de retraite. En aidant dans une maison de retraite, vous changez la vie des gens de façon directe. Quand vous remplissez des enveloppes au journal de la communauté locale, vous remplissez plus ou moins les tâches que des membres du personnel ne peuvent faire – il y a donc une grande différence. Vous pouvez choisir de faire l’un ou l’autre de ces types de bénévolat, mais afin d’être bien informé et de créer un impact durable, je choisirais la maison de retraite.

    Quand vous avez de 10 à 18 ans, vous devriez toujours exercer votre côté plus empathique et le bénévolat est une façon de le faire. Quoique vous fassiez cet été, soyez productif. Accomplissez des choses. Le carrousel n’arrête jamais de tourner, et vous ne devriez pas non plus.

    Voici quelques options de bénévolat à travers le Canada et à l’étranger pour l’été 2015 :

    Programmes thérapeutiques et sociaux pour personnes âgées à Vancouver, CB.

    Bénévolat à l’étranger

    Faites du bénévolat avec les communautés de Premières Nations en Alberta!

    Programmes de bénévolat “Red Leaf” au Canada

    Soignez des Ours et occupez-vous d’autres animaux de la faune canadienne

    Votre connexion avec la communauté de bénévolat canadienne

    Bénévolat avec la Croix Rouge

    Options et programmes de bénévolat en Ontario

    Bénévolat YMCA Toronto

     

  • Every Ending has a New Beginning…

    Every Ending has a New Beginning…

    Hello, Gang!

    My name is Erin Lynne Bouman and I am your new JPD Content Editor! I am very excited to start a new chapter with you and share as much great new content as humanly possible. Right now you are all probably wrapping up your school year with exams and final projects- summer is almost here!

    It is a great time to start thinking ahead. What do you want your summer to look like and how do you prepare for it? These are the types of questions you should be asking yourself. This month, we have some great advice on volunteer options and how to chill out and make the best of your summer. We have tons of new Career Profiles to sink your teeth into, including some great career options in the trades’ section. Have you ever kicked yourself in the butt for not finding a summer job quick enough? Stressed to the max and need some advice on how to deal? Interested in learning about Sports scholarships? We have all those articles and more; we got your back.

    Summer isn’t all sunshine and lollipops. It can be a time to reflect on your past year and what goals you want to set up for your next school year. Work hard, play hard, as they always say. You want to be able to walk into a new school year and shout, “I am ready!” So, don’t fall in the hole that is the summer boring blues so you can look back and go, “I wish I could have done that”; no regrets. Use June as your springboard and spring into summer ready and rocking…

  • Career Profile: AV Technician

    Career Profile: AV Technician

    Do you like being on the scene? Enjoy figuring out how things work, and finding new ways to make them work? Maybe a career as an audio visual technician is for you.

    Audio visual technicians are the ones that work behind the scenes at theatres, concerts, fashion shows, and anywhere else you need amplified sound, lighting or video. There are many college courses that you can take to begin your journey in this career. There are also many opportunities to begin work without any experience i.e. learn as you go. There is no set path in this career choice and most work comes in the form of “gigs”. As you develop relationships with production companies they may offer you a full time position, but most work in this trade is on a freelance basis.

    In Canada, the most lucrative sector of the event production industry is in corporate events (conferences, meetings, product releases, etc.). A corporate events AV tech can expect to make $25-45 per hour based on the event and the competence level that particular technician brings to the production team. One can be simply an AV tech for their entire career, working on smaller live productions but most will pick a special discipline; audio, video, or lighting, and work on larger productions with larger teams. Some productions can have hundreds of techs working the many aspects of the show!

    Being an AV tech has its’ challenges. The hours worked can be very long and at odd times of the day. When it is very busy, the hours can be very long; I once worked for 40 hours straight (not recommended!) When it is slow, usually from Christmas until spring, there is no income; when it is busy a good tech keeps this in mind. All people that work as freelancers understand this. Being an AV tech also carries many privileges. If you enjoy concerts, or any type of show, you will see a lot! If you enjoy travel this career can take you around the world.

    An audio visual technician must be able to work well under very high pressure situations with many people watching. They must work long hours at any time of the day. They have a certain pride that is hard to explain after running a show to completion, without any technical errors, that most people will never know. Working in this field is hard work, but it is unlike any other.