Have you Heard? The Ever Active Schools Podclass as a Resource to Support Inclusion and Diversity in School Communities
Written by: Katie Mahon, Ever Active Schools
Have you heard? Ever Active Schools launched a podcast in late 2020 called The Podclass. Intended as an educational resource, our hosts chat with professionals in health, education, inclusion and diversity, and well-being to explore connections between the three.
The first series, Conversations on School Health, is a collaboration with the Werklund School of Education that aims to maximize students’ and teachers’ health and well-being. Since the launch of that series, EAS has published 54 episodes with topics ranging from the role of play and the outdoors in education, to encouraging positive mental health, to the role of trustees in school well-being.
Using Podcasts to Support Inclusion and Diversity
Podcast learning is flexible, allowing the listener to tend to their well-being while engaging with the content, whether cozied up in a comfortable corner with a hot drink, outside for a walk with the family dog or on the train for their weekly commute. It is a learning modality we feel really inspired by.
This month on the Podclass, EAS is sharing a great episode produced by our friends at Physical Education and Health Canada (PHE). PHE launched their podcast in January 2024. The PHE Canada Podcast spotlights guests and topics relevant to physical ed and health spaces. We are featuring their most recent episode: All Gender Physical Education and Health with Equity and Inclusion Consultant, Andrea Barrow from Limestone District School Board in Ontario.
Politics and leadership shape and reshape our conversations, policies and practices in education, in turn impacting our school spaces and the students and staff within them. Across borders and beyond political priorities, we encourage educators to continue to do the important work of relationship-building, creating safe spaces for all students, and amplifying voices around the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in schools. We’re glad to highlight PHE’s new podcast, and this specific episode on the important work happening in Ontario.
We know that diversity improves cognitive skills and critical thinking, promotes creativity and helps students to enter adulthood. There are a multitude of wonderful resources to support inclusion and diversity in the classroom, some of which are linked in the show notes of the PHE Podclass episode. Further, we thought we’d do a roundup of Podclass episodes to further support school communities in advancing the work of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. Check out the list below and tune in as you nurture your well-being in a way that feels good and supportive to you.
The Podclass Episodes
And check out The Podclass: Electives, a deep dive into topics related to comprehensive school health. A sister channel to The Podclass, this show takes a closer look at issues related to healthy school communities. Listen to stories and experiences from school system leaders, students, and more as they delve into how to build healthy school communities and the lasting impacts those communities have.
The Podclass Elective Episodes
Additional Learning
You can catch the Podclass on all podcast platforms. We invite you to explore the Ever Active Schools store for resources to support equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. Sort the shop by Equity and Inclusion to review free and for-purchase offerings. Lastly, if you’re keen to engage Ever Active Schools in professional development opportunities for your staff and school community around equity, diversity and inclusion, check out our workshop, Mobilizing Action Plans for School Community Approaches to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
We are ever-inspired by the good efforts of school communities who work to ensure that school is a safe and caring space for all students. Keep up the great work, it matters so much.
