What is Alternate Education?

Alternate (or Alternative) Education programs exist in many varieties throughout the province. At its simplest, Alternate Education attempts to help at-risk youth, who, because of a variety of factors, are unsuccessful in the main stream. Problems experienced by these students may include a wide range of social and emotional difficulties, drug issues, trouble with the law, teenage parenthood, and a whole host of others. What these students share in common is an inability to progress satisfactorily in the regular system. In response, districts have developed a variety of models to help these students succeed. Most programs have strong links with community services, and various government ministries. Often, in addition to the teaching staff, a program will have one or more Youth Care Workers, and other liaisons with the services its students need. Programs may be small or large, attached to the main school, housed separately, or in some instances, even form their own entire high school. The thing they all have in common is a strong desire to help kids in need, and the flexibility to tailor the programs they offer their students to best help them succeed.

What is the BCAEA?

We are a PSA of the BCTF

The British Columbia Alternate Education Association is a Provincial Specialist Association (PSA) of the BC Teacher's Federation. Joining the PSA is one way BCTF members can interact with others who teach in the same specialty area.

Our Purpose

The constitution of the BCAEA outlines three purposes:

To promote and advance alternate education throughout the province.
To act as a clearing house for ideas and a source of trends and new developments.
To recommend and advise the BC Teachers' Federation on matters affecting alternate education and alternate education teachers in accordance with Policy 33.06 (representative policy for PSAs) of The Members Guide to the BCTF.

Association Activities

Newsletter: The association publishes a newsletter, and members of the PSA receive the newsletter in their choice of format: electronically, or as a paper copy. Interested parties who are not elegible for PSA membership because they aren't BCTF members, may still subscribe to the newsletter.
ListServe: For discussion of topics of interest, the association provides a list serve to its members, as well as other stake-holders involved with at-risk youth, such as administrators, youth care workers, parents, and others.
Annual Conference: Each year in February, the association holds its annual conference. This two-day event attracts more than 500 attendees, and is chock-full of interesting and informative sessions. Attendance is open to all.
Lobbying: As the need arises, the association formulates and presents its position on matters affecting it's members and at-risk youth.