The Circle Education

Purses with Purpose Online Auction Returns April 16–19

Fundraising & Crowdsourcing
March 17, 2026

Purses with Purpose Auction Returns April 16–19 The Circle Education’s Purses with Purpose fundraiser is back! Bid on ~100 excellent condition/new designer bags, satchels, backpacks, […]

$200

NEW DATE: Methods and Tools with Youth Training

Education, Workshops & Training
March 10, 2026

The Circle Education is hosting another Methods and Tools with Youth Training in April. Experience the circle practices that are transforming how youth connect, learn, […]

Meet Local Filmmaker Piet Suess, Editor of Between the Mountain and the Sky

The Circle Education and the Salt Spring Film Festival celebrate International Women’s Day 2026 with the showing of Between the Mountain and the Sky at Art Spring. Local filmmaker Piet Suess, who volunteered for The Circle Education in the past, worked as one of the film editors on this documentary. He will be in attendance on Friday, March 6th, to answer questions about his involvement with this heart-touching film about Maggie Doyne, who started an orphanage in Nepal at age nineteen and became a guardian to over 50 Nepalese children. Get your tickets here Piet Suess has been a filmmaker since he was young. At age fourteen, he started experimenting with filmmaking. “I was introduced to a lot of cinema as a kid, and at my dad’s co-op, there was a media/editing room in the basement with two VCR’s and some simple analog editing tools. I was tirelessly compiling short films and school projects with my friends - from Kung-Fu movies to sci-fi epics and documentaries about m…

Female Polytechnique Alumni Looks Back on Pioneering Years and Montreal Tragedy

36 years ago, on December 6th, 1989, fourteen young women were murdered at the École Polytechnique de Montréal because a man believed they didn’t belong there. Salt Spring Island resident Lucie Wheeler, the first female refinery engineer for Shell Canada, graduated from the prestigious engineering school in Montreal eighteen years earlier. Leading up to the December 6 Memorial (this Saturday at 4.30 pm in Centennial Park), she looks back on her pioneering years in a male-dominant environment and the violent, misogynistic act that shook our country. “Are you sure you’re in the right faculty?” It was one of the first things Lucie Wheeler, now 76, heard when she started at École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1966. It wasn’t the first time she had been questioned for her desire to be an engineer. Her parents expected her to study medicine or law, and when she told them she wanted to do engineering, they said, ‘Well, that is not something a woman does, is it?’ ‘So what?’, Lucie r…

December 6 Memorial in Centennial Park

December 6 Memorial in Centennial Park IWAV and The Circle Education will once again co-host a community candle-lighting ceremony at the Gazebo in Centennial Park (4.30 pm) on December 6th, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Together, we will honour the women and girls killed by femicide in 2025 and renew our commitment to creating safety, justice, and dignity for all. Communities across Canada gather every December 6th to honour the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. On this day, we remember the 14 women murdered at Montréal’s École Polytechnique in 1989, and all the other women, girls and gender-diverse people whose lives have been taken by gender-based violence. Gender-Based Violence Remains a National Emergency Every 48 hours in Canada, a woman or girl is killed in an act of gender-based violence*. In 2024, 240 women and girls were murdered, a 54% increase over pre-COVID levels. 93% of these hom…

35 years after Montreal Massacre, Stella Grand Fights for Safer Environment for Students

During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, leading up to the December 6th Memorial, we speak with Stella Grand, a recent GISS graduate and passionate youth activist. 35 years after the massacre at École Polytechnique in Montreal, Stella’s work on updating sexual violence policies in secondary schools is a powerful continuation of the fight against gender-based violence. Stella Grand took her passion for creating safer student environments into her own hands by founding the Wellness Initiative for Student Empowerment (WISE). Despite the challenges, Stella is committed to this cause, working multiple jobs to fund her initiative. You might spot her selling chocolates and ice cream at Harlan's or as a barista at the Tree House, all to support the work she deeply believes in. "I have ADHD and realized early on that university might not suit my learning style," she explains. "So, I chose to dedicate my time to this project and see if I can make a change now."…

December 6 Memorial: “A small thing we can do as a community to show we care”

December 6 Memorial: “A small thing we can do as a community to show we care” December 6, 1989, marks the day an armed man walked into an engineering class at I'École Polytechnique de Montréal and killed 14 women and injured 10 more. This Friday, on the Day of The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, IWAV and The Circle Education are hosting the annual December 6 Memorial in Centennial Park. Not only to remember the victims in Montreal but all the other women who have been victims of gender-based violence since then. It has been 35 years since the Montreal Massacre, but gender-based violence - harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender - is not diminishing. It’s happening in all corners of the world, and Canada and Salt Spring Island are no exception. This year so far, 165* (trans)women and girls have been killed in our country because of their gender. www.femicideincanada.ca At the December 6 memorial, we reaffirm our …

Local Parents Brutally Honest in Podcast about Parenting

Kate Nash, lead facilitator and program coordinator at The Circle Education, hosted a podcast series about parenting. For the Parent Project Podcast, Kate sat in circle with new and seasoned parents, as well as grandparents to talk about one of the most important but also hardest jobs in the world: parenting. Because let’s be honest: every parent makes mistakes and struggles. Kate, mom of three teenagers, is the first to admit that parenting is not easy. Facilitating the Circle Education’s podcast series for parents, helped her to reflect on her own parenting and to make positive changes in her practices. “The other participants offered me compassion and a deeper insight into my actions in relationship to my children. Talking about my struggles left me feeling relieved. It was a stepping stone to change in my family.” While she thought her role in the circle was to facilitate, little did Kate realize how it would impact her own experience. “Being in this circle with ot…

Salt Spring Island celebrates International Women's Day

Salt Spring Island celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD). This year’s IWD theme is Inspire Inclusion. Leading up to IWD on Friday, March 8th, here are some opportunities to learn about how we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all inspire inclusion. Like every year, women are well represented at The Salt Spring Film Festival (March 1-3 at the Gulf Islands Secondary School). There’s no shortage of films about women, plus more than 50 percent of the films are directed or co-directed by women and twelve of the twenty film guests are female. Opening night stars Aitamaako'Tamisskapi Natosi Before The Sun. An intimate and thrilling profile of Logan Red Crow, a young Siksika woman in the golden plains of Blackfoot Territory, as she prepares for one of the most dangerous horse races in the world: the Indian Relay. On March 7th, The Salt Spring Island Public Library hosts, in collaboration with the Canadian Federation of University Women, the screening of “The Ma…

Never too young to remember December 6th

On December 6th, 1989, the day that fourteen young women at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal were killed by a gunman as a deliberate act of violence against women, Quinn Mulherin (21, she/they*) wasn’t born yet. She learned about the tragedy years later when she attended the memorial as part of The Circle Education’s Pass it On Program. Unbeknownst to her, it gave direction to her future life path; choosing Gender Studies as a way to shape her professional career and as an advocate for equal rights and opportunities for women. The December 6th Memorial was Quinn’s introduction to what happened in Montreal, and gender-based violence in general. “All the Pass it on Girls attended the memorial that year, it was super cold, and I remember there was a large turnout from the community. I did a bit of my own research and it definitely triggered my interest in gender equality and advocacy”, says Mulherin who is in her fourth year of the Women and Gender Studies program at UVIC. …

Gulf Islands Secondary School starts the year with Consent Awareness Week

Gulf Islands Secondary School has partnered with The Circle Education, IWAV and Salt Spring Community Services for its first-ever Consent Awareness Week. Consent is vital to many aspects of life, and is essential for young people to form healthy, respectful relationships. Responding to calls from students, GISS dedicated its first Health and Wellness Day of the new school year to consent. “We are supporting the ‘High School Too’ Movement, which advocates for policy, protocol, and education change so that all high school students understand that consent comes first,” explains GISS vice-principal Stacy Mitchell. Research shows that 15% of girls and 9% of boys between the ages of 14 to 21 have had a sexual act forced upon them by a peer (Taylor et al., 2019). Moreover, in a school climate survey, many 2SLGBTQIA+ students (58%) identified being sexually harassed in the past year and 13% reported that this harassment occurred often or frequently (Kosciw et al., 2020). Lang…

The Circle Education launches ‘Party Awareness Week’

The Circle Education is launching its ‘party awareness week’. By sharing stories about the ‘party culture’ on Salt Spring Island, we want to give some attention to the harmful risks youth could face while growing up in a small, rural community. For years, we have listened to young people in our community about how they crave and seek out entertainment and risks. “The reality is that there is not much to do for youth on the island and, barring other healthy options and opportunities, some will turn to drugs and alcohol. And we all know that teenage brains are not great at avoiding harm, even without those substances,” says facilitator Kate Nash who has been working with teenagers on a weekly basis for more than ten years. In addition, The Circle Education is sponsoring Island’s Health P.A.R.T.Y. Program at GISS. The P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth) Program is a one-day injury awareness and prevention program for youth aged 15 and older. In this…

Celebrating International Women’s Day with Inspirational Movies

The Circle Education and IWAV teamed up with the Salt Spring Film Festival this year to celebrate International Women’s Day (March 8th). Who missed the festival, or who wants to see more movies about inspiring women, with a strong female lead, or fitting this year’s theme Embracing Equity, staff and board members of both organizations are sharing their favourites here. James Cowan, board member of The Circle Education - Still Working 9-5 (2022): This film features the original stars of the 1980 film 9 to 5. Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin reflect on the experience of making the film and the political messages for equal rights which are still being fought for today. It’s an incredible insight to what was happening behind the scenes at the time and how the film evolved with its quirky humour and not-so-subtle revealing of the disparity between women and men in the workplace. The film was cutting-edge technology at the time, using San Francisco as a backdrop for th…

‘What do you mean violence on Salt Spring? This is paradise!’

It was in the winter of 1991 when a woman on Salt Spring Island was almost beaten to death. If she hadn’t fought back ferociously to protect herself and her 8-year-old daughter, she would have been another name on the too-long list of women who have died from gender-based violence. The woman, Marie-Té, was a friend of Shellyse Szakacs, who had moved to the island in 1990 to work on her master’s degree. “This is a powerful story about a very courageous woman,” Shellyse says. “What happened to her was horrible, yet it resulted in some very important changes in our community. It was the start of two organizations, the first, now called Islanders Working Against Violence (initially Gulf Islands Women’s Resource Network) and The Circle Education (formerly SWOVA); which respectively provide support, resources and refuge for women who need it, and address change at its roots with educational programs for youth with the goal of preventing violence in the future.” When Shellyse…

One man’s story toward mental wellness

Monday marked World Mental Health Day, a day to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental wellness. Although more and more people are opening up, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding mental health. Willie MacPherson is not afraid to share the challenges he encountered in his youth. “I am privileged in many ways and by sharing my story, I can be the bridge to people who don’t have so much backing and allies.” People tell Willie MacPherson often that he is brave to tell the story of his past; a time when he didn’t know how to cope with daily life and fled into addictions. He sees it differently. “When I was ill, on medication, addicted, morbidly obese, and holed up in my room, I remember how people treated me and it is in stark contrast to how people treat me now. I am celebrated when I share my story, but it takes a lot more courage to do the same for people that are still in the middle of it or don’t have the …

Seizing teachable moments to overcome prejudices

This is the final reflection to the Circle Education’s “Connecting the Dots”, a series to acknowledge World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. Kate Nash, who leads our youth programs in School District 64, knows how important open dialogue is. Even when it feels uncomfortable. Imagine a school with plenty of light, plants and bright art on the walls. It is hard for such an environment to not inspire feelings of joy, comfort and belonging. The things we see have an impact on how we feel. You can imagine how it felt when I walked in one Monday morning and noticed small swastikas scribbled onto the vending machines. There are two ways to respond to such a situation; one is to remain open and curious and the other is to blame and shame. While the latter drives people closer to their prejudices in an act of defense, curiosity cultivates conversation. As a facilitator for The Circle Education, I deliver social-emotional programs to kids in our school…

Connecting the Dots - Cultural curiosity and compassion

In honour of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on May 21st, The Circle Education is connecting the dots between similarities that blend us together in a shared humanity as well as the differences that allow us to proudly stand out. Adele Mark moved from Los Angeles to Salt Spring Island when she was fifteen years old: from a melting pot of cultures and religions to a small rural island. With her Jewish background, she was a minority on Salt Spring Island and she even encountered antisemitism. In this blog, she writes how curiosity and compassion can lead to understanding and greater cultural awareness despite differences. I grew up in Los Angeles, California in a Jewish household. My family wasn’t religious, but our Jewish faith was a part of our everyday life. My mom prepared traditional Jewish foods made with lots of love (and garlic), we communicated through Jewish humour passed down through the generations, and we called each other Yiddish …

Connecting the Dots - “Where are you from?”

In honour of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and development on May 21st, The Circle Education talks with young people to celebrate different backgrounds. Through our youth, we hope to offer a look at the world from different perspectives. In this way, we begin to open up horizons, providing our societies with connection and making them more inclusive A series of interviews will be published throughout May and the beginning of June. Janine-Fernandes-Hayden, Executive Director at The Circle Education, starts off with a story about how her feelings changed about the question “Where are you from?” “Where are you from?” With brown skin and an "exotic" last name, it seemed like a reasonable question to be asked. And yet, I remember going through a stage in my life, when I found this question horribly offensive. I am a first-generation Canadian and at the time, I felt appalled that I might be labeled as an immigrant, especially one from India, piggybacked wi…

Juvenoia podcast offers youth perspectives on important topics

The Circle Education is excited to launch a podcast series created by youth, for both youth and adults who are interested in hearing what young rural islanders have to say about the different realities and issues that are of interest to them. The name of the podcast series is Juvenoia, defined as, “the fear one generation of adults holds towards the younger generations succeeding them”. “We thought long and hard about a name for the podcast,” says Maggie Naphtali, a Grade 11 student at the Gulf Islands Secondary School and one of the podcast makers. “I think Mischa Emiliano came up with the name and I think it is a great fit. In our podcast series, we want to address and dismantle the misconceptions that older generations sometimes have towards youth. We share our opinions and let other generations know what we think; to show them that we have similar values, but each with our own perspectives.” The Juvenoia podcast, which will be launched on April 21st, contains four epi…

Islanders invited to remember and commit to violence-free communities

On Monday, December 6, Salt Spring islanders are invited to gather online at 5 PM in memorial and solidarity of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. Like last year, the memorial - hosted by The Circle Salt Spring Education Society and Islanders Working Against Violence (IWAV) - will be a Zoom event that will be live-streamed online. The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada was established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada to commemorate the 14 young women who were murdered by a gunman on December 6, 1989, at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal as a deliberate act of violence against women. More than 30 years have passed since the École Polytechnique massacre, and gender-based violence continues to be a real and horrific issue in the world, in Canada, and in our own community. Every six days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner (Statistics Canada 2019) and on any given night…

The Circle teams up with Bullock Lake Farm for boys program

The new school year has started and The Circle Salt Spring Education Society is gearing up for their Pass it On programs. New this year is the collaboration with Bullock Lake Farm for the Pass it On Boys program. Pass it On is a safe and trusted space to develop core skills in the area of healthy relationships such as trust-building, acceptance, active listening, and boundary setting. The Circle is excited for the new partnership with Bullock Lake Farm for the Pass it On Boys program. This collaboration will offer participants the opportunity to explore concepts of care, independence, leadership, and responsibility for themselves and others through hands-on, farm-based activities and projects. Using a new delivery model, The Circle’s Kate Nash will lead a team of mentors, including local farmers, a filmmaker and some senior youth to take participants along the journey of an impactful curriculum in support of self-development. “Bullock Lake Farm offers a playful and dy…

Watch: Circle Salt Spring Education Society Celebrates Their Donors

As another school year comes to an end, The Circle Salt Spring Education Society would like to thank all of its members, donors, and funders for their unwavering support over the last year. Everybody has felt the highs and lows of this past year as we all navigated the challenges of the pandemic. The Circle was fortunate to discover the silver linings of COVID-19 and be able to continue providing its social-emotional programs to youth in the community. The organization adapted its traditional delivery of programming to an innovative online platform that, for many teachers, proved to be more powerful. Says one teacher, "I love the interactive aspect of the video delivery—I didn't expect it to be so engaging for my students. Another perk is the flexibility of timing—I could fit the program anywhere into my weekly schedule. It was fun and super relevant." You may have noticed that The Circle rebranded a year ago. When the program facilitators noticed that the challenges stud…