Inner city students learning at U of W

The thought of dissecting a squid doesn’t scare 11-year-old Carlos Cruz, he’s more concerned about blowing up a science lab at the University of Winnipeg.

Last week, the Grade 6 student from Strathcona School began participating in an afternoon science class at the U of W as part of its the Eco-Kids on Campus initiative.

The program sends inner-city school kids to the downtown campus, once a week for 10 weeks, to study science and the environment with university professors.

The program is designed to integrate inner-city elementary students into the university environment as a way of inspiring them to continue their education.

All 29 Grade 6 students from the North End school are participating in the initial offering of the program.

Cruz admitted he was a little nervous before the classes began.

“There’s going to be a lot of adults here, and I’m kind of scared I’m going to mess up something or blow up the lab,” he said, laughing.

Interest in the program has been so strong that organizers are already planning to increase the number of kids that will be allowed to participate. As a result, students from Wellington School in the West End will be enrolled in the program in April once their Strathcona counterparts have completed their studies.

Kevin Chief, co-ordinator of the Innovative Learning Centre at the U of W, said that the students are in good hands.

“They’re going to get a lot of support here at the university,” said Chief, adding that the kids aren’t graded and all of their transportation and supply costs are paid for.

The program recently got a financial boost courtesy of a $42,000 PromoScience grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and a $25,000 grant from oil and gas company Enbridge.

Chief, a Strathcona grad himself, said it is important that the students receive support at home as well as in the classroom. He said that’s why the program has been designed to engage parents as well as students.

Organizers expect that the program will have a long-lasting effect on the students. Many of the topics covered by the professors will then be incorporated into the participating schools’ own curriculums.

Mario Cueto, a Grade 6 teacher at Strathcona, said he hopes the program will help students overcome some of the obstacles they face on a day-to-day basis.

“A lot of the things they have to face in their day-to-day neighbourhood are a lot different than what other kids face. So there’s a built-in drive in these kids and they just need an opportunity,” he said.

“With programs like this, the kids go ‘I can’t get this hanging around 7-11, I want to be in school,’ and it makes it easier for me as a teacher to keep them in school.”

Chief said the program is already helping break down some of the barriers that prevent kids from attending post-secondary institutions and will keep them motivated to continue with their studies.

Once students from both schools finish the program, they will be invited back to the university in June to receive certificates of achievement from U of W president Lloyd Axworthy, Chief added.