The meeting was moderated by EKN Chair Reet Marten Sehr. Greetings and latest news from Eesti were shared by Ambassador Rava, who also participated in small group planning.
The session goal was to take the pulse of Estonian Canadian organizations and start the process of developing a 5-year strategic plan for sustainability and growth. Participants were divided into breakout rooms to discuss what’s going well for their organization, what are some strengths, challenges, limitations and opportunities. They were then asked to consider what actions are needed to build capacity and sustainability for their organization and the broader Estonian Canadian community. A strategic planning committee has been established to develop the next phase and report back to full Council in the fall.
New Members
EKN continues to expand and grow with new members Toronto Estonian Supplementary Schools, Kitchener Estonian Society and Jõekääru Summer Camp.
Advisory Council
Recently, EKN established an Advisory Council of prominent members or supporters of the Estonian Canadian community. First members are Estonian Ambassador to Canada Margus Rava, Estonian Honorary Consuls Thomas Heinsoo (Toronto) and Jaan Soosaar (Halifax), who also represents the east coast Estonian community, and estophile Robert Zeidler, Managing Partner at The Dabbert Group.
Donations
Although a not-for-profit organization, EKN donated over $70,000 to Estonian Canadian organizations over the past year including VEMU, Vancouver Estonian Society, Seedrioru Summer Camp, Jõekääru Summer Camp, KUNGLA folk dancers, FILMIST Stuudio YVR and KESKUS International Estonian Centre ($50,000). EKN also supported the “Security and Defence in the Baltic Sea Region” conference in Helsinki organized by the Estonian World Council Foreign Affairs Committee and the Mass Flight of 1944, Pärnu memorial.
Professional Learning for Estonian School Leaders and Estonian Community Event
EKN education committee and Estonian State Secondary Schools representatives have been meeting for several months to plan a week of professional learning for a delegation of 25 Estonian school leaders, who will be in Toronto from April 26 – May 4. Their primary focus will be on teacher and principal accreditation, assessment and evaluation. Meetings are planned with leaders from the Ontario Ministry of Education, Ontario Principal’s Council, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and the Toronto District School Board. A day will be spent in Toronto schools and the group will also visit the Hamilton Estonian School, Niagara Falls and the Estonian Kindergarten.
The GTA Estonian community will have an opportunity to meet the visiting educators at Tartu College on Tuesday, April 29th at 7 p.m. The program includes a presentation by Irene Käosaare, principal at Narva Eesti Gümnaasium (state secondary school) and a panel discussion about recent developments and changes to the Estonian education system.
There will also be time for questions and informal discussion over a glass of wine and kringel.
Reet Marten Sehr
