by Adrian Mack   With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting business as usual for many schools and school systems around the world, especially in places like the United States, many have considered the implications on students’ social, emotional, and behavioral health. But educators know from experience that trauma is not a new factor in the classroom....Read More

By Adrianna McQuaid Back to school season is here, but there’s nothing familiar or predictable about it. School closures in 2020 affected 1.5 billion students around the world. The ability to navigate the unforeseen, and prepare the students for learning, is more critical than ever. The question is how. School leaders around the globe are...Read More

By Simon Storey You get a powerful impression of the culture of a school as soon as you walk in the door. It’s the little things and those invisible factors that tell you if you are welcome. When I look back on my career as a principal, it’s abundantly clear that we need to continue...Read More

By Karen Papadopoulos As a teacher with the Durham District School Board for 23 years and Head of Library at Dunbarton High School, I am optimistic about the future because kids today are more self-aware and recognize the importance of inclusivity and valuing differences in others than when I started. But high school can be...Read More

By Jan Frolic  I was just recovering from a year-long depression over endless dialogue around #MeToo and toxic masculinity at executive levels when I found myself at my desk, being turned inside-out, watching Christine Blasey Ford testify in the Brett Kavanaugh hearing. I listened intently as she began to turn her life into a circus...Read More

I am Jennifer Johnson, Co-Founder of Captains & Poets and I am so grateful to be connected with our growing community of #educators, #parents and #leaders. As a parent, a former educator, an entrepreneur and a passionate changemaker, I want all kids to be empowered and to thrive as they navigate the complexities of identity and life. My M.A. in Curriculum, Teaching...Read More

I am Jan Frolic, Co-Founder of Captains & Poets and SVP at Women of Influence Worldwide Inc., and I am so happy to finally introduce myself to our growing community of educators, parents and leaders. During my 7 years in the gender equity space, I saw that the conversation around equity, diversity, belonging and inclusion really needed to start happening earlier....Read More

“Stressed and overwhelmed!” That’s how 10-year-old Owen* says he’s feeling, amidst the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario. When asked if there’s anything that would help him feel better, he replies: “COVID being over. I feel like it’s never going to end.” A few weeks after being told by the police that he...Read More

She is a 9-year-old girl who is in her school band and plays on a recreational soccer team. He is a 14-year-old boy on his school’s basketball team who attends camp each summer. Most of all, these Canadian kids enjoy hanging out with their friends.  After more than a year of suspended relationships and activities...Read More

COVID-19 has propelled kids on a journey of self-discovery. Captains & Poets is changing the narrative around how this global shared experience for young people could create empowered, self-aware world citizens.   The isolation and sense of loss imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on young people has the potential to mark this generation with a...Read More