Christopher Ham, with support worker Alekesandra works on his math skills.

Building skills and expanding knowledge

When Christopher Ham graduated from New Westminster Secondary School last June, his mother Nancy Clarke wanted his education to continue in a meaningful way. Through the use of Individualized Funding from CLBC, that goal is being realized.

Christopher, along with two other students, Amit Kainth and Jaspreet Sidhu, are participating in T.E.A.M. (Together Exploring Alternative Models for Life), an educational program designed for their needs. The three became friends in high school and their families wanted to foster that friendship and their learning.

It was important that the program gave the young men opportunities to continue learning in an engaging and relevant way. “It’s studying, learning, because everybody should strive for more knowledge. Just because school has ended doesn’t mean they should stop learning. Also, they deserve some fun,” says Nancy.

To run the program, the families turned to Pat Numata, a recently retired New Westminster Secondary School teacher who has taught in New Westminster for more than 30 years, including 19 years with special needs students. 

Along with her experience, Pat has brought a strong passion for education to the program. “Personal growth isn’t just about health,” says Pat. “We’re educating for lifelong learning.”

Pat, Christopher, Amit and Jaspreet, along with support staff from Community Living Society, meet Monday to Friday, from 8:30am to 3:00pm. In the morning, the focus is generally on literacy and math skills. Among their lessons, the young men learn about counting money and budgeting, finding and asking for information, and giving and following directions.

“If they’re on the bus, I want them to feel comfortable asking questions about getting where they want to go. We’ve learned about giving directions using cross streets. It’s about having a strategy to find the information they need,” says Pat.

In the afternoon, the young men are often out in the community with their support workers applying the skills they’ve learned. They’re currently working on a resource book of local information, including the names of businesses and the services they offer.

They also study a variety of subjects including geography, learning about where Vancouver is in Canada and where Canada is in the world. As well, they keep up on current events. Recently the boys have been tracking the Olympic Flame as it makes its way across Canada, and at the same time learning about the history of the Olympics.

“Christopher is thriving,” says Nancy, “They’re busy and they’re learning relevant life skills and things about their own community and the wider community.”