Classroom Champions is a nonprofit charity that has empowered over 5 million children to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically through the mentorship and mindsets of world-class athletes. Working with 250+ Olympic, Paralympic, university student-athletes and professional athletes who volunteer as mentors, Classroom Champions has provided more than $14,000,000 in program and curriculum grants to underserved, rural, and Indigenous communities across the continent.
The Werklund Foundation has provided significant support in the way of advancing the technology and accessibility of Classroom Champions, helping teachers deliver SEL in a seamless, engaging and powerful way. Students participating in Classroom Champions see significant improvements in the classroom, teachers see improved engagement, and athlete mentors learn new skills to prepare for life after sport
We were a proud supporter of Empowering Minds since it's launch in 2006. Empowering Minds committed to the empowerment and leadership development of youth, providing world-class leadership training in schools and community settings. Empowering Minds supported youth to develop the confidence, motivation, and resilience necessary to thrive in today's world. The work has evolved into a new chapter as Empowering Artists with a focus on providing artists with proven innovative leadership programs that develop the confidence, motivation, and resilience necessary to thrive in today's dynamic music world.
Education Matters makes enhanced educational programs possible in the Calgary Board of Education and provide student awards, scholarships, and bursaries to ensure that Calgary students have the opportunity to achieve more. The best public education happens when the community participates in its development to ensure that disadvantaged students succeed in school and that every student is prepared for adult life.
Telus Spark
We partnered with TELUS Spark, the Science Centre in Calgary, Alberta to develop a distinctive and exciting Learning & Leadership Centre. The result of the collaboration impacts broad and diverse audiences and influence our universal understanding of the fundamentals of leadership and the emotional dynamics affecting it. Telus Spark features an interactive learning exhibit and integrates innovative technologies and a media centre designed to help children and youth understand how they learn and develop critical thinking skills.
Werklund Youth Leadership Centre
Launched in May of 2010, the Werklund Youth Leadership Centre was designed to be a primary hub for youth, educators, pre service teachers, community partners, and researchers interested in youth leadership education. Although there is considerable research in the area of youth studies, limited work had been done on youth leadership, and even less on educational programs for the development of youth leadership. The Werklund Youth Leadership Centre proposed, developed and published research focused on youth leadership education, and hosted academic meetings, symposiums, and workshops for scholars, teachers and community members. The Werklund Youth Leadership Centre was located within the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.
WE.ORG
WE is a movement that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world. WE is a charity that encourages young people to get involved with your family, school, company or as an individual. On March 13, 2018, Werklund Foundation and WE announced a new partnership in service learning. Through combined values rooted in youth engagement, the two organizations teamed up to set the foundation for a comprehensive national youth service strategy to equip all young Canadians with the academic knowledge, personal skill development and social engagement they needed to become true leaders of social change in their communities.
AWALI
As a lead investor, the Werklund Foundation helped AWALI establish Aga Khan University's Institute for Educational Development in East Africa. Additionally, the Foundation supported AWALI Reads, a targeted literacy intervention program in Tanzania that significantly improved the education outcomes within that region.
