The HOME SAFE documentary series was created by SkyWorks Charitable Foundation to draw attention to homeless families in Canada. Many of the children who file into Canadian classrooms each morning are coming from shelters, others from insecure housing. Many are hungry. Young people whose families are living paycheque to paycheque are frequently demoralized by financial pressures at home. It’s harder for them to learn and thrive in school. Most conceal their problems from teachers and peers. HOME SAFE allows us to hear the voices of these kids and their parents, the questions they ask of us, and the solutions they propose.

Developed and tested with educators, the HOME SAFE Education Resource is a DVD compilation of selected stories from the HOME SAFE series that can be used with students in many subject areas at many levels: elementary (Grade 5 and up), junior and senior high school. The material is also richly suited for teacher development and training, and for early childhood educators, child and youth workers, social workers, guidance counselors, support workers in schools, administrators, policy makers, and others in the educational sector.

The children, youth, and families we meet in this collection come from diverse backgrounds. All of them have struggled with economic insecurity and lack of access to affordable housing. Youth and parents speak candidly about their experiences of homelessness, food insecurity, job insecurity, their worries about the future, and the supports that are needed for families living with poverty and inadequate housing. HOME SAFE challenges stereotypes about homelessness, shows the strengths of families and kids living with poverty, and asks us to think about the larger economic and social reasons why more and more families are struggling to afford necessities like shelter and food.

HOME SAFE Educators Guide

The 16 documentary stories and excerpts included in this DVD compilation are supported by an Educators Guide which offers themes, quotes, and questions for discussion for each excerpt. The Guide also includes a thematic index, a list of books on homelessness for students, and links to further educational resources on the internet. The Educators Guide (PDF file) is included on a CD as part of the HOME SAFE Education Resource. The Guide can also be downloaded by clicking on the link below:

Preview or Download HOME SAFE Educators Guide (PDF file)

HOME SAFE Lesson Plans

The HOME SAFE Education Resource also includes Lesson Plans developed by the Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council. The lessons are grouped into three learning packages: on Food, Economics, and Relationships. Lessons can be used in series or independently as teachers deem appropriate. All masters, assessment tools and resource lists are provided.

In addition to referencing the stories included in the HOME SAFE Education Resource, the Lesson Plans can also be used with the complete HOME SAFE series, or any of the individual documentaries (Home Safe Calgary, Home Safe Toronto, or Home Safe Hamilton).

A PDF file of the HOME SAFE Lesson Plans is included on CD as part of the HOME SAFE Education Resource. It can also be downloaded by clicking on the link below:

Preview or download HOME SAFE Lesson Plans (PDF file)

Ontario Family Studies Leadership Council

The HOME SAFE Education Resource was made possible by generous financial support from:

• Anonymous
• Catherine Donnelly Foundation
• Enterprising Non-Profits Toronto
• The Jackman Foundation
• Jane Stodgell and Arnold Massey Voices of Children Fund
• The Lawson Foundation
• Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation

To order the HOME SAFE Education Resource on DVD and CD, or the complete HOME SAFE series, please contact:

Vtape
Tel 416.351.1317
info@vtape.org
www.vtape.org

Download Home Safe Education Resource flyer