The BLSA Podcast - Braemar College

The world is changing faster than ever, and the world of education is too! Are our students still receiving the best education possible? Advances in psychology, neuroscience, biology, and a whole range of other fields have opened up new lines of thought about the purpose of school, and how it can best serve a new generation of students in our fast-paced, interconnected, crazy, scary, wonderful world.

Join us on the Braemar Life Skills Academy podcast every week to explore these new ideas, together with the educators and experts on the front lines of education reform around the world. And get ready to start thinking differently about people, school, and the relationship between them.

INTRODUCTION

BLSA Podcast: Annie Chan, Olivia Carter and Flora Quindiagan – Learning Another Language

Perhaps the most striking thing about living in Toronto is that one is constantly exposed to unfamiliar languages and cultural expressions in almost all public contexts. Whether you are a lifelong Torontonian who speaks fluent English or a newcomer with any number of other languages at your disposal, it is a regular experience to not […]

BLSA Podcast: Maria Solakofski – Wild By Nature

In recent years there has been a growing call for us to recognize the isolation and disconnection that have become a common part of how we experience modern culture. Thought leaders like Johann Hari have gone so far as to draw correlations between the square footage of private residences and the rates of mental illness […]

BLSA Podcast: Chef Shai Mandel – Cooking as a way to express yourself

“The family was an art … and the dinner table was the place it found expression.” Don DeLillo, Underworld How do we mark holidays? How do we welcome someone to the neighbourhood? How do we appreciate loved ones? How do we comfort ourselves in tough times? The answer to so many of our questions about […]

BLSA Podcast: Dr. Kevin Bryan – ChatGPT is going to change EVERYTHING

It’s been hard to go anywhere in early 2023 without encountering some reference to Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT, the new AI-backed technology set to change the way we work, communicate, research, and think, and to challenge most of our assumptions about how humans can and should interact with the world around them. But if you’re […]

BLSA Podcast: Sam HP – Model United Nations

In this episode we spoke with Sam HP, the President of Model United Nations – York University (MUNY). Since taking over the university’s MUN program, Sam has sought to create a more robust and unified approach to the organization and operation of the simulation conferences that were a real highlight in the lives of so […]

BLSA Podcast: Kate Mossop, Long Pham and Martha Nguyen – Community

Kate Mossop, Long Pham and Martha Nguyen – Community Episode Guests: Kate Mossop: Director, Community Programming Long Pham: Recreation Supervisor Martha Nguyen: Children’s Program Coordinator One of the things most educators learn early in their careers is that the school is not an island. It is a nexus that connects the families, organizations, natural environment, […]

BLSA Podcast: Challenge and Change at Braemar

2022 Review: Challenge and Change at Braemar Alumni: Cha Fong: Vietnam via Ukraine Temiloluwa Oyin Folikwe: Nigeria via the United Kingdom Tai Duc (Harrison) Lam: Vietnam Current Students: Florian Solero: Germany Rachelle Ginevra Pietralunga: Italy Jose Miguel Baron: Colombia Heesu (Catherine) Kwon: South Korea Alek Lopez: Mexico Jinseo Park: South Korea It’s always special getting […]

BLSA Podcast: Dina Mahafza and MarieJo Abdul-Hay – Old Problems, Young Answers

Dina Mahafza and MarieJo Abdul-Hay – Old Problems, Young Answers This episode focusses on the work being done by UofT UNICEF’s Student Engagement arm, summarizing Dina and MarieJo’s approach and experiences working with children and teenagers over the years, educating them about their rights and responsibilities as global citizens. It was fascinating to learn how […]

BLSA Podcast: Dr. Diana Brecher-North of Neutral

Dr. Diana Brecher – North of Neutral Dr. Diana Brecher is a clinical psychologist who has been working in the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Centre for Student Development and Counselling (CSDC) since 1991. Diana’s long-standing interest and certification in Positive Psychology led to a shift in her role in 2016, whereby she started the ThriveTMU […]

BLSA Podcast: Rebecca Bitton on Chronic Stress

Miss Rebecca Bitton is an entrepreneur, educator, and mental health speaker. She has been the panelist speaker and former President of the MDAO (Mood Disorders Association of Ontario). She’s also been a panelist speaker at the OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union) Work Life Balance Conference, Sunnybrook Hospital and many others. Rebecca addresses student and […]