General Interest Courses - Winter / Spring 2012

One-third of our household waste is organic material. Did you know it can be composted and turned into valuable fertilizer for lawns, gardens and trees? Learn how to start a backyard compost bin, how to maintain it, some of the common problems you may encounter and simple solutions for addressing them.

Date: May 8 (Tuesday)
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: Edson Provincial Building

Vermicomposting

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Worms can eat your organic waste!

Vermicomposting is a great way to participate in composting if you live in an apartment or condo. It can also be used in classrooms and your office lunch room. The castings created by worms are a great source of fertilizer for your garden and house plants.

Date: May 8 (Tuesday)
Time: 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
Location: Edson Provincial Building
Instructor: Ann Auriat

Participants must pre-register for one or both workshops 780.723.6247.
Vermicomposting will follow Backyard Composting.

Gardening Basics

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Learn the basics of landscaping and gardening from a master gardener.
This class will go over the basics and then have an informal discussion and question and answer period. Bring your questions and learn how to make your garden grow!

Date: April 25 (Wednesday)
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $35.00
Location: Edson Provincial Building
Instructor: Tina Berry, Master Gardener

Knit 1, Purl 2

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This beginner class teaches you the basics of knitting.
With simple instructions and a little practice, you will be creating beautiful handmade projects in a snap. In this class, focus on making a scarf or a cowl.

Date: January 30, February 1, 6 & 8
Afternoon Classes: 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Or
Evening Classes: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $25.00 (materials included)
Location: Edson Public Library

Viva Vegetarian

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Looking for healthy and tasty vegetarian foods?
Not sure how to make main or side dishes with eggplant, spinach, okra, squash, asparagus, tofu, or paneer? In this class you will learn to cook and enjoy vegetables that intrigue and challenge.

Date: March 22 (Thursday)

Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $50.00 (includes food supplies)
Instructor: Pavan Sonpar-Pahwa

Advanced Indian Cooking

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This two-day course will further enhance your repertoire of spicy Indian dishes. Learn how to make samosas, biryani, kali dal, two kinds of kebabs and two kinds of breads: stuffed parathas and naan.

Date: February 22 & 23 (Wednesday & Thursday)

Time: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $100.00 (includes food supplies)
Location: TBA
Instructor: Pavan Sonpar-Pahwa

Kids and Drugs:
A Parent's Guide to Prevention

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This program gives parents strategies to prevent their school age children (8 to 15 yrs) from abusing alcohol and other drugs.

Topics Include:
Parents' roles in preventing drug and alcohol abuse
Effective communication with your child about drugs
How to develop critical thinking skills in your child, set clear boundaries and expectations for children's behavior
Information on common used drugs and their risks

Dates: February 15, 22 & 29 (Wednesdays)
Time: 7:00 pm - 9 pm
Location: Pine Grove Middle School
Presented by: AADAC
The workshop is free but pre-registration is required.

Conversational Spanish

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This course is designed for tourists. Learn to make introductions, to ask and follow directions, order food and drinks in restaurants,find hotel accommodation,get emergency medical help, to change money, to shop confidently and to do it all politely! The students will learn just enough grammar to help facilitate future learning. (24 hours)

Dates: February 6 - March 14
(Monday & Wednesday)
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $105.00
Location: P.C.H.S.

Intermediate Spanish

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This course covers past and future verbs, as well as more grammar and conversation. (24 hours)

Dates: February 7 - March 15
(Tuesday & Thursday)
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $105.00
Location: P.C.H.S.

French for Absolute Beginners

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This 8 week course will help participants understand and feel comfortable speaking basic French. No prior knowledge of French is required to take the class. This is a "must" have for parents of French immersion students. Come and learn vocabulary and what it feels like to be in a French immersion classroom.

Dates: Every Monday, starting January 23-March 19
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $75.00 for Canadian Parents for French Members
$100.00 for non-members
Location: Westhaven School

Exploring Apprenticeship and the Trades

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Learning Pathways: Planning for Post-Secondary
Money Matters: Paying for Post-Secondary Education

Through these sessions, the Adult Ambassadors aim to increase the understanding and knowledge of their audience in the following areas:
1. What Post Secondary Education (PSE) opportunties are available
2. How to access PSE opportunties
3. What costs are associated with PSE
4. The different streams available to help finance PSE

The Learning Clicks program is provided by Alberta Advanced Education and Technology. It motivates Albertans to pursue education and training beyond high school through free sessions delivered in communities across the province. Each student leaves with a multimedia planning CD and a variety of resources to kick start the planning process.

Date: February 1
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Cost: Free - must pre-register

Budgeting Bootcamp

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Need to create a budget and don't know where to start of how to stick to it? In this course, learn the difference between needs and wants, why you should set goals, how to track spending, tricks to control wasted dollars, how to stick to your spending plan and live comfortably within your means. If you want less stress, more balance, and more freedom, you need Budgeting Bootcamp!

Dates: February 15 (Wednesday)
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $25.00
Presented by: Money Mentors

Health & Wellbeing

Time Management

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Many of us struggle with time management. Balancing our time between the things we want to do and the things we have to do can be difficult. We often wind up neglecting ourselves. In this course, we will look at ways to organize our lives and make time for ourselves.

Date: March 21(Wednesday)
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $10.00

Mental Health in the Workplace

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There are times when we all struggle with our mental health. These struggles can affect our performance in the workplace. In this session, we will look at coping and prevention strategies, as well as ways to make the workplace a positive and nurturing environment.

Date: April 14 (Wednesday)
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $10.00

Mental Health First Aid Canada:
For Adults who Interact with Youth

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The Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training course was developed to help people provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. This workshop focuses on mental health problems and first aid for youth ages 12 to 24. Mental health problems often first develop during adolescence or early adulthood, with half of all mental disorders beginning by age 14, and 75 percent beginning by age 24.

Date: April 19 & 20
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $60.00

Anger Control Training

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We all experience anger. It is healthy and necessary, but not when it begins to control our lives. In this class we will explore beliefs and how they influence our thoughts, feelings, and ultimately, our actions. Once our eyes are opened to these aspects, then we can see that anger is a choice and we can choose other options.

Date: March 21 (Wednesday)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $10.00

Assertiveness Training

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Have you ever asked yourself, "How can I be more confident or how can I improve my self-esteem?" Maybe you would like a better understanding of who you are. Assertiveness is a means of communication that answers many of these questions. In this session, you will learn to communicate your feelings, thoughts and beliefs in an open, honest manner without violating the rights of others.

Date: April 4 (Wednesday)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $10.00

Self-Esteem

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You have the right to feel good about yourself!
In past sessions we have discussed anger-control and assertiveness, each giving you more control in handling day-to-day events. As a result, our self-esteem is boosted. Now let's bring it all together and discuss/practice strategies to mainain self-esteem and reduce stress.

Date: April 18 (Wednesday)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $10.00

Women's Health Issues

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Women face a variety of health issues throughout their lives. This course is designed for women of all ages to learn from each other and to learn what the current best practices are. We will cover topics such as osteoporosis, birth control, oblation therapy and menopause. We will talk about breast screening tests and breast cancer. We will be candid, share experiences and talk about whatever is important to you. Join us to learn, to question and to experience the support and wisdom of other women. If you have questions you would like answered or a topic you would be interested learning more about, please submit your suggestions with registration!

Dates: March 13 & 20 (Tuesdays)
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Cost: Free - must pre-register
Location: Edson Provincial Building

Health Basics

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What is a normal body temperature? When do I take my child to the doctor? What is the difference between Tylenol and Advil? How do I decide when to go the ER? What screening tests should I have done and when?

Increasing your knowledge about health basics helps you to make good decisions for you and your family. This course is designed to cover health basics plus more. We will try to answer questions and discuss issues that are important to you.

If you have questions you would like answered or a topic you would be interested in learning more about, tell us what they are when you register! That way we can make sure that you will come away from this course with your questions answered and feeling more empowered about your health.

Dates: February 16 & 23 (Thursdays)
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Cost: Free - must pre-register
Location: FCSS Family Cenre
Child care will be provided by Parent Link

Discovering the Power in Me

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Discovering the Power in Me was created by the Pacific Institute. It gives you tools and techniques to improve attributes such as hope, belief in self, resilience, self worth and inner peace. This 12-unit course is run in a 2 day period.
This course is geared toward:
* People with physical limitations
* People who have experienced emotional/mental trauma (loss of job, divorce, illness, depression, etc)
* Care givers
* Outreach workers
* Client Service Staff

This course will be offered in Edson in 2012
Please call 780.723.6247 for more information and to register

General Interest Courses - Winter / Spring 2012