CALGARY, AB – Bow Valley College offers a variety of relevant story ideas and qualified experts, including cannabis addiction training, holiday advice for dementia care, Indigenous preschool learning tools, and the growing education trend to study Kitchen and Bath Design and Interior Decorating.

Pitch Ideas:

Category: Holiday Memories, Dementia Care, Public Health and Wellness, Gerontology

GENTLE PERSUASION FOR THOSE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA DURING THE HOLIDAYS – Memories bind us all together during the holiday season, but when a loved one living with dementia loses their connection to precious traditions and people, it can cause added stress and emotional vulnerability for the patient, caregivers and family members. There are positive and effective ways to engage and connect by integrating holiday scents, music, food, and other activities which may spark positive long-term memory recall and interaction. Bow Valley College also offers training in Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA) Basics for professionals, spouses, family members, and caregivers. The course covers person-centred methods to respond to behaviours associated with dementia, with respect, compassion, and gentle persuasion. 

Expert: Helen Hunter, Instructor—School of Health & Wellness, Health Care Aide and Masters Candidate, Public Health

Category: Cannabis

With the legalization of cannabis across Canada, managing the use and potential health hazards among employees and customers is top of mind for corporations. More companies are seeking advice to add insight and competence in handling potential situations. Additional challenges include recognizing the symptoms and potential outcomes of cannabis use with workers and employees, and how to handle these issues in an appropriate manner. 

Expert: Thalia Anderen, MSW, RCSW, Program Coordinator—School of Community Studies, Counsellor

Category: Indigenous Traditional Learning, Early Childhood Education and Development

RESEARCH PROJECT SUPPORTS PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN LEARNING TRADITIONAL WAYS:  A large proportion of Indigenous pre-school children spend much of their lives in child care centres, where staff have most often been trained in methods inconsistent with Indigenous ways of being and knowing. The Bow Valley College research project: Bringing Hearts & Minds Together: Co-Creating Lifelong Learning Materials for Caregivers of Aboriginal Children brought researchers, students, alumni, early childhood education (ECE) staff, and Indigenous community members to study two different knowledge systems to co-create a culturally appropriate and sustainable model of knowledge generation, translation, and practices to support healthy social/emotional development of Indigenous children. Funder: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC): Partnership Development Grants–Community and College Social Innovation Fund. Read more about the project here: https://bowvalleycollege.ca/teaching-and-research/research-and-innovation/current-projects.

Project Experts: Cheryl Kinzel, Director, Centre for Early Development and Applied Research       Noella Wells, Director, Iniikokaan Centre

Categories: Kitchen & Bath Design, Smart Technology, Education, 

KITCHEN, BATH AND INTERIOR DESIGN BECOMING AN IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY: Immersive reality, smart tech, couture design, environmental sustainability, and minimalism—one would never guess that all these aspects and more are in demand in two of the most important rooms of the home—the kitchen and bathroom. Jobs are growing in retail, real estate, construction (new builds and renovations), design firms, self-employment and entrepreneurial sectors as well as web-based/smart home enterprises, despite the economic challenges in Alberta. Bow Valley College, an accredited National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) affiliated school, has seen a spike in applications for post-diploma certification in Kitchen & Bath Design (the first of its kind in Alberta), as well as the diploma in Interior Decorating among women and men. The NKBA states that with millennials gradually moving into new home ownership and boomers looking to downsize and age/live in place without compromise, demand for more mindful, advanced, efficient spaces is growing, hence the growth in career opportunities for specialist training and licensed certification to assist the ‘stay-and-remodel’ market. The kitchen and bath segment alone accounts for about 25 per cent of North America’s $178B residential construction activity in 2018. 

Expert: Nancy Bosscha, Instructor, School of Creative Technologies

-  30 –

For more information, please contact:

Donna Gray
Media Relations Officer
Bow Valley College
Mobile: 403-831-1150
Office: 587-393-2628
Direct: 403-770-5150
Email: dgray@bowvalleycollege.ca

About Bow Valley College
Bow Valley College - Calgary and region's only Comprehensive Community College - with more than 15,000 full- and part-time students, is a leader in business and health career training, community studies, creative technologies, adult upgrading, and English Language Learning.