A passion for community involvement

A passion for volunteering is a necessary component of the Maxwell Cameron Award for Secondary Education. As such, it is little wonder that Chloe Faught is this year’s winner. Faught’s volunteer activities both at home and abroad are as impressive as they are varied, and are a testament to her dedication to both teaching and the wider community.

Preceding her enrolment in the Faculty of Education, Faught volunteered for a year as a teacher in a Namibian village, at Omungwelume Junior Secondary School, which became the source of much of her enthusiasm for education. But Faught’s attention has also been locally focused, particularly in her work with Trex, an outdoor-focused group within the Girl Guides of Canada. Along with other volunteer experiences, such as half a year spent in India, she developed leadership and communication skills that would serve her well throughout her university career.

With such dedication to community involvement, it is no surprise that Faught’s approach to education is rooted in a philosophy of communication and mentorship. In applying her past experiences to the classroom, she reflects, the most important challenge is learning to how to connecting to student and community needs—a perspective which led her to create a library and learning centre for the Omungwelume school. Her approach has also been deeply informed by the Indigenous Education component of her degree in the Faculty of Education, which hones future educators’ appreciation for employing collaborative and respectful community practices.

But as a Vancouver Islander through and through, the University of Victoria was a natural choice for Faught to return to and complete her education, having already completed a bachelor’s degree in Geography. But the volunteer experience she gained in the interim proved invaluable, particularly during her practicum and responding to the demanding flexibility it required. “I had to diversify my approach,” she notes, “and reflect on where I came from.”

While Faught is currently working as a teacher on call in the Saanich School District, her passion for volunteering hasn’t ended. She is working as a tutor with the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre and is involved with food sustainability with the Lifecycles Project. She’s about to head off again, this time to lead a group of Girl Guides on a trip to Costa Rica, but Faught will again return with a wealth of experience to bring to the classroom.