CCHE – Canadian Centre for Home Education
Canada Homeschooling Research & News
CCHE – Canadian Centre for Home Education CCHE - Canadian Centre for Home Education
National Home Education Conference 2023
Taking Home Education to New Heights
September 28-30, 2023
Calgary, Alberta
Be part of the gathering this September to be informed, inspired, and influenced about home education in Canada
See Further
Get a clearer picture of what's happening with home education across Canada and around the world as local, provincial, national, and international leaders address cultural and legal matters impacting all of us.
Shine Brighter
Enjoy relaxing and connecting with other influencers, organizers, and leaders from across the country. Take the time to refuel and have fun together so you can become more effective at home.
Aim Higher
Share stories, build connections, and get the resources you need to strengthen your role in the homeschooling community. Let's work together to protect and promote homeschooling in Canada.
Is This Conference for You?
This isn’t your typical homeschool conference. You’ll want to be at this event if:
- You’re leading (or plan to lead) any type of homeschooling group;
- You want to know more about the cultural and legal matters of home education in Canada and around the world;
- You’re an influencer or advocate in the homeschooling community;
- You cherish the freedom of parent-led education and want to be equipped to protect and promote it;
- You want to hear from the movers and shakers in the homeschooling world;
- You relate to at least one of the points above and want to give your teens an impactful experience at the conference Teen Program (conference registration includes a guided tour of the Badlands for adults and youth).
Watch this video for more about who this conference is for.
SPEAKERS
John Carpay
Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms
John Carpay was born in the Netherlands, and grew up in British Columbia. He earned his B.A. in Political Science at Laval University in Quebec City, and his LL.B. from the University of Calgary. Fluent in English, French, and Dutch, John served the Canadian Taxpayers Federation as Alberta Director from 2001 to 2005, advocating for lower taxes, less waste, and accountable government. Called to the Bar in 1999, he has been an advocate for freedom and the rule of law in constitutional cases across Canada.
As the founder and president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, John has devoted his legal career to defending constitutional freedoms through litigation and education. He considers it a privilege to advocate for courageous and principled clients who take great risks – and make tremendous personal sacrifices – by resisting the unjust demands of intolerant government authorities. In 2010, John received the Pyramid Award for Ideas and Public Policy in recognition of his work in constitutional advocacy, and his success in building up and managing a non-profit organization to defend citizens’ freedoms.
Dawna Ferguson
Country Coordinator for Classical Conversations
Dawna has a passion for helping parents “go the distance” in home educating their children. Dawna and Dan have graduated four with three more daughters still at home. Working hard and having fun! As the Coordinator for Classical Conversations, she oversees the leaders and communities in Canada. They believe this model helps parents prepare their children to stand firm in the Lord and enter the world as a light for Christ when they leave home as adults. Time is spent between caring for children, grandchildren and aging parents. Dawna and her family currently live in Chestermere, Alberta.
Simon Noster
Principal of Home Education at WISDOM Home Schooling
Simon grew up on a farm in rural Alberta where he was home schooled from kindergarten through grade 12. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California, followed by a Bachelor of Education from Concordia University of Edmonton. Simon taught in the separate school system in Cold Lake before joining the WISDOM family as a facilitator in 2014.
Having worked in several capacities with WISDOM over the years, Simon now enjoys facilitating, along with the responsibility of Principal of Home Education for the WISDOM Home Schooling department of The Gilbertine Institute. Simon and his wife, Nicole, are the proud home schooling parents of four beautiful children, and feel blessed to experience the joys of their life in rural Alberta.
Garnett Genuis
Member of Parliament for Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan
Garnett Genuis is the Member of Parliament for Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan. First elected to Parliament in 2015, MP Genuis is a long-time resident of Strathcona County, where he currently resides with his wife Rebecca, a family doctor, and their five children whom they homeschool.
During his time as a parliamentarian, Genuis has developed a reputation for being outspoken and principled. He has served in various roles in the Conservative Shadow Cabinet since 2019. Genuis is currently a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Immigration Committee. He previously served as the Vice-Chair of the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations.
Genuis holds degrees from Carleton University and the London School of Economics. He runs a weekly podcast called “Resuming Debate”, and spends any spare time reading history books and playing strategy games with his children. The family also includes a Newfoundlander dog named Grace.
Patty Marler
Media Relations Specialist at CCHE
Patty Marler is a veteran homeschooler and homeschool advocate with over two decades of homeschool experience from preschool thorough high school. Patty is passionate about supporting families and promoting homeschooling locally, provincially and nationally.
Jim Mason
HSLDA (US) - President
Since joining the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) to lead the litigation team in 2001, Jim has represented homeschooling families in a wide range of challenging situations and has set precedents that have expanded freedom for the homeschool community.
Jim became the president of HSLDA in 2022 after serving as vice president of litigation and development for seven years. In addition to penning many of the most popular articles in HSLDA’s Home School Court Report magazine, Jim has written columns for National Review, Newsmax, the Sacramento Bee, and the Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California). Jim also serves as the president of HSLDA Action and board chairman of ParentalRights.org and ParentalRightsFoundation.org.
Before coming to HSLDA, Jim represented numerous right-to-life groups in campaign finance cases and clerked for an appellate court judge in Oregon. He graduated with highest honors from Regent University School of Law in 1996. Jim is a veteran of the US Navy and served on active duty in Operation Desert Storm.
Jim and his wife Debbie live in Stephenson, Virginia. They have seven children and six grandchildren. The Masons homeschooled all of their children through high school. In his spare time, Jim is an avid bird watcher.
Dr. Joseph Woodard
Director of Research at CCHE
Dr. Woodard earned a B.A. in Political Philosophy at the University of Alberta, and M.A. degrees at both Dalhousie and St John’s with a focus on the Great Books. He holds Greek and Latin diplomas from Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from Claremont. His extensive career includes fifteen years as a faculty member and academic at Bethany College and Brock University, fifteen years in journalism working with Alberta Report and the Calgary Herald, as well as his most recent eleven-year tenure as a tribunal judge with Employment Insurance and Citizenship Canada.
Dr. Woodard is very passionate about parent-led education, and he and his wife Kathy have enjoyed their own homeschooling experience with their ten children. Anyone can do research, but we want someone who understands the world of home education, and Dr. Woodard definitely does!
In addition to his own educational background in the classics and the standards for the Great Books curriculum, Dr. Woodard has a particular interest in developing clarity and research on topics such as homeschool curriculum and standardized testing. He believes there is a great need for current research on home education for the purposes of greater public advocacy as well as a need for stronger internal communications within the home education community, particularly as the homeschooling world diversifies. Dr. Woodard plans to collaborate with the Home School Legal Defence Association in conducting some of this future research.
Steph Morrison
Homeschool Marketing Specialist
Steph has over 10 years of experience in the marketing field working with businesses and organizations in various industries. Her love of all things marketing, along with her desire to see more parents take on the rewarding responsibility of education their children, keeps her motivated to seek out unique and effective ways to reach parents with the good news of homeschooling!
Steph, her husband Rob, and their two boys are perfectly placed in the prairies of Saskatchewan. She loves being a homebody and building up her permaculture property.
Peter Stock
Executive Director at CCHE
Peter Stock is the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Home Education (CCHE). For several years, Peter developed expertise in several areas of policy but his primary focus remained on making or improving the law, and usually with legislation designed to protect children and families. His experience with public policy, from conception to implementation, naturally progressed into protecting and promoting home education. Peter and his wife, Tarah, have been homeschooling their four children for over 10 years.
Ivan Cyr
Homeschool Advocate
Ivan Cyr is married to his lovely wife, Angela. By God's grace and provision, they homeschooled their two children who went on to earn respective University degrees and are living fruitfully as God's children. They are also grandparents to a beautiful granddaughter and anticipate the arrival of another granddaughter in January. Ivan is an Air Canada pilot and a business owner of Inteck3d which provides drafting and architectural views of construction and renovation projects. Homeschooling was God's calling in raising their children. The answer to that call has blessed them more than they ever could have imagined and with that calling came a passion to be involved in their homeschooling culture of Alberta and then for the last 19 years, in Quebec. As culture shifts and changes within our communities, the foundation of faith and Christian culture remain the same. With a new calling to encourage and equip future generations of homeschooling, Ivan and Angela remain present and active in the homeschooling culture of Canada.
TEEN PROGRAM
Bring your teens along to be equipped to defend God’s Word and advance the gospel of Christ in their community and around the world through the avenue of media. This professionally developed program will focus on the Christian worldview of history and science and arm your teens with knowledge that grounds them in their faith. Some of the most controversial topics will be presented with a sound defense of biblical truth.
Two sessions will be devoted to media production where youth will learn how to craft a script, build a set, select lighting, shoot, and edit a dynamic video.
Teen Program Speakers
Calvin Smith
Answers in Genesis–Canada Executive Director
Calvin has spoken at churches across Canada, and internationally, on creation apologetics since 2001. He is well known for his ability to engage audiences of all ages and to communicate theological concepts and scientific information in an easy-to-understand manner.
Calvin is the host of Creation Basics—a five-minute show designed to make God’s creation part of your everyday conversation. He hosts and produces the GREAT Conversations podcast. Both provide a compact dose of apologetic content tackling relevant social, science and Bible related issues. Calvin also writes and produces weekly longer feature videos available on several media platforms to help equip Christians and challenge the non-believer to trust the authority of the Word of God.
Joshua McKenna
Answers in Genesis–Head of Media Production (Canada)
Joshua, a homeschool graduate, is a media specialist involved in all aspects of video production- lighting, set design, audio/video recording, graphic design, branding and editing. He is the technical producer of the 10-part video series The Genesis Account of Noah’s Ark as well as the 7-part Freakshow series.
Joshua contributes to the production of all AiG CA media content, supervising and reviewing the other AiG CA video editor’s productions in addition to his other duties.
PRIME LOCATION VENUE
Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport
This hotel and conference centre is conveniently located close to the Calgary International Airport (free shuttle) and several top attractions. You can enjoy the various services and activities within the hotel (spa, pool, sauna, bicycle rental) as well as the many attractions close to the hotel (Aero Park, Calgary Zoo, Gasoline Alley Museum).
Address: 2875 SUNRIDGE WAY NE, CALGARY, ALBERTA,
Phone: 1-866-716-8133
Special Conference Room Rates: $114 per night (standard) if booked by September 12, 2023
SCHEDULE
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Drumheller & Badlands Tour
8:00 AM – Bus leaves the hotel
Join Ray Strom (Geochemist), Stephen Cheung (Geologist), and Calvin Smith (AiG CA Executive Director) on a trip to the famous Alberta Badlands to observe real-life fossil finds and learn the theological connection between the Rock of Ages and the age of rocks and fossils in a Christian worldview.
Your registration price also includes a visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. This is a world-famous dinosaur museum that has mind-blowing exhibits like no other. Join our 3 leaders and engage in conversations concerning how various worldviews influence our interpretation of facts concerning earthly and spiritual things.
Friday, September 29, 2023
Schedule starts at 8:00 AM
View the Conference Schedule.
Saturday, September 30, 2023
Schedule starts at 8:00 AM
View the Conference Schedule.
Banquet dinner with live entertainment by Joy Robinson
REGISTRATION
Before September 9, 2023
Adults $200
Youth $150
Between September 10-17, 2023
Adults $250
Youth $200
Registration closes September 17, 2023
PLEASE NOTE: Registration fees include conference materials, Badlands bus tour, Friday lunch, attendance to our banquet dinner on Saturday, as well as coffee breaks. Hotel rooms are NOT included in the registration fees.
