TVO's Your Voice examines urban Aboriginal education in northern Ontario

- Program available online at tvoparents.com beginning April 2, and broadcast on TVO April 4 at 6 pm

TORONTO, March 31 /CNW/ - Can First Nations children in northern Ontario cities get a first rate education? And what can be done for those that lag behind? TVO's Your Voice with host Cheryl Jackson was at the Timmins Native Friendship Centre on March 20 to record a program examining issues affecting Aboriginal students in urban centres in northern Ontario. Guest experts from northern Ontario's Aboriginal community joined Cheryl to discuss topics ranging from the availability of services to the challenges kids face when they leave reserves for the city.

"Aboriginal families in northern Ontario cities have some very unique challenges for child development and equal access to services and education," says Cheryl Jackson. "In our show in Timmins we looked particularly at the issue of kids who come from northern reserves and are sometimes two or three years behind other kids in city schools. How do you close those gaps?"

Joining Cheryl for the discussion will be District School Board Ontario North East trustee Howard Archibald, Aboriginal school board liaison worker Jamie Corstin, and professor Emily Faries of the University of Sudbury.

This program will be available online at tvoparents.com beginning Friday April 2, and broadcast on TVO on Sunday April 4 at 6 pm.

About Your Voice

Your Voice is TVO's discussion series and an online resource for parents of children under the age of 12. Host Cheryl Jackson talks to leading experts in child development and education, to help you help your children succeed in school. New programs are available online at tvoparents.com every Friday, and on air on TVO Sundays at 6 pm. At tvoparents.com you'll find Cheryl's interviews, plus articles, research, links, and other resources. You can also take a poll or a quiz, join a discussion, and send questions you would like answered on upcoming shows.

About TVO

TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. For more information, visit tvo.org.

Where to find TVO

Cable channel 2 (channel may vary in some areas), Bell TV channel 265, Shaw Direct channel 353.

For further information: Media Contacts: Paul Ginis, TVO Communications, [phone] ext. 2445, [email protected]; Angela Garde, TVO Communications, [phone] x2305, [email protected]