Continuing education opportunities abound

River East

Transcona

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This article was published 13/09/2023 (945 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As elementary, junior high and high-school students returned to classrooms this month, opportunities are also abound for lifelong learning in River East Transcona School Division.

“I’m excited about all of it,” said Naomi Kruse, programming co-ordinator for RETLife, RETSD’s continuing education department, of the department’s fall programs. “It’s been a fun summer, getting some instructors and partnering with different organizations throughout the city.”

According to Kruse, RETLife works to “provide the community at large with opportunities for recreation and leisure programming, as well as keep a strong focus on professional development.”

On tap for the fall are a number of mainstays, including babysitting certification for teens, cooking classes, adult fitness and dance classes, yoga, zumba, and more. Recent additions, such as introductory and advanced drone pilot certification, are also back.

“We’re offering gym ringette for the first time, facilitated by Ringette Manitoba,” Kruse added.

Programming focused mental health and wellness has also been a priority.

“We’re offering a course for adults living with youth with mental health issues,” Kruse said. “This is a great one we want to see happen. We’re partnering with Knowles Centres to offer the generation bridge course. There’s not a lot of resources out there for when you’re feeling at odds with teens, but this three part series will hopefully give folks tools to strengthen relationships at home.”

A guided tour of Transcona’s bioreserve — titled From Brownfield to Bioreserve, and put on by FortWhyte Alive — on Oct. 3 is one in particular that Kruse hopes folks will be excited for.

“Shamefully, I live in Transcona and I knew nothing about the bioreserve before doing this tour,” Kruse said. “(But) it makes you feel hopeful for the future, when you’re presented with an ecological challenge.”

Folks who are already looking forward to Halloween are in for a particular treat, Kruse added.

“We’re also putting three classes together, just in time for Halloween,” she said. “One about telling spooky stories, another dedicated to some spooky stories from Manitoba, as well as the discover owls, where you get to meet an owl up close. We hope to see some families show up for those.”

For Kruse, the joy of meeting new folks who are willing to share their skills and passion with the community is all part of a day’s work.

“We’re so happy because the community is really connecting with us,” she said, adding programs are available not only to people living in the River East Transcona School Division’s catchment area, but all over the city and beyond.

“We have a strong instruction team, whether it’s a community member, teacher, or local organization or business. We’re trying to make sure we’re giving people the opportunity to grow and learn at whatever level they might be at. Even for myself, this has been a tremendous learning opportunity for the richness of what exists in Winnipeg. It’s such a cool city with so many cool things happening all the time.”

To learn more, or to register for an upcoming program or workshop, visit retlife.ca