Education Equalizes Society

 Education is society's most effective lever for equality. It arms people with the ability to think critically, contribute meaningfully, and rise beyond limitation of their circumstances. From the classroom to the boardroom, education empowers individuals with the confidence and competence to participate fully in society.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. - Nelson Mandela

In every community, and across every industry we see the same truth repeated: opportunity is not evenly distributed but education has the power to shift that. Education is a structured path out of generational cycles. It's the spark that ignites someone's potential. It s the training ground where quiet strength and untapped brilliance are brought to life.

Education doesn't stop with formal learning, it continues with how we manage our people. We must ask ourselves;

            Are we developing our teams for the runway ahead?

            Can they not only do this job they're in today but the next role after that?

            Am I doing what's needed as a leader to prepare them for my role and beyond?

If your employee turned in their updated resume every six months, would it reflect growth? Would it show new skills, greater confidence, and deeper impact?

That's the True Test of Leadership!

We must want our people to succeed, whether they stay or go. That's how we build a culture of excellence, mentorship, and shared success. When we pour into people with intention, we create leaders who will carry that forward through our teams, our industry, and our community.

Sacred Spaces

 Ever wonder why you seem so distracted? Take a look around your workspace. Is it Messy?

Messy workspace = unfinished business = unnecessary stress.

When your working area is in disarray you may feel defeated before you even get started.

What experience are you creating with your guest?

What impression are we giving when we work so hard to build rapport?

Their visual sensory is taking in all the information it sees leaving imprints on the interaction as distractions, chaos, unorganized, and unprofessional in hopes you get it right with their vehicle.

Do you swear in church? Or sing hymns in a bar? NO. If it doesn’t belong in your sacred working space then you need to remove it.

Whether you’re showing the space to a new employee, or a visit from clientele, having a clean workspace can create a strong first impression, improving morale and attract or retain clientele.

          Your workspace influences your behaviour and shapes your interactions.

I used to think clutter just meant I was busy.

Until one day, I paused—and really looked around.

Scattered tools, papers, and wrappers weren’t just mess. They were silent distractions. Little stress signals. And proof I’d started treating my space like it was ordinary.

But this space is not ordinary.

This is where important things happen. Guests form first impressions here. Teammates build trust here.

We build relationships—sacred bonds—in the middle of all this.

When I cleared the clutter, something changed: 💡 My focus sharpened. 🛠️ Tools were easier to find. 🧠 My mind calmed down. 🤝 People responded to me with more trust and ease. Clean spaces aren't just tidy—they’re powerful. They shape how we think, work, and connect. They say: “I care. This matters.” This isn’t just a work area. This is a sacred space. And how we treat it, reflects how we show up for each other.

Foreign Workers

In the speed of the day – we need to consider the Values of others.

As some of our workplaces have adopted foreign workers in our environment we need to remember their upbringing has shaped their values and work behaviours.

One major challenge international workers face is adapting to new work systems and culture while striving to integrate seamlessly into their new environment. Many foreign workers bring deeply ingrained learning experiences from their home countries, which may differ significantly from our Western ways.

Initially they feel a sense of isolation in the workplace, where engaging in conversation may feel daunting and joining a conversation with others is challenging; the most one may feel comfortable with is to wave and for you to acknowledge their presence.

For these experiences we highlight the importance of creating an environment where international workers feel safe, supported, and included.

5 Strategies for Inclusivity

1 Authority

International workers approach interactions with leaders with profound respect, influenced by cultures that value authority and rules. This deep respect leads to reserved behaviour, hindering participation. They will not advocate for themselves as this is disrespectful.

To address this, leaders need to empower international workers to express themselves more freely. One approach is to adjust tone of communication to be less stern and serious, creating a more welcoming atmosphere. For example – just like engaging with an old friend.

2 Language Barrier

Foreign workers come from working backgrounds where autonomy was not encouraged and may struggle to the interactive and participatory environment. They are sensitive to others’ evaluations and doubt their ability to communicate clearly. For this, provide alternative avenues for communication- like writing an email.

3 Feedback

Foreign workers may not be familiar with the process of feedback. They have often been taught to get it right the first time.

Emphasize that feedback is a way to help them improve their work and is not a personal attack. Try, “my job here is to make you better, I see that if you tried it this way you could save 5 mins off your time.”

4 Peer Support

Foreign workers often fear being judged by their leaders if they ask questions that reveal their lack of understanding. Have them seek assistance from a peer or designate a peer mentor to help them through the unfamiliar.

5 Belonging

In Western Canada we are very independent workers while in other parts of the world are collaborative thinkers. Find a balance for them to collaborate their thoughts when they require assistance.

Gravesend

 First step off the train and I thought, WOW these are my people. I felt right at home. The cute brick houses have so much character, the streets are quiet, and it feels warm and welcoming.

Although one downside once at the hotel. The Wi-Fi sucks. Now I feel like I have travelled back in time as I have no phone service and no internet connection. What am I going to do?

For one, this post is written on a word document. Two, I guess we’ll watch TV as a family! And three, the park across the parking lot is gorgeous, lush green; “American Football” here we come. For the brits, we will be throwing the oblong football, I think they call it rugby, we did not bring the round kicking soccer ball!

When we approached the hotel from the back side, I thought I was staying in a dump, and quickly wanted to rescind my decision. I miss not having a fridge, microwave, or toaster. But there is a kettle and tea! This arrival cup of tea is delicious and tastes like another.

We met up with my cousin Liam and his daughter Izzy for a pub night where we enjoyed trivia till late. Good ol’ fashioned fun with our kids at the night pub with us.

Our full day in Meopham area was spent view a Manor and its garden grounds. Absolutely stunning and the kids enjoyed themselves as well. Next, we went to a pub for lunch and whipped around on some country roads. I truly thought I was going to be in a car accident and was trying to sort out the ways I could receive medical treatment as a tourist. Brad suggested I was comical in the back seat. The road is about wide enough for 1.5 cars and only 1 in some parts as it was so narrow.

We made out alright on the high-speed train to travel from South England to Northern England. Each train we rode on had a table and four seat facing each other for our family to enjoy. And yes, the lush green rolling hills, cute brick houses, sheep, cattle, and wind turbines were all along the train. Quite lovely to view along the train. I definitely took several pictures of brick houses, and rolling green hills with the odd sheep on it!

Disney Paris

26,000 steps later and we have officially seen the sights Disney Paris has to offer.

Would I go back?

No.

Although the park is smaller and condensed compared to Disney California the rides are at a minimal. Each ride had a 40 minute or longer suggested wait time, but that was more like an hour or more. The boys, at 10 and 12, were not interested in waiting in the lines as the rides were not quite worth the wait.

Disney Paris offers express entrance to the rides at a premium rate, but I was advised by many travelers this was not required. After being there, I would highly recommend this given the chance to repeat the experience.

My personal favorite ride here is the same as my favorite ride in California, Star Tours, where you enter a space shuttle buckle up and C-3PO takes you on an exhilarating ride through space simulation with near misses to crashing the ship!

Owen’s favorite ride was the Tower of Terror! An elevator that shoots you up and drops you leaving your stomach at the top while on repeat. Quite a disgusting feeling I might add.

Erik’s favorite ride was Indiana Jones, a small rollercoaster that went upside down and whipped you around for sixty seconds and then complete! My head smashed into the support bars several times making it not so much fun.

Brad’s favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean, where we boarded a boat and tried to spot Jack Sparrow throughout the ride with drops in the water to bring you a minor thrill of excitement.

We watched the parade, ate dinner, and headed back to our flat via light rail.

The Facts

 Paris is busy.

The monuments are humungous.

Restaurants are tiny.

Living spaces are small.

People are ignorant.

Your bubble is continuously invaded.

Theressa you would understand.

Public washrooms are at a minimum.

Information overload.

Incomprehensible number of restaurants.

Expensive.

Walking. Walking. Walking.

And the coffee is long, black, and ohhh so bitter.

Touristy Paris

 Started the day with a cold shower, not on purpose, woke up at 9am after the jet leg kicked in and we were completely asleep. Actually, we were awoken at 2am to a man trying to get into our apartment! To be expected, I guess, I booked us an apartment in the night life district of town. Not just night though, the Parisien's are here all day as well, it's a happening street to be! I would assume this supposed intruder partied too hard and could not remember his door after the long hike up the winding staircase.

Upon getting everyone ready we headed to the river and boarded the hop-on hop-off bus tour. My initial thought was let's hop on a bus and let it do all the work for us. I can tell you that is not the case. By the time I arrived back at the apartment six hours later, my legs were tired of walking. That being said, YES, that is the way to see the city of Paris, as the main attractions are soooo spread apart, this makes it easier to get from A-B.

Today Notre Dame was our first stop as we ventured through the Louvre yesterday. Click-Click and then thought let's walk to the Pantheon! You know the bus is doing all the work so let's journey further than where it drops us off! HA! silly us. We did not make it, we turned around after fifteen minutes and hopped back on the bus. Next stop was the Arc De Triomphe! Intense! I do not know how many lanes round-a-bout that was but it seemed dangerous to get to the middle, but of course there were people running in front of cars to complete the task. 

This area of Paris is cobblestone streets and high-end shopping called Champs-Elysees. Aside from the cobblestone street, this area of town reminded me of New York City 5th Avenue. Jenika you would be in so much debt after coming to Paris.

We were scammed at the Eiffel Tower. Cost us 40 Euros to have our picture taken by a vendor selling Eiffel Towers, in return for 40 Euros he provided us with mini take home towers. I guess we paid for the experience.

Finding a toilet in Paris next to impossible. Toilets are for paying customers only. I swear no one drinks water in this city. I want to say it took nearly an hour before I was finally allowed to pee in a hair shop. No coffee for me tomorrow morning and no water before dinner.

I see why Parisien's are considered ignorant. Anywhere you walk there are cyclists, mopeds, motorbikes, buses, and cars and everyone is going where they want when they want. Honking and screaming is normal. I enjoyed watching regular citizens cut in front of the Police and nothing happen. Not sure what the laws are but in consideration of this thought maybe this is where I need to get my full license!

Paris style burrito tacos were eaten in the apartment. Everything tastes a little different in another country but we managed. After food and drink we ventured out into the bustlen street. Not many streets over and we were in a homeless area. A quick U-turn and we found ourselves inside the Museum of Art History. A strange Museum. A large two courtyard building with apartments lining the top rectangular perimeter along with several patrons enjoying a glass of wine in the covered area. Strange. A very strange occurrence.

And now to rest and prepare for another day of walking!