The Fourth R
2023 Fourth R Award Recipients
By:
Susan Dale
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Chantal Wade and Julie French, two exemplary leaders in education, have been presented with this year’s Ray Hughes Fourth R Champion awards.
Conferred annually, these awards recognize individuals and/or groups who steward implementation of a Fourth R program in their school or community to foster healthy youth relationships and reduce risk behaviours.
Chantal Wade is the Mental Health Leader for the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO). CEPEO was the first French First Language school board in Canada to implement the Fourth R board-wide in French, under the direction of Chantal, a Fourth R Master Trainer. Chantal has been a long time supporter of the Fourth R program, dating back over a decade. She was instrumental in assisting with the first French translation of the Fourth R as well as coordinating teacher trainings and cultural adaptations. She was integral in selecting the appropriate French translated name for the Fourth R - L’ABC des relations saines. “We were very fortunate that we were able to collaborate with Chantal as we have greatly benefited from her wisdom and guidance,” added Ray Hughes, one of the co-founders of the Fourth R and a former educator with 30+ years’ teaching experience.
Julie French, an educator at Heritage Woods Secondary School in Port Moody, BC has spearheaded the implementation, revision and coordination of teaching the Fourth R program in her school district. “She works tirelessly on revising and adapting lessons so that they fit in the time frame of our blocks, and she has also been a great resource in the district when people are inquiring and wanting to institute the program into their schools. She is consistently advocating for the Fourth R program course and the importance of getting trained in the program,” explained Shaunna Martin, a Fourth R Master Trainer. Julie’s colleagues identified her as the gold standard for implementing for the Fourth R program in schools in the Coquitlam School District.
The Fourth R is a program designed for educators and other frontline professionals working with youth and housed within the Centre for School Mental Health at Western University’s Faculty of Education. Fourth R initiatives use best-practice approaches to target forms of violence, including bullying, dating violence, peer violence and group violence, and provide opportunities to engage students in developing healthy relationships and decision-making skills.
Two Ray Hughes Fourth R Champion awards are presented each June, after a process that invites nominations for a standout teacher and individual or group. From the nominations, an adjudication committee comprising the four founders of the Fourth R – Claire Crooks, Ray Hughes, Peter Jaffe and David Wolfe – selects the year’s recipients based on nominee merit according to the award terms.
