CASAA | About Us

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General Information
The Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisors (CASAA) is made up of junior and senior high school student advisors. CASAA is a registered not-for-profit educational association in Canada.

The Canadian Activity Advisors' Association also provides help for those advisors who are seeking assistance, ideas, and resources so that they can become more effective in their responsibilities. One ongoing form of support is the CASAA newsletter, Above and Beyond. The newsletter is sent free of charge, three times a year to over 3200 schools across Canada.

A CASAA membership allows a school or advisor to attend the national conference, receive discounts on the purchase of CASAA resources, and obtain discounts from certain companies. One of the benefits of membership is the CASAA e-letter which is sent monthly. Advisors receive information and resources in the form of a pdf attachment.

This CASAA website, the first student leadership site on the Internet, continues to provide a vibrant forum for advisors and students to share and find ideas and information about student leadership and activities.

Mission and Goals
The mission is to promote and develop student leadership and activities within Canadian high schools. Our goal is to:

• to facilitate the professional growth of Student Activity Advisors by

   helping to equip them with the resources, ideas, and support to

   become effective trainers of student leaders

• to encourage across Canada the sharing and exchange of ideas

   pertaining to student activities

• to support the organization and growth of provincial associations of

   Student Activity Advisors

• to promote actively the concept of student leadership

Code of Ethics

CASAA adopted the following Code of Ethics for its members in January 2009.

The Code of Ethics of the CASAA defines the guiding moral principles and values of Student Activity Advisors in Canada.

As CASAA members in Canada, we:

act in a professional and ethical manner when attending CASAA events such as CSLC and provincial association events

consider first the well-being and leadership development of every student leader in our care

are honest and conduct ourselves with integrity

work cooperatively with other educators and associated professionals in education

engage in and promote to our student leaders lifelong learning, leadership development and global citizenship

faithfully carry out all duties as specified by governing bodies

support CASAA’s vision for student leadership and advisor development

Governing Structure of the Association
The Association is run by a Board of Directors which consists of a four-member Executive, a director from each province and territory of Canada, a director-at-large to represent the francophone community, an Executive Director and a publication and communication representative.

The Board of Directors holds two meetings a year, once during the annual Canadian Student Leadership Conference (CSLC) and once during the spring.

At the April 1993 meeting of the Board held in Winnipeg, the Board appointed its first Executive Director. A job description was established for this position. The Executive Director is expected to work closely with the President of the Board to handle the day-to-day affairs of the Association.

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History
In 1983, the students and staff of the Yorkton (in Saskatchewan, Canada) Regional High School was invited to host the annual provincial leadership conference of 1985. A year later the Premier of Saskatchewan, the Hon. Grant Devine, challenged the Yorkton students to turn the 1985 provincial conference into a national conference. This would be one of Saskatchewan's contributions to the 1985 International Year of the Youth project.

The challenge was accepted by the students and staff of Yorkton Regional High School and the 1985 conference was held on September 18, 19, and 20 in Yorkton. Over eight hundred students and student advisors attended this conference which had for its theme "YOUTH OF TODAY — LEADERS OF TOMORROW". Not only did the people come from all across Canada, but there were strong delegations from five states south of the boarder and one delegate from Mexico City. Among the keynote speakers were Mark Scharenbroich, Pamela Wallin, Laurie Skreslet, Jack Donahue and a host of others from within and outside Canada.

The Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisors has been addressing the leadership needs of high school students and student council advisors since 1985.

The advisors at the Yorkton conference voted unanimously to support the idea of an annual leadership conference across the nation. Provinces and Northwest Territory/Yukon would be invited to host these conferences. Through the interest, effort, and commitment of these advisors, the Canadian Association of Student Government Advisors was born.

The second annual conference was hosted by Salisbury Composite High School, Sherwood Park, Alberta in August 1986. The theme of the conference was LEADERSHIP '86: SUCCESS THROUGH INVOLVEMENT. It was well-attended by delegates from coast to coast and the Territories. The advisors worked on developing a constitution and they elected the first executive of the Association. There has been continued interest, support and growth over the years. More information about the Canadian Student Leadership Conference is available.

In 1990, at the Burnaby Conference, the name of the organization was changed to the Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisors to reflect most accurately the membership of the organization. Not all members are student council advisors; on the contrary, many are responsible for overseeing other student activities in their schools.

In the first decade, the Association saw the creation of provincial student leadership organizations with similar goals and objectives as that of the national organization. In most of our provinces and in The Yukon and The Northwest Territories, annual student leadership conferences are being held.

In recent years, we have also witnessed the number of schools developing and offering leadership courses (credit and non-credit) to high school students. These courses have helped individual participants to become more knowledgeable and stronger in providing leadership in their respective schools. Both the national and provincial organizations have helped, and continue to help, to equip individual student leaders with the necessary tools to enable them to be effective leaders.

The association also provides help for those counsellors who are seeking assistance, ideas, and the like so that they can become more effective in their responsibilities. One of the programs that has been developed in some provinces is the weekend "drive-in'' conferences for advisors. This brings together counsellors from across the province to come together for a weekend to share and learn about student leadership.

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Alumni and Membership
The association continues to build up a large membership across the country. This is accomplished in three ways:

1. those who attend the national conferences each fall — automatically pay a

CASAA membership fee

2. those who renew their memberships each year

3. those who are recruited through membership drives contained in the

CASAA newsletter, Above and Beyond.

In some areas of our country, former high school students who have been active in student affairs continue to provide active support to our national and/or provincial organization.

More educators are beginning to realize the importance of co-curricular activities in their schools. Good co-curricular activities in a school makes for a happier, more productive, more caring, more respectful student body. The Association continues to grow in numbers and provides a very valuable resource to students and staff across the nation.

There is much optimism among active student advisors regarding the growth of our organization. Provincial organizations have also done marvellous things and they will surely reflect in the national scene.

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