The Connections Course offers an innovative way of connecting people. It arose out of the author’s education, a BSW from the University of Calgary and an MBA in Community Economic Development from Cape Breton University, her career history, and her belief that we are all connected at a level that is both simple, complex and universal.

The author did not just do the empirical research culminating in this idea but worked with children in government care as a foster parent to 164 kids for almost four decades and front line caseworker for six years. She drew from those experiences when putting this concept together. Body position is so important when speaking with a child/youth who has experienced trauma. Side by side walking outdoors while playing a distracting game becomes the ideal space for discussing hard topics while the elder models active listening; the child/ youth feels heard and valued and begins to trust the adult. There-in is the process of breaking the cycle as they learn how to parent their offspring.

Electronic devises have made our lives easier in many ways but along with them came social problems like access to pornography, sub cultures, and gaming addictions along with an increased propensity to treat our bodies as commodities. We need to curb this and put balance back into our lives. These devices have created disconnection and disconnection creates loneliness. Kids sometimes use devices as a form of ‘armor’ discouraging face-to-face interactions with other.