Faculty of Education program empowers equity leaders in classrooms and communities

Ask any teacher what motivates them to educate the next generation, and most would answer with some version of, "I want to make a difference in students’ lives." Teachers want students to feel welcome and supported in their classrooms – and, in turn, they want to feel welcome and supported in the spaces they work in.

A new program from University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Education invites both current and future teachers to gain the skills required to make actionable, sustainable social change in their schools and communities.

The first of its kind for the Faculty, the Social Change in Schools Cohort is a free, non-credit program that brings together ULethbridge student teachers, faculty members, in-service teachers and administrators from across southern Alberta. The monthly workshops aim to empower participants not just to survive in the teaching profession, but to thrive as long-term equity leaders in their schools and communities.

The program is led by Faculty of Education instructor Brent Saccucci, who says he created the cohort in response to burnout among marginalized teachers, many of whom feel pushed out of the profession. "In my experience, equity-deserving teachers are far more likely to leave the profession early, and some don’t even make it through their teacher education programs," he says. "The cohort is a direct response to those realities."

Saccucci, who was recently honoured by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights with the 2025 Alberta Human Rights Champion Award, says while similar cohorts exist in other Canadian faculties of education, the ULethbridge program is unique in its focus. "Our cohort model isn’t just about social justice – it’s about social change, which focuses on dismantling systems of oppression and creating bridges across divides," he says. "We are equipping any teacher who wants to create a better world and come together and learn – across identities and social locations."

Saccucci has also brought in guests and opened up the learning to the broader campus community, recently hosting a workshop that featured a speaker from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

For students like Nicola Albarez, the cohort has been a chance to see how creating an impact can be an attainable goal. 

"It’s an opportunity to transform the desire to make a change into action," she says. "It’s an environment that invites us to be uncomfortable and brave; Brent invites us to learn with the understanding that mistakes are inevitable while learning."

Saccucci’s hope was that the cohort would be a safe place where students could build confidence and seek guidance from established mentors, but he wasn’t sure how much interest he would have for the first-year program. He was amazed when his initial call for applications last summer had 40 students apply for 2025-26.

He was pleasantly surprised by the interest of students, but says he was especially amazed by the response from in-service teachers across southern Alberta who applied to be field mentors.

"Our inspiring group of mentors includes principals, district leaders, first-year teachers and teachers from five different school divisions across the region, representing every grade and subject area," he says.

"What’s really unique about our model is the emphasis on experiential learning. These 30 mentors have come to ULethbridge from nearly every grade level and subject area across Southern Alberta schools. In some cases, field mentors have even had student-teachers come in to see what social change looks like in action."

Laurie McIntosh (BA ’01) teaches kindergarten in Lethbridge and was recently a keynote speaker at SWATCA 2026. She says she jumped at the opportunity to participate as a mentor – both to support student teachers and to improve her own practice.

"It’s important for student teachers to realize that they are not alone on this journey, and it’s equally as important for me to remember that I am supported outside our four walls and that my work matters."

The 2025–26 cohort will wrap up at the end of April – but for its participants, it’s just the beginning of a lifelong commitment to making a difference.