In Advisory, we have done an activity called “Core Competent Canadians,” where we match one of the core competencies to a notable Canadian figure, living or dead.

Before the activity, I had learned about the core competencies via reflections and self-assessments that I’ve done for my regular classes. In those cases, I mostly only knew what the competencies were and abstract examples of what they were, not examples of the competencies in practice. For example, I knew that Positive Personal and Cultural Identity features relationships and cultural context, but I didn’t know what this would mean in an actual situation. The activity helped me learn examples of the core competencies in the real world.

Core competencies such as Communication and Personal Awareness and Responsibility for example have obvious uses in life, as socializing and taking care of yourself respectively are very important. Competencies like Critical Thinking are very useful in school (and in the future, work) in situations such as problem solving and projects. Overall, in their own way, the competencies help you succeed in life.