Youth empowerment can assist them in realizing the value of education and how it contributes to the nation’s socioeconomic advancement. The empowered youngsters may provide basic, secondary, and even postsecondary institutions with educational amenities. Accelerating the feeling of patriotism in the school sector is youth academic empowerment. The youth who have gained authority understand the value of education. Due to the academic empowerment, they acquired, many people donated scholarships to students because they recognized the importance of education. Philopateer Christian College is an advocate of youth empowerment as the best way to prepare for the world of the future.
Philopateer Christian College is a Pre-K to Grade 12 institution that was established in 1999 by the Egyptian Coptic Community in Mississauga, Ontario. During its first academic year, approximately 40 students from kindergarten to 8th grade were educated in the basement of the Canadian Coptic Centre. As enrollment increased over time and high school education was added, the school was moved to a larger building in 2009. Graduates of this school have gone on to study at notable colleges both domestically and abroad, and have achieved success in their respective fields, taking on leadership positions around the world.
The aim of Philopateer Christian College is to cultivate well-rounded leaders who emulate their master. This is accomplished by helping students discover and nurture their God-given abilities in a supportive environment under the guidance of highly qualified teachers.
Making college more affordable
From its inception, the founding members of Philopateer Christian College held a common vision of providing top-notch and comprehensive education at an affordable cost, with the goal of positively impacting students’ lives. By making education accessible to a wider range of students, the school also opens up opportunities for fundraising and sponsorships, allowing students facing financial challenges to have equal access to the same opportunities as their peers.
“Our students are our ambassadors! We always tell them their success is our success, and we encourage them to dream big because when they do, they can be all they can be! Our students today are our doctors, our engineers, and business entrepreneurs, and this year they even became our politicians; THEY ARE OUR FUTURE!!!“- provokes Principle of PCC.
Meet Principle of PCC, Phoebe Wasfy
One of Canada’s fastest-growing private schools and a well-known ACSI member, Philopateer Christian College (PCC), is led by Phoebe A. Wasfy, who also serves as its principal. She moved to North America at the age of nine and was born in Alexandria, Egypt. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Religious Studies and History from University of Toronto in 2002. She has graduated from D’Youville College in New York, USA, with a professional degree in education in 2004. She completed her Principal Qualification Courses (PQC) in 2011, and added certifications in “reading,” “history,” “religious studies,” and “teaching kindergarten through grade 12” in 2012. She completed a Higher Education Teaching Certificate at Harvard University in the United States in 2019 after receiving her Master of Education (MEd) from the University of Western, Ontario, in 2014.
Phoebe participates actively in both the Ontario Principals Council and the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) (OPC). She received the Arab Women of Excellence Awards in Academia from Life Transformation Academy thanks to her passion for learning and her active participation in the area (Calgary, Alberta – Canada). Since 2017, Phoebe has been on the board of ACSI-Eastern Canada. She serves as an adjunct faculty member for the Canadian Coptic Center’s Youth Ministry Certification Program (YMCP), which is administered in partnership with YouthTrain, New Zealand.
Fostering leadership and professional development
Phoebe is committed to promoting leadership and professional development among her colleagues and enjoys interacting with students, parents, and other teachers. She manages multiple projects and is responsible for coordinating the school’s international humanitarian trips for students, and collaborating with foreign nations, international aid agencies, and charitable organizations. Recently, she initiated the first fundraising campaign for the Egyptian President’s Decent Life Project, which was run by a group of 16- and 17-year-old students. Additionally, she established officially recognized Arabic lessons as part of the Etkalem Arabi Presidential Program in Egypt.
Problem Evolving into Opportunity
Philopateer Christian College used the pandemic as an opportunity to use technology to extend the institution globally. It has opened its high school campus in the virtual world, drawing students from around the world. In order to prepare students for trends in post-secondary education, it also made use of technology to provide examinations both in-person and online. Smart boards and video conferencing equipment are also provided in the classrooms so that students enrolled in the school’s distant education program can choose to attend live classes.
Step towards society
The following are the points that Philopateer Christian College believes will impact the world in the future and are efforts it is taking to improve society:
- Youth empowerment
- Training in youth leadership
- Opportunities for youth
People in North American society frequently overlook the fact that today’s youth will serve as tomorrow’s leaders. PCC does not provide a space for them to dream and fight for their dreams because it makes everything easy and attainable for them; instead, it has led students in raising funds for NGOs and doing humanitarian work in various parts of the world over the years. PCC has witnessed the potential of young people when given the chance.
Acknowledged for the best
Philopateer Christian College has been named “Best Private School” in Mississauga for four consecutive years. One of its graduates, Phoebe, was recognized with the Arab Women of Excellence Awards in Academia from Life Transformation Academy, in recognition of her passion for learning and her active involvement in the field. She was also selected to attend the 2018 World Youth Forum in Sharm ElSheikh, Egypt. In 2019 and 2020, Phoebe was nominated for the Order of Ontario, a highly prestigious honor bestowed by the Province of Ontario and its Governor General for exceptional community service. Additionally, she was honored with The Universal Women Network’s “Woman of Inspiration: Vision Builder” Award in 2020 and Oxygen Media Production’s “Most Inspiration Woman of the Year” award in 2021.
Phoebe has also received recognition for her remarkable career accomplishments and commitment to professional integrity by being included in The Marquis Who’s Who in America. The Vision Builder Women of Inspiration Award for 2021 was given to her as well. She received another Woman of Inspiration Award from Oxygen Media Limited in May 2022.
Venture into the Future
Philopateer Christian College takes its vision seriously and strives to ensure that students not only learn in an inspiring environment that motivates them to excel but also reach their full potential. This is achieved by offering a range of academic programs and extracurricular activities that focus on both local and global engagement. These opportunities help students grow, develop, and achieve their goals. It teaches the students to maintain balance and participate fully.
Philopateer Christian College aims to build physical campuses all over the world in the future. The first step toward realizing this objective is the virtual high school, which is currently in discussions with authorities to determine how to do so.
Written by Steve Sanchez.
