Jackie Borosa

A Reminder from Carl “It is well within our power to destroy our civilization, and perhaps our species as well. If we capitulate to superstition, or greed, or stupidity, we can plunge our world into a darkness deeper than the time between the collapse of classical civilization and the Italian Renaissance. But we are also capable of using our compassion and our intelligence, our technology and our wealth, to make an abundant and meaningful life for every inhabitant of this planet, to enhance enormously our understanding of the universe and to carry us to the stars.”

Leadership is collective work. At Foundations, new leaders in their first two to five years in the role can learn more about leadership as a systemic, relational practice. July 2-4 at our 2026 location, UBC Okanagan. bit.ly/BCP_FNSL

For decades, First Nations people in British Columbia knew their ancestral homes—villages forcibly emptied in the late 1800s—were great places to forage for traditional foods like hazelnuts, crabapples, cranberries, and hawthorn.⁠ ⁠ A 2021 study revealed that isolated patches of fruit trees and berry bushes in the region's hemlock and cedar forests were deliberately planted by Indigenous peoples in and around their settlements more than 150 years ago. It's one of the first times such "forest gardens" have been identified outside the tropics, and it shows that people were capable of changing forests in long-lasting, productive ways.⁠ Learn more on #InternationalDayOfForests: scim.ag/4dtVm9Q

For many educational leaders, the question is not whether to engage with AI, but how to stay grounded while navigating its complexities and tensions. This 4-part learning series explores how relational approaches to AI can work in sustainable ways bit.ly/BCP_AI

May 16, 1963. Gordon Cooper was orbiting Earth alone inside a capsule barely big enough to turn around in, moving at 17,500 miles per hour. He had been up there for over a day. Then the warnings started. First a faulty sensor screaming that the ship was falling — it wasn't. He switched it off. Then something far worse: a short circuit knocked out the entire automated guidance system. The one that kept the capsule steady. The one that was supposed to bring him home. Without it, reentry was nearly impossible. Too shallow an angle and the capsule would bounce off the atmosphere back into space. Too steep and it would incinerate. The margin for error was razor thin — and every computer that was supposed to hit that margin was dead. Down on the ground, NASA engineers watched the telemetry in silence. They could see everything going wrong. They could fix nothing. Cooper didn't panic. He uncapped a grease pencil and drew lines directly on the inside of his window to track the horizon. He looked up at the stars he had spent months memorizing and used their positions to orient the ship by eye. Then he set his wristwatch. Because when you have no computers left, you become the computer. At exactly the right moment — calculated in his head, confirmed by the stars outside — he fired the retrorockets. The capsule shook. The sky turned to fire. For several minutes, no one on Earth could reach him as plasma swallowed the ship whole. Then the parachutes opened. Faith 7 hit the water just four miles from the recovery ship — the single most accurate splashdown in the entire Mercury program. The man with a wristwatch and a few pencil marks on a window had outperformed every automated system NASA had. We talk a lot about technology saving us. And it often does. But Cooper's story is a quiet reminder that behind every machine, there still has to be a human being who can look out the window, think clearly under pressure, and decide what to do next. The final backup was never the software. It was him.

Do you want to master working well AND living well? The 2026 Connecting Leaders Conference welcomes award-winning psychology and education behaviorist Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe on October 23 in Vancouver. Find out more, early bird registration is open! bit.ly/BCP_CL26

Today we wish a special Nowruz to all those who celebrate. May this be a day of hope, strength, and light.

Happiness does not come closer to you when you chase it, because chasing assumes it is missing. Most people try to fix their moods. Instead, fix how you perceive your pain. When your mind keeps asking, "Did I get enough?" peace and joy cannot stay. Happiness is not excitement. It is stability. You enjoy what comes, but you do not depend on it. Pleasure visits. Pain visits. You welcome both. This does not make life dull. It makes it lighter and more balanced. Nothing owns you, so nothing can shake you. 24/7 happiness is not a smile. It is the absence of inner noise when approval stops feeding you and fear stops driving you. You do not feel high. You feel free. That freedom is happiness that does not expire. ***** This winter, I brought to life something that has lived in my imagination for years—the first annual print edition of The Gurdeep Magazine. It features writing from other contributors alongside my own work. If you feel called to hold this warmth of printed words in your hands, visit Gurdeep.ca/magazine.

How Finland solved homelessness

Our Peter Johnson connected with educators in #SD40 New Westminster for "Aspire", our program that supports building leadership capacity for aspiring and new-to-role school leaders. Thank you to the senior leaders who facilitated: it was great to come together for this learning!

Everyday Resiliency is something that we build and foster. Explore the five pillars with award-winning psychology and education behaviorist Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe on October 23 as part of the Oct 22-24 Connecting Leaders Conference in Vancouver. bit.ly/BCP_CL26

I’m proud of the work that the @GirlsAlliance is doing to support 250 grassroots projects to empower more than 160,000 girls in 50 countries. This #InternationalWomensDay, I hope you’ll join us in helping change the lives of more girls around the world: gofundme.org/girls-opportun…

Happy International Women's Day! Today is a day to honour and celebrate the women that are important in our lives. Women's Day has been observed for over 100 years and serves as a reminder of the struggles that women face across the world.

The first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, the first individual to be awarded two Nobel Prizes and still today the only individual with two Nobel Prizes in two different scientific categories: Marie Skłodowska Curie. Skłodowska Curie developed the term radioactivity, discovered the chemical elements polonium and radium and contributed to develop new cancer treatments. For her scientific dedication and remarkable breakthroughs, she was awarded the 1903 physics prize and the 1911 chemistry prize. Learn more: bit.ly/4qGyRS1 #InternationalWomensDay

Women who have changed the world. #InternationalWomensDay

Tiny urban forests can help #rewild urban settings and help fight #climatechange. The brainchild of the Japanese botanist Miyawaki is taking his idea global. We have so many solutions. Implement them. #ActOnClimate #climate #forests #nature #biodiversity

It was great to connect with our Indigenous Leadership Advisory Committee after a busy school day yesterday - this committee advises the Board on matters relating to Indigenous leadership. We appreciate and value their perspectives and ideas!

“There was a time early in my leadership journey, when I realized something was missing in how I was engaging teachers." Dr. Lucinda Wolters reflects on how she came to realize that identity is important in leadership. Read here: bcpvpa.insite.com/files/web/83d4…

As waves meet the shore and forest paths invite pause, at Leading a Culture of Learning, you will have a space to reflect, to listen, and to re-imagine. Join us April 30 to May 2 at the Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort. Learn more here: bcpvpa.insite.com/files/sites/bc…

For many educators, we “do” school the way we experienced school because it worked for us, without thinking about all of those students for whom school is associated with failure. Sadly, these are often our most vulnerable students. Read more: bcpvpa.insite.com/files/web/83d4…