An annual home educators conference will return to Red Deer for the next five years.
The Alberta Home Educators Association recently signed a five-year deal to host its annual conference at Westerner Park.
Patty Marler, association president, said Red Deer is a perfect city to host the event, which has been running for more than 30 years.
This year’s three-day conference, which began Thursday, has been fantastic so far, said Marler.
“People are excited to be here and be with people they see every year to reconnect with them,” Marler said.
More than 2,500 people from across Alberta, and even some from Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan, have come to the conference, Marler said.
There were dozens of speakers at this weekend’s conference, including controversial creationist Ken Ham, author and conference speaker Heidi St. John, and writer and former pastor Todd Wilson.
Marler said all speakers, including Ham, were well received.
“We have such an amazing list of speakers,” she said. “I’ve had people tell me how encouraged they were by Ken Ham and I’ve had people tell me they were encouraged by the other 30 or 40 speakers we have.”
The goal of the event isn’t to educate, it’s to support home educators, said Marler.
“We encourage people who home educate their special needs children, we support people who home educate high school students and we support new homeschoolers,” she said.
Homeschooling in Alberta is becoming increasingly popular, she added
“Every year we see increases in the number. It’s the one form of education that just keeps increasing,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way for parents to … give a good, strong, solid education to their children.”
The conference continues at Westerner Park Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, visit www.aheaonline.com.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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