Transforming Education Society (TES) was incorporated in 1992 under the British Columbia Society Act and is registered as a charity with the Canada Revenue Agency. It was was formerly called the Society for the Advancement of Non-coercive Education (SANE) until the name was changed in 2012.

TES (then SANE) was originally formed by a group of parents as a support organization for Windsor House School, a  publicly funded democratic school that operated from 1971 to 2019. Since then, TES has evolved into an umbrella group that supports learner-directed, inquiry-based and non-coercive learning environments, where learners collaborate with mentors, teachers, parents, and peers to determine the curriculum.

We believe that the collaborative skills learned in this educational environment will make the learner:

• Better able to consider alternative points of views
• More likely to generate as well as appreciate innovative ideas
• Better equipped to contribute to democratic discourse and practices
• A more engaged and able member of democratic society

TES is committed to supporting programs where the learning environment is learner centred, inquiry based, collaborative, and non coercive.

Throughout the years that TES was involved with Windsor House School, we supported a theatre program that was very popular with both students and parents. Several parents were professionals in the field and they volunteered to mentor the students as they carried out the various activities necessary to produce a show. These activities included not only acting and directing, but also the technical aspects, such as costume creation, stage setup, lighting, and sound.

The Emerging Stage (TES) Theatre Company

 After Windsor House closed, TES was determined to continue providing an outlet where this passion for the theatre and acting could be fulfilled. In 2019, TES initiated the establishment of The Emerging Stage Theatre Company. As outlined on the TES Theatre Company home page, in this program:

Students participate in every aspect of the theatrical process, from performance to production. Through professional mentorship, students pitch the plays, hold auditions, design sets and costume, direct, choreograph, and handle special effects and lighting, all in a supportive and inclusive creative environment.

The intention of this program is to be:

• Affordable: Youth access to the arts is prioritized.
• Immersive: There are two full week days of theatre training per week
• Flexible: There is a choice of either in-person or online programming
• Inclusive & Diverse: We create a safe and supportive space