Our Team

Barry Smith,  Director

Barry Smith has worked with children and youth for over 20 years.  He graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a BA.  Barry is the President of CAGE Training & Resources Inc., and the founder of  youthlearning.ca.   CAGE Training & Resources Inc. produces educational materials and affective learning solutions for all types of organizations, parents and caregivers.  CAGE Training & Resources Inc. is dedicated to enhancing the potential in children by encouraging an understanding and a love for education and life.   Barry has a track record of creating strength-based programs that allow children to reach their full potential.  He is a published author and a popular speaker to professionals who work with children and youth. 

Mary-Anne Smith, Yoga Teacher

Mary-Anne Smith, has been working with young people and their families for over 10 years as a child & youth care professional and family worker.  Mary-Anne graduated from Acadia University with a BA in Recreation Management.  She is a certified yoga teacher and a dedicated yoga practitioner; has devoted her professional career to adapting yoga and mindfulness techniques for work with children and teens.  Mary-Anne believes that training in yoga and mindfulness has the potential to enhance children's attention and focus, and improve memory. self-acceptance, self-management skills, and self-understanding.

Advisors

Walter Smith

Walter is the originator of the theory and practice of optologics.   Optologics is an objective theory of intelligence.  It is used to design affective learning systems where everyone will be successful as opposed to competitive education based on various subjective concepts of intelligence. Competitive education is devastating for those who end up on the wrong side of the proverbial bell curve. It destroys initiative for the large majority of students because it does not reflect the natural optological learning process. Competitive learning is detrimental to the holistic development of knowledge and the psychological health of immature children and youth.

Affective learning is motivated by natural interest in learning new things and not by competition. It does incorporate competition as an aspect of human nature, but is not a factor in educational assessment. An affective learning classroom would be a children's / youth workplace where academics are integrated into an experiential curriculum.