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London’s deputy mayor offers online civics class for kids stuck at home due to COVID-19

London deputy mayor Jesse Helmer answers viewer questions during an online lesson on local government. Jesse Helmer / Facebook

London’s deputy mayor is looking to teach children about the city in which they live as the province’s publicly funded schools face two more weeks of closures amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

The lesson was provided in a Facebook Live on Monday entitled At-Home Civics Class with Deputy Mayor Jesse Helmer.

“I’m certainly not going to be as interesting or as fun as a John Legend concert, but I thought I’d do something to help the kids learn about what’s going on at the city level of government,” said Helmer, who also serves as city councillor for Ward 4.

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Kids viewing the lesson had a chance to have their questions answered by Helmer during Monday morning’s online lesson.

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The deputy mayor had already received a number of inquiries prior to the broadcast and told Global News that kids ask some of the toughest questions.

“They’re not so much questions about how does local government work, but they’re questions like: ‘Are you stressed out? How are you doing? What is it like doing your job right now?'” Helmer said.

“Kids have a way of doing that sometimes. They just ask basic questions that get right into the heart of the matter.”

Monday’s broadcast kicked off at 10:30 a.m.

There are no plans for future lessons, but Helmer remains open to the idea, depending on how well the first lesson is received.

“If it’s modestly successful, potentially it might spread to other communities,” he said.

Click to play video: 'How to talk to your kids about COVID-19'
How to talk to your kids about COVID-19

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