As the United Nation’s Decade of Education for Sustainable Development draws to a close, educators from across the Columbia Basin came together at Quantum Leaps Lodge in Golden as part of the Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network’s sixth annual ‘Voices for Sustainability’ Symposium.

This event allowed educators to share ideas and inspiration, connect and collaborate, and help to shape a vision for sustainability in the coming decade and beyond. Participants hailed from a variety of communities including Cranbrook, Invermere, Kimberley, Golden, Revelstoke, Nelson, Nakusp, New Denver, Edgewood and Winlaw.

Using the principles of open space technology, which allows participants to shape the content of the symposium, educators were given the opportunity to connect, collaborate and share their skills and knowledge. The symposium also modelled some of the key concepts being highlighted in the new BC Education Plan, including place-based learning, inquiry learning and experiential education.

Participants noted that they will bring back to their classrooms “more time for knowledge sharing, more time outdoors for students as well as a variety of outdoor activities and stewardship projects.”

Participants also walked away with the understanding that “all education can be incorporated into environmental education, and that when done well, environmental education can be the very best of learning.”

The event was supported by Columbia Basin Trust, Rocky Mountain School District No. 6, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Kicking Horse Coffee, Wildsight-Golden and Quantum Leaps Lodge. For more information on this event and other opportunities related to environmental education and sustainability please visit www.cbeen.org.

Lead image: Educators from across the Columbia Basin gather outside of Quantum Leaps Lodge near Golden.

CBEEN

Article Share