RCE Peterborough Kawartha Haliburton - 2020
Location
Canada
See map: Google Maps
CA
Pathway to Stewardship and Kinship
Region:
Americas
Country:
Canada
Location(s):
Peterborough Ontario Region
Address of focal point institution for project:
Camp Kawartha 1010 Birchview Road
Ecosystem(s):
Target Audience:
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area :
Peterborough is a small city of about 85,000 located on the Otonabee River in Central Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometers (78 mi) northeast of Toronto and about 270 kilometers (167 mi) southwest of Ottawa. The city contains a University, College and a number of manufacturers. Just south of the Kawartha Highlands, the City has access to numerous natural areas, lakes and parks. It has a large elderly population and the city is growing.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses:
Urban sprawl is becoming an increasing problem in this region, especially since a new major road (the 115) connects Toronto to Peterborough. This has meant that Peterborough is becoming a bedroom community of Toronto with more suburbs, development occupying farmland and natural areas. As Peterborough sprawls, it becomes ever more dependent on cars. There seems to be little in the way of plans to divest from fossil fuels. Climate change, habitat destruction, species depletion, invasive species are all challenges identified in the Peterborough/Kawartha/Haliburton Region.
Status:
Ongoing
Period:
September, 2017
Rationale:
How do we raise engaged and concerned citizens in our community? How can we teach children to care for each other, the land and water and all the beings who share the earth with us. The Pathway to Stewardship and Kinship is a community based strategy, that evolved from extensive research and consultation that provides a strategy to deal with these important questions. It provides a practical and innovative way forward integrating Indigenous ways of knowing, so that we can collectively inspire our children and youth to create healthy and vibrant communities for themselves and the planet. Using a series of landmarks or goals for each age group (30 landmarks in total), the Pathway provides principles, ideas, resources and strategies to help children engage with their local environment and practice acts of stewardship.
Objectives:
- Work with the entire community to provide children with practical, age appropriate stewardship opportunities.
- Provide workshops for teachers and parents on how they and their children can engage with and protect the environment
- Provide a practical framework for the whole community to advance stewardship education
- Integrate Indigenous ways of knowing and perspectives into environmental education through each age and stage of a child's development.
- Provide a workable framework for the whole community to collectively foster stewardship throughout each child's development
- Provide workshops for teachers and parents on how they and their children can engage with and protect the environment
- Provide a practical framework for the whole community to advance stewardship education
- Integrate Indigenous ways of knowing and perspectives into environmental education through each age and stage of a child's development.
- Provide a workable framework for the whole community to collectively foster stewardship throughout each child's development
Activities and/or practices employed:
- Peer reviewed research on best practices in environmental education
- A peer reviewed strategy and framework for stewardship and environmental education from birth to the end of high school
- Practical, age appropriate actions for each age and phase of childhood development.
- Workshops on: how to teach environmental education, using nearby nature (for parents and educators), reducing your carbon footprint, re-wilding backyards and schoolyards, how to integrate subject areas to teach environmental education, creating nature playscapes, action projects, citizens science.
- A peer reviewed strategy and framework for stewardship and environmental education from birth to the end of high school
- Practical, age appropriate actions for each age and phase of childhood development.
- Workshops on: how to teach environmental education, using nearby nature (for parents and educators), reducing your carbon footprint, re-wilding backyards and schoolyards, how to integrate subject areas to teach environmental education, creating nature playscapes, action projects, citizens science.
Size of academic audience:
During the Pilot phase just completed - over 2,000. Now in the roll-out phase we expect to engage 20,000 indirectly and 7,500 directly.
Results:
- 47 classes and 11 childcare centers participated during the pilot phase. A comprehensive report was produced with recommendations.
- Those recommendations are now being realized through the roll-out phase targeted to indirectly reach 20,000 participants and to engage 7,500 community members in our landmark activities, workshops and outreach.
- Those recommendations are now being realized through the roll-out phase targeted to indirectly reach 20,000 participants and to engage 7,500 community members in our landmark activities, workshops and outreach.
Lessons learned:
- There is a large appetite for stewardship education but a lack of knowledge, skills and resources that we hope will be addressed by implementing phase 2 of this project.
- We were surprised by the sheer amount of time spent indoors by children, in front of screens and devices
- There are many organizations in our community that do remarkable work - but they weren't necessarily aware of each other. This project provides an opportunity for a diversity of community groups to work together to foster stewardship in a coordinated way and over the long term.
- We were surprised by the sheer amount of time spent indoors by children, in front of screens and devices
- There are many organizations in our community that do remarkable work - but they weren't necessarily aware of each other. This project provides an opportunity for a diversity of community groups to work together to foster stewardship in a coordinated way and over the long term.
Relationship to other RCE activities:
This ties directly into our second objective as an RCE:
To implement age-appropriate sustainability and stewardship education frameworks from pre-school to secondary school, in both formal and informal settings
In fact the Pathway to Stewardship and Kinship Project helped to shape this objective
To implement age-appropriate sustainability and stewardship education frameworks from pre-school to secondary school, in both formal and informal settings
In fact the Pathway to Stewardship and Kinship Project helped to shape this objective
Funding:
We have received significant funding for this project. In total for the study, pilot and rollout we have obtained $950,000 in funding. The project has been written about extensively (in 3 books, 4 academic journal articles and in a number of articles for magazines).
Pictures:
File Name | Caption for picture | Photo Credit |
---|---|---|
Alternative Energy EC.JPG (96.51 KB) | Learning about Alternative Energy | Jason Huffman |
References and reference materials:
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
Direct
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Direct
SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Indirect
SDG 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Indirect
SDG 7 - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Indirect
SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation
Indirect
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Indirect
SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Indirect
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Indirect
SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Indirect
SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss
Indirect
SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Indirect
SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Indirect
Disaster Risk Reduction
Indirect
Traditional Knowledge
Direct
Agriculture
Indirect
Arts
Indirect
Curriculum Development
Direct
Ecotourism
Indirect
Forests/Trees
Indirect
Plants & Animals
Indirect
Waste
Indirect
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments
state:
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Developing capacities of educators and trainers
state:
Direct
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth
state:
Direct
Update:
No