Peterborough, ON (June 8th, 2017) The newly designated Peterborough-Kawartha-Haliburton Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) for Sustainability Education is set to host a final public launch on Friday, June 9th, 2017, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (guests arriving at 1:30 p.m.) at Trent University’s Gathering Space in Peterborough.
At this event, we will be joined by Dr. Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Teacher Education, Minister Maryam Monsef, Member of Parliament for Peterborough-Kawartha, Professor Dan Longboat of Trent University, Curve Lake Elder Dorothy Taylor, Fleming College President Dr. Tony Tilly, and Trent University President Dr. Leo Groarke. During the launch, local youth and educators will share their innovative projects and programs in sustainability education and outdoor learning to inspire us as we move forward.
On June 6th, community partners and dignitaries in the City of Kawartha Lakes came together to talk about sustainability education initiatives that ranged from nature camps to international work on sea turtle conservation, setting the stage for future regional partnerships. They were joined by Elder Dorothy Taylor from Curve Lake First Nation and a local children’s choir, who sang songs and gave words of gratitude.
A second event took place on Wednesday, June 7th at the Haliburton School of Art and Design. There was a buzz in the room after 30 participants heard from faculty, non-profit organizations, and research groups who talked about the Sustainable Building program, the Eco-Team at Haliburton High school, U-Links, Abbey Gardens, and more.
The weeklong events celebrate the region as a leader and also spark conversations about how this new international designation can be a platform to share our sustainability expertise with regions around the world. Workshops around the region will be taking place throughout the summer and fall to advance the long-term objectives of this network, which are as follows:
- To recognize the vital importance of Traditional Environmental Indigenous Knowledge systems, and to promote and embed these across all curricula
- To implement age-appropriate sustainability and stewardship education frameworks from pre-school to secondary school, in both formal and informal settings
- To build strong bridges between school curriculum and the spectrum of programs offered at Trent University and Fleming College
- To link post-secondary programs and community-based training programs to green jobs, research, and innovation in the region, and
- To develop reciprocal exchanges of sustainability knowledge and practice between residents within the region and with communities across the globe