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EECOM 2018 Conference

6pm, Thursday October 18 – 12pm, Sunday October 21, 2018

St. Eugene Mission Resort, Ktunaxa Nation in BC’s Kootenay Rockies

From coast to coast to coast, over 300 educators will had the opportunity to gather to learn, share and connect at this made-in-Canada environmental education conference.

The theme for the 2018 Conference was Classrooms to Communities (C2C) which envisions learners and educators being deeply connected to place, community and planet, able to effectively communicate their stories of connectedness, and taking responsibility to do so.

Ce rassemblement aura pour thème ‘De l’école à la communauté’, évoquant ainsi des participants connecté(e)s à la terre, aux communautés et à la planète. Ils et elles pourront échanger leurs histoires, leurs connexions et leurs connaissances. Plus d’information en français.

The purpose of Classrooms to Communities is:

  1. To promote leadership and mentorship capacity for place-based education and environmental literacy;
  2. To effectively communicate success stories of place-based education as teaching and learning;
  3. To support the ongoing and evolving work of educators and community partners to integrate place-based education as best practice;
  4. To build greater capacity and collaboration as a network of place-based education leaders/mentors, including teachers, schools, school districts, community organizations, associations of teachers and other place-based partners.

PLACE

The 2018 conference took place at St. Eugene Mission Resort on Ktunaxa Nation land in BC’s Kootenay Rockies. The venue is nestled beside the St. Mary’s River in the Kootenay Rockies, just 5 minutes from the Canadian Rockies International Airport. Read more.

St. Eugene was selected for its retreat style setting, beautiful natural environment, ownership by the Ktunaxa Nation and commitment to environmental sustainability. St. Eugene Mission Resort is owned by several Ktunaxa communities: ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation, ʔaq̓am, ʔakink̓umǂasnuqǂiʔit (Tobacco Plains), yaqan nukiy (Lower Kootenay) and Kyaknuq+i?it – the Shuswap Indian Band.

This is the site of a former residential school that is now owned and operated by the Ktunaxa Nation as a vehicle for education and economic development. As Elder Mary Paul said, “It is said that, since it was within the St. Eugene Mission that the culture of the Kootenay Indian was taken away, it should be within that building that it is returned”. Read more about the local Land and Language.

PRINCIPLES

1) Sustainability
We will model sustainability following the EECOM Green Conference Guidelines.

2) Best Learning Practices
We will model best learning practices by using best practice learning methodology including outdoor, experiential, place-based and inquiry-based learning.

3) First Nations
St. Eugene Mission Resort is owned by the Ktunaxa Nation. Making intentional and meaningful connections with the First Nation community is foundational to this conference.