The Exploration Place has been offering school programming to classrooms across northern B.C. since 2001. Thanks to an $80,000 grant from the Drax Foundation, school visits and programs will be offered free of charge for northern B.C. elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools in the 2023-2024 school year.
The goal of the grant from the Drax Foundation is to support education and skills development in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), as well as improve green spaces, enhance biodiversity, and support Indigenous communities. Over the next two years, Exploration Place will use these funds to update, redesign, and expand the Museum’s school programs in collaboration with staff experts, teachers, and post-secondary educators. In this first year, it will also support the removal of financial barriers that can be challenging for teachers.
Development of new programs is underway this summer and fall, with free school programs and field trips being offered at the Museum beginning in September 2023. As capacity allows, free travelling school programs will begin in 2024.