The Calgary Catholic Education Foundation (CCEF) is celebrating a record investment in experiential learning, providing $52,000 to support Calgary Catholic School District participation in Open Minds Calgary for the 2026-27 school year.
The funding will support 34 classrooms across 18 Calgary Catholic schools, with the learning expected to reach more than 3,400 students across participating school communities from Grades 1-12.
For the first time, CCEF is providing funding for 100 percent of the Open Minds Calgary classroom requests approved through its grant process this year.
"A week-long Open Minds Calgary experience can represent a value of approximately $3,000 to $8,000 per classroom, depending on the learning site and experience," said Janet Lymer, Executive Director of the Calgary Catholic Education Foundation. "The classroom contribution is $1,500, and this year CCEF is covering that amount for every approved Calgary Catholic classroom. By removing that classroom-level cost barrier, teachers can focus on the opportunity in front of their students rather than whether their school community can afford to participate. "Open Minds Calgary transforms Calgary into an extension of the classroom. Through immersive learning in community settings, students connect curriculum to real people, places and experiences, while teachers build a year of inquiry around a central question or idea."
For CCEF, the investment reflects a commitment to educational opportunities that develop the whole student -- encouraging curiosity, critical thinking, compassion, responsibility and a deeper understanding of their place within the community.
Finding Belonging in a New Home
One of this year's funded experiences comes from St. Anne Academic Centre, where students will explore a question that reaches well beyond the classroom: "How can newcomers to Canada build a sense of belonging, connect meaningfully with their new community, and grow as engaged leaders who understand and contribute to the place, they now call home?"
St. Anne Academic Centre serves a diverse student population that includes returning Grade 12 students, newcomers to Canada and English Language Learners. For these students, Calgary itself can become an important classroom -- a place to understand their new community, build confidence, establish connections and recognize that they have something meaningful to contribute.
"That question captures why Open Minds Calgary is so powerful," said Lymer. "Education is not simply about knowing more. It is about discovering who you are, understanding the people around you and recognizing that you have both gifts to share and a responsibility to your community."
"From a Catholic perspective, belonging matters. Every young person has inherent dignity, every student brings gifts, and every student deserves the opportunity to see themselves as someone who can contribute to the common good."
Learning That Extends Beyond the Classroom
Open Minds Calgary provides students with authentic learning experiences at community sites across Calgary, connecting them with experts and allowing them to investigate questions through observation, conversation, reflection and hands-on learning.
The experience does not end when students return to school. Teachers use their Open Minds Calgary week as a catalyst for continued inquiry and learning throughout the year, allowing its impact to extend well beyond the students who initially participate. That broader impact is one reason CCEF has made Open Minds Calgary a significant component of its classroom and school grant program.
"Our responsibility as a Foundation is not simply to fund projects," added Lymer. "It is to invest wisely in opportunities that can have a lasting impact on students. $52,000 means 34 classrooms will have an opportunity they may not otherwise have had -- and more than 3,400 students will be touched by the learning that follows. That is a strong return on the generosity entrusted to us."
Donors and partners who believe exceptional educational experiences should be accessible to students across Calgary Catholic schools make this record investment possible.
Catholic Education Matters.
Watch how Open Minds Calgary (formerly Calgary Campus/Open Minds®) impacts classrooms.
