The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and loss of biodiversity are urgent reminders of the impact of climate change. Educating ourselves and future generations on how to build and live in more sustainable communities is essential. It is why Queen's University is partnering with No.9, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable development, to create a new program aimed at promoting sustainability in schools.
"Queen's is working with No.9 to connect with teachers, schools, and boards to recruit and promote the program and will be providing space and support for the programs to be held on campus," says Jessica Della-Latta, Executive Director of Strategy & Global Engagement in the Faculty of Education. "Cultivating partnerships with the university, community-organizations, and educators is central to the faculty's mission to create a gathering place where there is room for all to learn, grow, and contribute by building inclusive communities centered on teaching, learning, and research."
The IMSC program is structured around the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). The program provides a proactive way to tackle climate change and raise awareness about carbon footprints by reducing climate anxiety through upstream curriculum implementation. By combining architecture, urban planning, and engineering with a culture of sustainability, this programming helps students realize the impact they can have on the environment within their communities.
Recently, the initiative was awarded $250,000 from HCLTech to help implement this new phase of teacher training in the Hamilton, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, and Tyendinaga school systems. The HCLTech Grant, started in 2015, is a Corporate Social Responsibility commitment by HCLTech through the HCL Foundation, focused on replicable, scalable, and sustainable climate action projects.
Over a two-year period, funding will also train 100 Queen's teacher candidates, who through their teaching, will go onto reach thousands of students each year.
"With the financial support from the HCLTech Americas grant and our new partnership with Queen's Faculty of Education we will be able to scale our award winning Imagining My Sustainable Community workshop by training teachers to deliver it on their own in their classrooms," says Andrew Davies, Founder and Executive Director of No.9. "Instead of reaching hundreds of students per year, with this climate action curriculum, we will be able to reach thousands!"
This is not the first time the Queen's community has worked with No.9 to further eco-literacy and sustainable community building. Launched in 2018, in partnership with Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre (DDIQC) and St. Lawrence College, No.9 Gardens is a 40-acre sustainable centre at the heart of No.9's operations. No.9 offers unique exhibitions open to the public for displaying eco-art, workshops, and hands-on learning opportunities to empower youth to build resilient communities. No.9 also has a Memorandum of Understanding with Queen's Office of Indigenous Initiatives around providing Indigenous programming to students and is also partnering with the Agnes Etherington Art Centre for their Eco-Art Festival which showcases a series of large outdoor installations that speak to environmental issues.
To learn more about No.9 and the IMSC program, visit the No.9 website.
