BC Parks Foundation

National Environmental Learning Forum Advisory Committee including BC Parks Foundation’s Laura Hergott, farthest left. Photo by Re-Nature Foundation. 

A Shared Vision for Environmental Learning in Canada

In March, environmental education leaders from across the country came together at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa to help shape a national framework for environmental learning—grounded in the belief that nature belongs at the heart of how we teach, learn, and grow. 

Laura Hergott, Manager for Healthy by Nature at BC Parks Foundation, was proud to be part of the Advisory Committee alongside Environment and Climate Change Canada, EECOM, CCUNESCO, and other national organizations. The two-day National Forum on Environmental Learning built on years of consultation—including youth and Indigenous engagement—to develop a shared, coast-to-coast-to-coast vision for how Canada can ensure all children and youth have access to high-quality, inclusive, and action-oriented environmental learning. 

The students co-created their Call to Action and  were at the heart of the conversation. Thanks to The Centre for Global Education, young people were represented in every aspect of the forum—sitting on each panel, contributing to every discussion, and reminding attendees that this work is about their future.   

Over 100 intergenerational representatives—from formal and nonformal education, government, philanthropy, youth organizations, and expert panels—gathered to co-create a national vision for environmental learning in Canada. 

As a leader in connecting people to nature, BC Parks Foundation was invited to play a key role in the forum and in the vision ahead. We were proud to contribute to national discussions on learner outcomes, land-based education, and how real examples of conservation, including the parks and Indigenous protected areas we help support, can serve as powerful teaching tools in every part of the country. 

The emerging national framework includes several action pillars, supported by a unifying vision: a Two-Eyed Seeing approach that brings together Indigenous and Western ways of knowing. These pillars, including Learning Spaces, Educator Training, Communities, Job Skills, Data & Research, aim to increase environmental literacy in ways that are responsive to the greatest challenges we face—climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss—while building planetary wellness, healthy communities, and a strong economy. 

During the forum's session on "Flourishing Learning Spaces," the group decided to head outdoors and take advantage of the unexpected late winter sun, bringing the discussion into alignment with its subject: learning through direct connection with the natural world. 

BC Parks Foundation’s VP, Health and Education Jennie McCaffrey leads a session on our new program Learning by Nature. 

There on the museum concourse, BC Parks Foundation’s Vice President of Health and Education Jennie McCaffrey shared with the group, “We’re working with partners to build Nature Parks at schools across the province because we believe kids should have access to nature where they are, every day. These spaces connect young people to local biodiversity and to the real conservation stories unfolding in our parks and protected areas. Creating a culture of being Healthy by Nature grows support for both conservation and human health, with infinite benefits for people and the planet.” 

Our Learning by Nature program enhances schoolgrounds through the creation of these Nature Parks—outdoor spaces that help youth build lifelong connections to nature while learning about biodiversity, climate resilience, Indigenous ways of knowing, and the health benefits of time spent outdoors. Each site will be linked to a nearby park or protected area, creating hands-on connections to conservation efforts. 

By planting native species, supporting biodiversity monitoring, and enabling direct outdoor learning, these Nature Parks offer tangible, local solutions to global challenges. The program also fosters improved mental and physical health, increased nature literacy, job-ready skills, and support for Indigenous protected areas. 

British Columbia has long been a national leader in environmental learning, including deep and rich relationships with Indigenous Land Based Learning.  At BC Parks Foundation, we're ready to lift and amplify this work. By working at the intersection of health, education, and conservation, this national movement connects young people to nature, inspires lifelong stewardship, and helps ensure a thriving planet for now, for all, for always.  

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