Heritage in Schools

About
Heritage Study Guide
Professional Development
Field Trip Grants
Vancouver Heritage Fairs
Select Resources
Gallery

Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s Heritage in Schools Program includes our Heritage Study Guide that is full of helpful resources for teaching about local heritage, our popular Field Trip Grants, and Professional Development support for educators.

The Heritage in Schools Program aims to:

Increase students’ and educators’ awareness and knowledge of local heritage places and history by providing learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom.
Encourage students and teachers to engage with Vancouver’s diverse heritage places, and contribute to meaningful discussions around their histories and future legacies.
Support the professional development of educators in order to promote place-based heritage education in Vancouver public schools. We do this by collaborating with educators and students to develop accessible resources and self-directed inquiry-based projects, and through support of Vancouver Heritage Fairs.

Thank You to Our Project Partners

The Christopher Foundation

Andrew Mahon Foundation

Laura Saimoto

Shigeo Saimoto

GMR Foundation

Friends of VHF

Vancouver Historical Society

Heritage Study Guide

Our easy-to-use Heritage Study Guide contains a wealth of resources that connect to the BC curriculum. The guide helps educators to incorporate heritage and local history in the classroom and make place-based connections to communities beyond the classroom.

The focus is on place-based learning to help students understand their local environment and how it fits into our evolving city. The guide helps educators unpack complex concepts and explores intangible and tangible aspects of local heritage to create an understanding of why these places matter. The PDF is downloadable and the most up-to-date version will be found here.

Heritage Study Guide PDF

Professional Development Support

As part of our Heritage in Schools Program, we provide professional development support to educators by offering a variety of in-person and virtual sessions as part of organized professional development days.

Pro-D Sessions 2023-24

January 17th – VHF at Strathcona Elementary School Library and Neighbourhood
February 16th – Black Histories and Cultural Landscapes
April 22nd- South Asian Histories (TBC), Punjabi Market and South Van

If you wish to invite VHF to present to your staff or class, arrange a walking tour of your school and neighbourhood, or to be on the Professional Development Days email list, please contact: jessica@vancouverheritagefoundation.org

February 17 – Family & Stories: Vietnamese-Canadian Stories from Vancouver’s Little Saigon with Andy Pham, Ba Le, Anh and Chi, H.P. Fraser, Chrystal Phan and Liz Crocker, Royal BC Museum
April 24 – Kuwentuhan (storytelling) on Fraser Street’s Filipino Connection presented with Mubuhay House Society, Leonora C. Angeles, Sammie Jo Rumbaua, Joseph Planta, Shameless Buns, O’Taho and Mable Elmore’s Constituency Office, Migrante BC, and retired teachers from Tupper Secondary
October 20 – Chinatown Connections with Chinese Canadian Museum exhibit and heritage tour, and Indigenous/Chinese-Canadian workshop and walking tours by Larry Chin and John Atkin. Lunch from Tato’s Kitchen and tarts from New Town Bakery.

February 18 – Special walking tour for Mackenzie Elementary staff – neighbourhood and Mountain View Cemetery
April 25– Virtual Session with Musqueam Elder Larry Grant. ‘Discover Chinatown’ with Chinatown Storytelling Centre, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, BC Dragon Boat Society, and Chinese Canadian Museum
October 21 – Hastings Park with the Japanese Canadian Hastings Park Interpretive Centre Society, Nikkei National Museum, John Atkin, Fujiya and the PNE

February 12 -Place-Based Learning: Inquiry & Connections with History & Heritage (VHF)
April 26– Virtual Session full day: John Atkin, Dr. Leonora Angeles, Aynsley Wong, Lama Mugabo and Jeff Chiba Stearns. Musqueam Language and Culture Department speakers: Vanessa Campbell, Courtenay Gibson and Mack Paul.
October 22– Hidden Heritage with VHF and John Atkin: looking at your school and school communities, neighbourhood context and making observations.

February 14– Vancouver Japanese Language School- JC history with Carolyn Nakagawa of Nikkei Museum and walking tour of Paueru-Gai area with Laura Saimoto. Lunch at Dosanko. Walking tour of Gastown with John Atkin.
October 23– Virtual: Step Outside and Get Online – Connecting Educators with Local Heritage and History, Speakers John Atkin, Vancouver educators sharing resources and projects, VSB Head TL, SFU Bill Reid Gallery curator, Historic Joy Kogawa House and Paneet Singh, playwright.

Field Trip Grants

The application form is now open and closes at midnight, January 15th, 2024.

If you have any inquiries, please contact jessica@vancouverheritagefoundation.org

Learn More

Group debrief after Chinatown Connections Pro-D at the Chinese Canadian Museum. Photo Credit: Kamran Safari

Author HH.E Fraser reading her book 'The Little Girl' at Ahn and Chi during the Family & Food: Stories from Vancouver's Little Saigon Pro-D workshop in February 2023. Credit: Kamran Safari

Lunch stop at Shameless Buns - part of Kuwentuhan (storytelling) on Fraser Street's Filipino Connections Pro-D Workshop in April 2023. Credit: Kamran Safari

Group photo at Monument to Vietnamese Boat People in McAuley Park during the Family & Food: Stories from Vancouver's Little Saigon Pro-D workshop in February 2023. Credit: Kamran Safari

Walking tour of Strathcona neighbourhood with John Atkin, supported by VHF's Field Trip Grants. Credit: Clara Conrado.

Walking tour of Mountain View Cemetery by John Atkin for Mackenzie Elementary School Pro-D. Photo credit: Clara Conrado.

VHF Field Trip Grant tour of Punjabi Market in 2021. Photo credit: D. Conrad.

Educators inside the Livestock Building during 2022 Pro-D Tour of Hastings Park with Nikkei National Museum guide Carolyn Nakagawa. Credit: S Carlson

VHF Book Grant 2022.

Walking tour for Mackenzie Elementary School Pro-D by John Atkin. Photo credit: Clara Conrado.

Students on a local walking tour by John Atkin, recipients of VHF's Field Trip Grant.

Close-up of artwork done by a Grade 4/5 class at Britannia Elementary during a study of Vancouver housing styles.

A study of Vancouver housing styles done by a Grade 4/5 class at Britannia Elementary.

2020 Book Grant Recipient

Vancouver Heritage Fairs

VHF is proud to support the Vancouver Heritage Fairs. The Heritage Fairs Society is a non-profit organization that promotes the education of Canadian history amongst BC Students. Every year, the society plans fairs across the province in which students showcase their projects on a certain aspect of our past.

The Heritage Fairs Society is always looking for volunteers. They are currently looking for English and French speaking adjudicators who are interested in history and heritage and enjoy working with children (for virtual and in-person fairs).

If you wish to participate or assist with sponsorship, please contact: vanregionalhf@gmail.com