Professional Development for Educators

Vancouver Heritage Foundation hosts a variety of Professional Development Day (“Pro-D Day”) sessions intended for current educators focusing on enriching K-12 lesson plans and programming.

VHF recognizes educators as a diverse field and not exclusive to district school teachers. We welcome all those whose field of work or employment/volunteer position impacts the education of K-12 children and youth. We host full day sessions focusing on different parts of Vancouver for the Provincial Pro-D in October and supplement that with additional sessions in person or online throughout the year.

October 23rd – Teaching Place-Based History: Chinatown’s Boom Years with the Chinatown Storytelling Centre and John Atkin

February 14 – Places That Matter | How We Look at Cities – South Vancouver with John Atkin and John Oliver Legacy Society Alumni
October 23 – A Day in the West End with Roedde House, John Atkin and KingGeorge High Archives.
October 23 – Chinatown Connections: A Day at the Chinese Canadian Museum
November 21 – Exploring Legacies: A Day at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre with VHEC, JMABC and Temple Shalom

February 16 – Exploring Black Histories with Fran Morrison, Joy Russell, City of Vancouver Archives, Juke’s Fried Chicken, Hogan’s Alley Society, John Atkin and False Creek Ferries
April 22 – A Day in Historic Punjabi Market with South Asian Stories with Sunset Community Centre, Joe Wong. Punjabi Market Collective, Jag Nagra, Jas Lolly, Himalaya Restaurant, Manny Pabla, Gulzar Nanda, and Anu Chouhan
October 25 – Places That Matter | How We Look at Cities – Downtown
November 22 – Strathcona School and Neighbourhood Explorations in partnership with VSB, Strathcona School Archives and John Atkin

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
April 24 – Kuwentuhan (storytelling) on Fraser Street’s Filipino Connections 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, Larry Chin and John Atkin

February 18 – Virtual: Cross-Cultural Walking Tour with Carmel Tanaka
April 25– Virtual: Musqueam Stories and Language with Elder Larry Grant
April 25 – ‘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 Nikkei National Museum, Japanese Canadian Hastings Park Interpretive Centre Society, and John Atkin

February 12 – Virtual: Place-Based Learning: Inquiry & Connections with History & Heritage
April 26 – Virtual: Perspectives on Heritage Places and Local History with John Atkin, Dr, Leonora Angeles, Aynsley Wong, Lama Mugabo, Jeff Chiba Stearns, Vanessa Campbell, Courtenay & Mack
October 22 – Virtual: Places that Matter and Hidden Heritage with John Atkin

February 14 – Vancouver Japanese Language School and Gastown with Laura Saimoto, Carolyn Nakagawa and John Atkin
October 23– Virtual: Step Outside and Get Online: Connecting Educators with Local Heritage and History with John Atkin, Nancy Dos Campos, Katharine Shipley, Christine Giesbrecht, Bryan Myles, Lucas Hung, Ann-Marie Metten, Drew Ann Wake, Dan Seguin and Paneet Sing

Looking for more Vancouver-based educational resources?

Our Heritage in Schools Program includes our Heritage Study Guide that is full of helpful resources for teaching about local heritage, as well as a wide range of resources for educators that share place-based activities from local school communities and designed for educators interested in engaging with VHF produced resources, from study guides, videos, map guides and more.

Learn more

Gallery tour of Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre during a Pro-D Day for Educators in November 2025. Credit K Figueiredo

Group photo of educators during a Pro-D Day for Educators in November 2025 at the VHEC. Credit K Figueiredo

Group photo of educators at Roedde House during a Pro-D for Educators in the West End in October 2025. Credit: C McDonald

Group photo of educators at Mountainview Cemetery during 'How We Look at Cities – South Vancouver' Pro-D in February of 2025. Credit Rob Atkins

King George Archives during Pro-D for Educators in the West End in October 2025. Credit J Quan

Tour of 'Montréal Chinois' exhibit at the Chinese Canadian Museum for Pro-D for Educator workshop in October 2025. Credit: K Figueiredo

Tour of 'A Soldier for All Seasons' exhibit at the Chinese Canadian Museum for Pro-D for Educator workshop in October 2025. Credit: K Figueiredo

Inside the Chin Wing Chin Society taken at a Oct 2023 Pro-D for Educators. Credit: Kamran Safari

Group Photo during Punjabi Market Pro-D in April of 2024. Credit S Carlson)

In front of a mural in the Punjabi Market during a Pro-D for Educators event in April of 2024. Credit: S Carlson

Lunch at Juke's during a February 2024 Pro-D on Black Histories. Credit: J Quan

Group of teachers on False Creek Ferry during a February 2024 Pro-D on Black Histories. Credit: S Carlson

Walking Tour with Larry Chin in Chinatown in October 2023. Photo Credit: Kamran Safari

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

Group Photo at Tupper Secondary Memorial Rock for Jomar during April 2023 Pro-D focusing on Filipino history of Fraser St. Credit: Kamran Safari

Author H.P. 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

Feb 17 Pro-D with Vietnamese Canadian storytellers

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

Walking back to the Livestock Buildings during a 2022 Pro-D session at Hastings Park. Credit: Ivanna Mosqueria

Pro-D for educators focused on Japanese Canadian History in February 2020. The day included a tour of the Vancouver Japanese Language School with Carolyn Nakagawa of Nikkei Museum, a walking tour of Paueru-Gai area with Laura Saimoto, lunch at Dosanko followed by a walking tour of Gastown with John Atkin. Credit Claire Vulliamy

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

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

Past Pro-D for Educators Sessions

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