On Thursday, May 4, The Exploration Place’s Assistant Curator – Indigenous Content, Joshua Seymour, kicked off The Exploration Place’s first GenAction project at Foothills Elementary.
Students planted 1,000 trees generously donated by Canfor, one of the project’s sponsors. Also supporting this project are Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and School District 57.
GenAction is a national initiative funded by the Government of Canada and led by the Canadian Association of Science Centres. In collaboration with nearly 30 science centres across Canada,
GenAction programming targets youth in grades K-12 with the goal of increasing their
understanding of climate change science and inspiring them to take action. Today’s youth will
be our next generation of leaders, policy influencers, and engaged citizens who will be essential
to enabling our country to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Exploration
Place is committed to developing and delivering locally relevant climate science programs to
1200 Indigenous youth and 7500 K-12 youth in Northern British Columbia.
“We are excited to be involved in the GenAction initiative,” said Seymour. “It gives us
the opportunity to plant a seed and show kids that they can have the power to make an impact
when it comes to climate change.”
With a reach of over 10 million visitors annually, CASC member science centres and museums
such as The Exploration Place play an important role in teaching youth to be critical thinkers
and change-makers on important issues like climate change. The Exploration Place will be
running GenAction programming throughout northern B.C. through 2023 and 2024.