Thanks for joining FutureMakers!
<– VISIT THE MENU TO GET STARTED
CSRD
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District is offering the Future Makers program free of charge to 12 teachers in School Districts 6, 19, and 83 in 2024. In January 2024, the CSRD and Wildsight are partnering to offer teachers access to Future Makers. Emails, letters, and posters were sent to all CSRD schools.
WILDSIGHT EDUCATION
These teacher resources were developed based on Beyond Recycling, as part of the series of exemplary environmental education programming by Wildsight Education.
FAQs
Why hope-based environmental education resources? Research has shown that many of our youth don’t even have the tools to imagine anything but an apocalyptic future for themselves. Research has also shown the importance of hope, grounded in truth, in presenting complex environmental topics. Instead of starting with all of the shocking statistics, depressing facts, and stories of despair, Beyond Recycling has decided to flip that on its head. Instead of messages of doom, we’ve chosen to help students dream of a safe, clean, and thriving future, a future they are happy to see themselves as a part of. As psychologist Renee Lertzman argues, there is a delicate balance that must be considered between holding our conflicted feelings about the state of the future.
What? The video-based lessons set the stage for the culminating, hands-on, and creative “Communities of the Future” group design and building challenge. The first lesson introduces the project, the following five lessons delve into the main community categories: waste, food, energy, transportation, and water, and then the final lesson sets students up to start their build. The program is designed for students in grades 4 through 7.
How long is the program? We have developed these resources with flexibility in mind. Each of the lessons can be completed in under 30 minutes, which includes the background and the essential learning to help the students understand the task and begin their community planning. However, if teachers would like to take the learning a little deeper or have the time to reinforce the concepts there is a “buffet” of extension activities, including hands-on activities, games, and outdoor learning opportunities. After your students watch the 7 video lessons, teachers also need to set aside time for group work.
How long do I get access to the FutureMakers resources? Participating CSRD Teachers gain free access to the FutureMakers program till June 30th, 2024.
Where are the resources located? Once purchased, you will receive your password to access the resources. All the program resources are located in the easy-to-use Future Makers website. Once logged in, getting started is as easy as clicking play on the video. Go to the PREP page to start.
What type of resources are available? The videos and planning booklet help guide students through the process of designing a sustainable community of the future that gives an overview of the topic and highlights local community projects and individuals who are working to develop a sustainable future.
Does it link to the curriculum? The FutureMakers program ties into the BC curriculum in many ways with direct links to science, social studies, applied skills, design, and technology. The BC curriculum’s ADST design guidelines are used as a base for the final culminating activity. The extension buffet also includes curriculum-connected activities as part of the program extensions (i.e. English Language Arts, Arts, Mathematics). Specific links to the curriculum will be included in future versions of the program.
What assessment tools are included? The program includes a student planning booklet that has room for student notes, drawings, and reflections on each lesson. It also serves as a reference for project ‘design principles’ and contains a success checklist so that students understand the assessment criteria. Teachers define how students will build and present their projects, which can be tailored to your specific classroom resources and goals. Build options can include cardboard, Lego, Minecraft Education, or posters. Rubrics for each type of project are included.
HISTORY
Beyond Recycling has spent over a decade developing teacher and educator environmental educational resources for youth. In 2021, Beyond Recycling asked over 90 past and present BR Teachers to provide feedback on the program and define what they want in additional environmental education resources. After reviewing teacher feedback, our team of 12 professional environmental BR educators gathered in Fairmont Hot Springs to brainstorm and develop an impactful new series of independent BR teacher lesson resources. The goal? To allow students to address their future with a perspective of hope and to make this learning easy to access and teach for busy classroom teachers. We have had so many rave reviews for our year-long deep dive into sustainability topics and actions, but we just can’t reach as many students as we would like. This is where our sparkling new program comes in! We are proud to introduce the Future Makers program designed for teachers. In 2022/23, 9 teachers participated in a special pilot of our new environmental education resources. Participating teachers throughout the region utilized the program resources and shared their experience, and brilliant minds with us by providing feedback in exchange for a two-hundred-dollar honorarium.