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The Vancouver Writers Fest is one of the largest, and most prestigious literary festivals in North America. The 2020 Festival takes place ONLINE from October 19-25, 2020. In addition to the programming we offer adults, we also hold events specifically for K-12 students.

Through our youth educational outreach programs, we offer students the opportunity to interact with celebrated writers from across the globe in designed specifically for young people, teachers, schools and student groups. Each year, we reach more than 7,000 students across British Columbia—in the classroom or at the Festival.

This year our youth education outreach programming will include:

10+ weekday Festival virtual events featuring presentations and discussions with engaging authors from Canada and around the world, programmed with BC curriculum goals in mind. Some of the authors particpating in the Festival this year are Kenneth Oppel, Oliver Jeffers, Steven Heighton, Jess Keating, Christy Jordan-Fenton, David A. Robertson, and many more!

All our events are pay what you can this year.

Writers in the Classroom: 10+ events where writers meet students for reading, writing and/or drawing workshops on Microsoft Teams or Zoom. 

As classes plant and tend vegetables at local community gardens, students learn about soil and composting, discover the needs of plants, and become environmental stewards.  Throughout the series, they will develop an awareness of environmental issues and social responsibiility as they learn about local food security.  Food grown and harvested is donated to local food banks.

This workshop series will be 4 sessions, administered outside, and masks are required for all students.  All workshop supplies will be sanitized after every single presentation.

Learn to shoot like Robin Hood!

Immerse your students in an archery adventure, with a lesson in your choice between the
modern take-down recurve bow, the english longbow, or the asiatic composite bow!

Archery is a fantastic special program to offer as part of your educational classes as a single
session or an ongoing series. We combine modern archery instruction with historical bows
from Europe and Asia in a way that will excite your students to learn about different cultures
and physical skills related to patience, persistence, and strength.

*This lesson can only be offered at our downtown studio.

The Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife offers programs that make learning about nature fun and fascinating! Our programs align with the BC Curriculum for science, social studies, and physical education, and our experienced educators teach outside in the natural beautiful setting of Grouse Mountain.

Wildlife Education: Pick from a range of interactive curriculum-focused activities and build an unforgettable field trip for your students. Duration: Full or Half Day

Hiwus Feasthouse Cultural Program: Step into an authentic Pacific Northwest Longhouse and let Kwel-a-a-nexw, our Squamish First nations elder, take you back in time to discover the traditional way of life of our First Nations people. Duration: Full Day.

Peak of Christmas: (December) Engage your students in the magic of the holidays: visit live reindeer, discover snow-fleas, take a scavenger hunt, play in the snow and more. Duration: Full or Half Day

Visit our PureClean initiatives.

Pretty much everyone in Metro Vancouver knows about Stanley Park. It’s world famous for its dense forest, spectacular views, seawall, beaches, and fabulous trails. The park even won the title of “World’s Greatest Park” in a TripAdvisor contest. But while the park hosts millions of people every year, very few come away from their visit with any knowledge of the park’s remarkable social history.

Stanley Park is not an untouched rainforest. It was home to local Coast Salish people for thousands of years before it became a park, and even for decades afterwards. Numerous villages dotted the shoreline, including Whoi Whoi, which hosted large potlaches and from where a delegation sailed to meet Captain George Vancouver as he explored the area in 1792.

The story of the forced eviction of indigenous people from the land that would become Stanley Park is a shocking background to the park’s creation. Some mixed race indigenous and European families were able to fight back against the City’s onslaught of lawsuits, and keep their homes in the park near Brockton Point until the 1950s. Today their memory and resilience is honoured by the statue Shore to Shore, by Salish artist Luke Marston, which we visit on the tour.

The creation of the park was also about more than creating a space for Vancouverites to enjoy afternoon strolls and picnics. The land was originally intended as a military reserve, established to protect the city should the Americans decide to invade. After it became clear that wouldn’t happen, real estate developers, the Canadian Pacific Railway, the City of Vancouver, and the Federal Government all battled for control of the land. The fact it became a park illustrates the colossal power the CPR once had in Vancouver. 

Throw into the mix the tale of Deadman’s Island, stories of true crime, smallpox pest houses, buried treasure, public art, crow shoots and poetry and you’ll find that despite its beauty, there’s a lot more to Stanley Park than meets the eye!

A unique field trip for students from Grade 5 – University:

• Duration – 2 hours
• Start and end point – Outside the Vancouver Aquarium entrance by the whale fountain at 845 Avison Way

On this guided tour students uncover the history of social development, crime and law enforcement in Vancouver and how it impacts modern living. Students are guided through a 45-minute tour followed by 15 minutes of self-guided exploration. Tour content and complexity can be tailored to group needs and interests.

Our museum tours delve into the origins of Vancouver's own Coroners Court, Autopsy Suite and Morgue. Our new exhibit, "Becoming Vance" explores fascinating elements of forensic science and Canada's very own Sherlock Holmes, John Vance. 

You’ll also discover our famous True Crimes exhibit, which highlights the city’s most notorious crimes and cold cases with authentic evidence and artifacts on display. And, of course, you’ll see the city’s first morgue and autopsy suite in addition to hundreds of rare artifacts, archives and photos from our own collection.

Our museum is brimming with exciting history, exhibits and artefacts that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. A designated heritage building, it was once the Coroner’s Court, Autopsy Facility and the City Analyst’s Laboratory, making it one of the most authentic museum experiences in the world.

En garde!

Immerse your students in the middle ages and renaissance, with a lesson in the arts of
knightly combat.

Swordplay is a great special program to offer as part of your physical education classes as a
single session or an ongoing series. We combine historical swordplay skills with modern
physical conditioning techniques in a way that will excite your kids to move. We have had
great results engaging students who usually have a hard time in phys.ed. and have found
that even push-ups are exciting when swordplay is the reward!