For Parents
Your son or daughter has been invited to participate in Navigate 2012, the first-of-its-kind gathering of young people to learn about, and create action on, water in Alberta. Inside Education, the charitable not-for-profit education organization hosting the event, is very excited about the opportunity for 20 schools from across Alberta to join together in beautiful Kananaskis Country for three days of sharing ideas and discussion about water in Alberta, and putting education into action back in our communities and in our schools.
We are very pleased to be welcoming your child to this event and know that you will have some questions. You can find details about the conference on the website or request them from your child’s teacher supervisor. We have addressed some further questions you may have below.
Who is Inside Education?
Inside Education is an award-winning not-for-profit charitable education society. We provide educational programs and services to Alberta’s K-12 school system all related to Alberta’s natural resources and environment. We have more than 25 years experience delivering education programs for Alberta’s teachers and students. Navigate 2012 is an exciting next step where teachers and students are invited to learn together by adopting the role of “Water Literacy Teams,” and learn with and from experts in the environmental community, industry, government and post secondary institutions.
Our staff are all experienced in delivering engaging, fun and safe education programs indoors and out!
What is Navigate 2012?
The Navigate Summit is being held from the evening of Thursday, March 15 through to just before noon on Sunday, March 18, 2012.
Navigate 2012 is an opportunity for 20 high schools from across Alberta to each send teams of four exceptional young people for three days of learning about water in Alberta. Participating students will have an opportunity to investigate the science, issues, and careers related to water and the relationship between water and the environment. As a culminating activity of the Summit, each high school team will be challenged to come up with creative ways to share their learning with their classmates upon returning to school. These Water Literacy Action Plans will help make sure the next generation of Alberta’s young people will continue to become more literate about our province’s essential water resources.
What Navigate 2012 is NOT?
The Summit is an exceptional learning opportunity, it is not a public relations event. Students will learn about many aspects of our water resources – sources, quality, quantity, management, development. issues, and stewardship – they will learn the connection of each of these to their daily lives today and into the future. They will further have an opportunity to assess the positive and negative economic, environmental and social values connected to water in Alberta. While support from Alberta’s industries and the Government of Alberta has made it possible for all schools to attend the Navigate Summit at no cost, the Summit will not promote any specific viewpoint or perspective.
What will the students be doing?
Students will spend three days visiting with Alberta’s water leaders. Through a combination of short presentations,interactive workshops, keynote addresses and a career and learning exhibition students will be doing a lot of learning over the three days. On the last day of our visit together, school teams will develop their action plans prior to departing before noon on Sunday.
Included in the Summit will be social event for the students at Boundary Ranch, just down the hill from our host hotel. Weather and snow-permitting, students interested might partake in an easy sleigh ride through the area.
What about the venue?
Schools will be gathering in Alberta’s beautiful Kananaskis Country for the Navigate 2012 Summit. Our host hotel for the event is the Delta Lodge at Kananaskis, located in Kananaskis Village, approximately 50 minutes west of Calgary. Students will be in same-gender shared accommodations (two students per room) and the teacher supervisor will chose the rooming assignments. The Delta is very experienced in large conferences and is exceptional at meeting dietary restrictions and needs.
While wildlife can be an issue in Kananaskis Country, as we will be inside for most of the program and the time of year being still officially winter (and bear hibernating time!), we do not anticipate any wildlife concerns - though we do hope to see some deer and elk on our journey!
All other information will be provided by your school prior to their journey to Kananaskis Country. We look forward to meeting your child and experiencing this exciting learning opportunity with them!
If you have specific questions or concerns that have not been addressed here, please contact us
