Bridge Land for Learning
The Bridge Land for Learning campus is a 20+ acre rural campus that is bordered by a creek on one side and farmland on the other side. The campus boasts a 1-acre Community Garden and over 10 acres of forest, all of which are interwoven into the daily activities and educational programs for the children and families we serve.
Time in nature supports all aspects of health and development and fosters a respect for our natural world. In addition, time in nature lessens stress and anxiety naturally and offers a safe (distanced) activity during the current pandemic.
Since the campus was donated to the Society in 2019, the Board of Trustees, in conjunction with relevant Committees, has been working to outline the vision for The Bridge Land for Learning- all that it will be physically and what it will offer to the existing children, students, and the surrounding North Okanagan community.
The development of The Bridge Land for Learning is an integral part of our Society’s mission to “contribute to positive social and ecological change.”
This campus will integrate a whole complement of physical space, environmental opportunities, and program details to provide optimal outcomes in all aspects of childhood development while supporting the existing needs of vulnerable populations, the greater community, and the emerging needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bridge Land for Learning will incorporate the following: Okanagan Waldorf School, Early Years Centre, Community Garden, Nature Trail System; along with complimentary facilities (washrooms & outdoor classrooms), amenities (play yards & sports field), and programs.
Native Land Acknowledge
We respectfully and graciously acknowledge that we work, play, and reside on the ancestral land of the Syilx People of the Okanagan Nation who have stewarded this land for generations. We pay our respect to the Elders and their descendants, past, present, and future, and honour with gratitude the land, plants, and animals.
To learn more about the Syilx People of the Okanagan Nation, please visit them online.
Community Garden
The Bridge Educational Society began the development of the Community Garden on our Bridge Land for Learning Campus in 2020.
When complete, the 1 acre community garden will house: fruit and nut trees, vegetable gardens, a passive solar greenhouse, beehives, a compost area, chickens, an outdoor play space, and an outdoor classroom. It will:
- Enhance our outdoor programming and education for children from birth to age 14 attending the onsite child care centre (Early Years Centre) and elementary school (Okanagan Waldorf School).
- Engage the community through access to a community gardening cooperative.
- Create a teaching position. To support this garden and the student education, the Society will employ an educator specializing in overseeing the programming to make this garden flourish.
- Allow for potential future income to the Society in support of our many programs: compost, growing, and selling items (teas/garlic/etc.), workshops, and summer programs.
Living through this pandemic on our campus as we continue to operate a child care centre and elementary school, has highlighted the importance of a community garden for our region and the benefits it will bring:
- Food security
- Fosters a connection with food
- Innovative and sustainable food production
- Connection to the wider community
- Enhance well-being of children, parents, educators, and community members
Access to programming in support of nutrition and sustainability for children and families help to create a resilient community. This garden, which will be operational for generations, will have a consistent and long-term positive impact both socially and economically for the North Okanagan.
Volunteer Projects
Please check back often for updates on current volunteer projects.