Bridge Land for Learning
The Bridge Land for Learning is a 28-acre rural campus bordered by a creek on one side and farmland on the other. 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 deep respect for the natural world. It also naturally eases stress and anxiety, offering children meaningful opportunities for movement, exploration, and connection.
Since the campus was donated to the Society in 2019, the Board of Trustees, in collaboration with relevant committees, has been working to articulate the vision for The Bridge Land for Learning; both what it will become physically and what it will offer to children, students, families, and the broader North Okanagan community.
The development of The Bridge Land for Learning is an integral expression of our Society’s mission to “contribute to positive social and ecological change.”
This campus brings together a rich combination of learning spaces, natural environments, and program offerings designed to support healthy childhood development while serving the needs of vulnerable populations and the wider community.
The Bridge Land for Learning already includes Okanagan Waldorf School, the Early Years Centre, a Community Garden, and a Nature Trail System, along with complementary amenities such as outdoor classrooms and a sports field, and programs that foster learning, connection, and stewardship of the land. Looking ahead, plans are underway to further enhance the campus with an outdoor washroom facility and additional forest-based outdoor classrooms, expanding opportunities for nature-based learning and community use.
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 and the Secwepemc Peoples, 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 the pandemic on our campus, while continuing to operate a child care centre and elementary school, highlighted the importance of a community garden for our region and the benefits it would bring, such as:
- Food security
- Fosters a connection with food
- Innovative and sustainable food production
- Connection to the wider community
- Enhance the well-being of children, parents, educators, and community members
Access to programming that supports nutrition and sustainability for children and families helps create a resilient community. This garden, which will be operational for generations, will have a consistent, long-term positive impact on the North Okanagan, both socially and economically.
Volunteer Projects
Please check back often for updates on current volunteer projects.