Beyond Classrooms Kingston Received Ontario Trillium Foundation
MEDIA RELEASE November 8, 2022
Beyond Classrooms Kingston recognizes funding received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation at AGM
Kingston, Ontario – Board members, community partners, volunteers ,and staff from Beyond
Classrooms Kingston (BCK) were thrilled to recognize the $40,200 Resilient Communities Fund
grant received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation during their Annual General Meeting on
November 7, 2022. This grant was used to improve programming and communications within
Beyond Classrooms Kingston post-pandemic.
“Bringing teachers and students into community heritage contexts promotes better learning,
builds new educational partnerships, and empowers ownership of local culture. Taking learning
beyond classrooms allows students to look closely and reflect through sketching and journal
writing enhancing their literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. I am pleased that the
Ontario Trillium Foundation is recognizing Beyond Classrooms Kingston and its hard work in our
community,” said Ted Hsu, MPP for the Kingston and the Islands.
As a result of the improved program from the grant, students in Kingston were able to get out of
the classroom to experience unique educational opportunities during week-long in-person
sessions at one of the seven cultural sites that BCK has partnered with. While participating in
sessions, students experienced inquiry-based learning by observing, sketching, journaling, and
listening to guest speakers from the community.
“This generous and timely grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation is enabling Beyond
Classrooms Kingston to enrich students’ learning as they become more culturally competent
and more active as citizens in our community. The grant also allows BCK to develop deeper
partnerships with schools and local cultural heritage sites while we foster more robust
communications with donors, corporate sponsors and other community collaborators.” said
David Melhorn-Boe, Program Coordinator for Beyond Classrooms Kingston.
Since the pandemic started, teachers and students have faced several challenges when it
comes to having meaningful learning experiences outside of the classroom. Our goal is to
reduce barriers and support them so everyone can participate in these hands-on sessions that
have a significant impact.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) mission is to build healthy and vibrant communities
across Ontario. As an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading
granting foundations, last year, OTF invested nearly $209M into 2,042 community projects and
partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund.
Since 2020, OTF has supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit
organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
We are piloting a Rural Remote Program!
Students in elementary schools may not be leaving their classrooms for field trips these days, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get a behind-the-scenes look into local museums.
The pandemic has challenged BCK to find new ways to bring heritage collections to Kingston’s teachers and students. This fall, with funding support from the City of Kingston and the Kingston Association of Museums and Galleries and Historic Sites through the City of Kingston Heritage Fund (CKHF), BCK shifted their onsite immersive program to one that is delivered online.
As the first phase of its online pilot program comes to an end, a new BCK Rural School Remote Program becomes a reality thanks to a partnership with the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area (CFKA). BCK received a $8,623 grant that will help them bring Kingston’s heritage collections and expertise to rural students and teachers in 2021.
Linda Lamoureux, President of Beyond Classrooms Kingston, is excited to see the BCK program reaching beyond City of Kingston boundaries and engaging students in rural schools, previously unable to participate in onsite BCK museum and galleries weeks due to lengthy and costly transportation. “Beyond Classrooms has dreamed of being able to have all students from across the Limestone and Algonquin Lakeshore school boards participate in our programs without the barriers of long bus rides. We can’t wait to share Kingston’s amazing cultural and heritage sites and experts with rural students in the BCK tradition of reflection and slowed-down learning.”
For further information, please contact Beyond Classrooms Kingston’s Coordinator, Karla Tynski, at coordinator@beyondclassrooms.ca or at 613 484-1874.
The Community Foundation for Kingston & Area strengthens our community by connecting the generosity of donors with the energy and ideas of people and charities addressing local community needs. Together, we’ve been making meaningful and lasting impacts in our community since 1995. To learn more, please visit www.cfka.org
