Custom Programs

Partners in Education

The Assiniboine Park Conservancy is continuing its exciting partnership with Pembina Trails School Division (PTSD). Since 2011, we have worked together toward "Fostering Student Engagement" through customized programming. Students in Grades 1 to 6 are selected by PTSD to visit Assiniboine Park Zoo and Conservatory and participate in a series of weekly programs throughout the fall and winter to learn about conservation, nature and biodiversity.

The goal is to assist students who are experiencing difficulties engaging in typical classroom learning and may show signs of inattention and frustration, by providing opportunities for exploration and nurturing curiosity. As the program evolved, Assiniboine Park incorporated an intergenerational component that promotes positive interactions between generations. The one-to-one support provided by Assiniboine Park’s education team and PTSD behaviour and learning support teachers ensures that students are well-supported and feel emotionally safe while participating in the learning activities.

Assiniboine Park Conservancy is committed to developing partnerships with local organizations and schools that want to participate in educational adventures that broaden students' physical connection to the natural world around them. “Fostering Student Engagement” is a wonderful example of how we can provide students with positive learning experiences. This program is a model for developing other partner support programs with Winnipeg’s school divisions.

LIFE – Linking Intergenerational Friends of the Environment

Assiniboine Park’s award-winning intergenerational program is designed to encourage meaningful connections between children or youth and older adults. The bringing together of different generations makes this program a tool to both break down age-based stereotypes and build a culture of shared values and common actions.

As each L.I.F.E. program is based around a central theme, in the fall of 2015 the Assiniboine Park Conservancy launched a pilot program aimed at highlighting Manitoba’s indigenous cultures. Student participants from Niji Mahkwa School's grade 5/6 class were joined by Indigenous Elders from the Aboriginal Seniors Resource Centre to take part in six experiential learning workshops. Here participants had the opportunity to experience, explore, and express aspects of Manitoba’s Indigenous cultures. This includes a drumming circle, traditional storytelling, and indigenous foods. This program also served to further connect Indigenous members of our community with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy.