Vancouver's Hidden History: Evidence Around Us
Observe the hidden history of Vancouver all around us by examining the traces of its past. In this camp, we will take public transit and visit the historical neighbourhoods of the city we all love with our tour guide and history teacher, Kieran Forry. We will visit Gas Town and explore the first Downtown Core of Vancouver, learn about city planning on the seawall and discover how Expo ‘86 changed our city forever. The city’s streets and buildings have a lot to teach us, we just need to know where to look.
When?
Tuesday August 8 - Friday August 11, 2023; 9:00am - 12:00noon.
Who?
This camp is designed for students aged 11-16 years.
Cost:
$225 (including tax). All transportation cost are included in the fee.
If the fee is a barrier to your participation, a limited number of bursaries are available for eligible families - please email camps@visst.ca to inquire.
Where?
We will start and end each day at The Vancouver Independent School for Science and Technology (VISST) at #200 - 1490 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC. We will take public transportation to the various neighbourhoods.
Why should you attend?
Engage with the past in ways that you wouldn’t ordinarily do in the classroom by actually experiencing and examining historical sites: Gain a fuller understanding of Vancouver’s history.
Make connections between Vancouver’s past and present, and investigate the forces that have shaped the society we live in today.
Learn from an experienced high school history teacher and Vancouver afficionado.
Earn a certificate of completion from the Vancouver Independent School for Science and Technology.
What will you learn?
Students will visit Vancouver’s most historical neighbourhood by public transit including:
Gastown: Vancouver’s One-Time Skid Row – Learn how the trials and tribulations of “Gassy Jack” changed what was a locally known portage route into what would become the first downtown core of the City of Vancouver. Discover the changing fortunes of this part of the city, from its reputation of a den of iniquity in the past, to its current status as a retail and commercial district.
Seawall: How to City Plan – Discover how the City of Vancouver has tried to balance the competing interests of the different groups of people who live by and use the seawall, and the conflicts that have ensued. Learn about the seawall’s protective purpose, it’s intended role as a public park, and why it’s so hard to find something to eat there!
Yaletown to Expo 86: The Birth of the Skytrain – Learn about the changing face of Yaletown and False Creek. From sprawling industrial location to the site of Vancouver’s centenary party, Expo 86. Investigate the changes to the city’s transport that this heralded, as well as the displacement of communities that other transport plans, such as the Georgia viaduct, caused in the area.
