Reimagining Inquiring Voices: A Retreat for Educators
Over the years, Inquiring Voices has become much more than a professional learning event. It has been a space where classroom teachers and community educators come together to learn with and from one another through shared experiences in the outdoors.
The heart of the event has always been connection. Rather than a traditional conference, Inquiring Voices creates time for educators to build relationships, exchange ideas, and experience activities together that inspire learning back in their own schools and organizations. Community educators share programs, stories, and expertise, while teachers bring their own questions, experiences, and classroom perspectives. Together, they create a rich learning community.
Spending several days together allows those connections to grow in ways that simply aren’t possible during a one-day workshop. Mornings might begin with a quiet yoga session, a brisk walk, a paddle across the lake, or even a refreshing swim. Throughout the day, participants explore hands-on learning experiences and engage in meaningful conversations about teaching and learning. Even everyday moments become opportunities for laughter and collaboration—whether that’s figuring out how to fit everyone onto the dock for a group photo or gathering around the campfire in the evening to share songs, stories, music, and bannock.
When participants head home, they often describe feeling nourished, connected, refreshed, inspired, and grateful. They leave with new ideas, new relationships, and a network of colleagues who continue to support one another long after the event ends.
Looking Ahead
As we plan for the coming year, we’ve made the decision to postpone Inquiring Voices for this fall.
Rather than simply pressing pause, we’d like to take this opportunity to thoughtfully reimagine the experience.
We’re exploring how the event could evolve into a retreat for educators—one that continues to foster collaboration between teachers and community educators while creating even more space for reflection, relationship-building, personal renewal, and meaningful professional learning.
As we imagine what’s next, we’d love your input.
Whether you’ve attended Inquiring Voices before or are simply interested in this type of experience, your ideas will help shape the future of the event.
Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts using the feedback form below.
Thank you for helping us imagine the next chapter. We’re excited to create an experience that continues to bring educators together in community, while making space for the connection, inspiration, and renewal that so many of us need.
Reimagining Inquiring Voices Form
Getting feedback from members about what this could look like
Feedback from past participants
I really appreciate the energy, passion, and thought that go into each of these events. You really do think of every little detail, even the ones that people probably don’t notice. You do a wonderful job of connecting and communicating beforehand, during and after an event. I am always telling others that CBEEN offers, by far, the best professional development!
Thanks for a fabulous, inspiring weekend. I love the boost of energy and enthusiasm I get for teaching people about nature from this symposium.
The event was a “10”. It was perfect. The perfect people were here in a perfect place talking about and deeply thinking on critical themes that run through our personal and professional lives.
This event was beyond my expectations. All of the educators were so inviting and engaging – the atmosphere was relaxing yet exhilarating with ideas and sharing in all directions.
I appreciated the chance to really get to know everyone and share. This Symposium was a great mix of relaxation and productivity!
This symposium inspired me to go forward and teach my Grade 8 class with renewed inspiration and confidence in their future on the planet. It provided the highest quality learning experiences from professional sources and showcased the talent of the participants as well. The conference also provided opportunities to network with like-minded professionals and discuss and problem-solve issues related to education as it pertains to Sustainability.
Meeting together with other environmental educators rekindled my sense of purpose, and knowing there are others in the basin that share my values and love of teaching about nature will keep me motivated till we meet again
I came away from the weekend retreat refreshed, stimulated and excited about being an environmental educator, who can share my passion for the world around us with my students.
It was quite an incredible experience to be in a place with environmental educators who are well aware of the seriousness of the challenges we face, and who in spite of this are determined to work for positive change by educating and engaging young people in meaningful and authentic ways.
The Voices for Sustainability event is about getting motivated and recharged. It allows participants to learn from each other, to share best practices and to showcase what they are doing in their classes and their communities around education for sustainability. I have always come away just bursting with new ideas and inspiration.
