The Community Outreach Program works with community partners to foster human connection to plants, people and places through hands-on learning with science, art and nature. With the aim to foster a Garden for Everyone, this program creates opportunities for inclusion through community events and access programs.
Since 2015, the Community Outreach Program has worked with our community and donors to design and deliver accessible experiences for children, youth and adults.
The goals of this program include the following:
1. Biodiversity Days & Family Nature Walk
Biodiversity Days will celebrate its 5th year in 2025. This annual event hosted every May celebrates local initiatives underway to bring awareness to the biodiversity that sustains us. The goals of Biodiversity Days are to raise awareness of biodiversity and its importance, mobilize action to stop the loss of biodiversity and build a generation of stewards that actively protect and restore nature.
The Family Nature Walk is the signature event of Biodiversity Days and is designed for children and their families to experience the Garden on the May long weekend. Families walk and tour the Garden to find educational stations where art, science and wellbeing are shared.
2. Community Access Passes and Garden Memberships
Access Passes and Garden Memberships are distributed to local organizations that support children, youth and community priorities. These access passes in 2023 and 2024 provided over 200 tickets to 34 community groups and over 600 memberships to local families.
3. Garden and TreeWalk Tours
Tours and Field Trips provide a guided experience for visitors to learn about plants and enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of nature. In 2023 and 2024, the Community Outreach Program hosted over 500 people on 26 tours. Our engaging and welcoming staff and student guides, lead experiences through the Garden designed for individualized connection and learning.
4. Schools Education Expansion
New for 2025, the UBC Botanical Garden Education Expansion will increase our impact in local school communities by working with teachers and students. This program aims increase reach with children and complement their formal learning experiences with fun, nature-based programming.