Mining Matters was established based on the model developed by MineralsEd, formerly known as the Mineral Resources Education Program of British Columbia. In 1990, the Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC) was confronted by industry surveys that the public perception of the mineral industry was extremely negative or there was no perception at all. At the same time, the province’s teachers were telling MABC officials that most of the information on the province’s mining sector was 20-30 years out of date. These problems sparked a formal partnership in 1991 between MABC, the Ministry of Education and the B.C. Teachers' Federation. The result was the formation of the Mineral Resources Education Program of British Columbia. The innovative partnership allowed the teachers to produce mining related classroom resources aligned with curriculum requirements. Industry representatives, government officials, and environmental groups were all consulted. In addition, a vital component of the program was teacher workshops that provided in-depth instruction on how to use these resources in the classroom.
In 1994, the Chair of the Education Committee of the
Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada established the goal to provide children with balanced information on mining to enable them to make informed decisions in the future regarding the minerals industry.
It was noted that the success of the MABC education initiative was due to development of the resources by active classroom teachers with technical input from the industry.
“
Mining Matters” was conceived on this model – by teachers for teachers
Over that summer, three teachers were hired to design a bilingual unit for Ontario schools. Between 1994 and 1996 over 2,000 resource kits were assembled and distributed though teacher workshops focused on the urban areas of Toronto and Ottawa.
In 1997
Mining Matters registered as an independent charitable organization, that is driven by a dedicated volunteer board of directors and a passionate team. In recognition of the important roles of Indigenous people in the industry, we introduced programs for Indigenous youth in partnership with communities in 2001. Expansion across Canada was enabled with the implementation of a robust fund development strategy in 2005.
Since inception,
Mining Matters has brought balanced and accurate information to classrooms, camps and communities all over Canada, reaching an estimated 800,000 students, teachers and members of the public to date.
Our long-standing collaborative educational partnership with the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada has been critical to our success. We are grateful for the ongoing confidence they have placed in our mission to raise young people’s awareness of Earth science, the Canadian mineral exploration, and mining industries, and the role they play in our lives.