With a desire to reach and in­spire younger generations, innovative ed­ucational out­reach projects have become a strong focus of No.9 programming. Through a hands-on approach to ed­ucation us­ing art and design, No.9 ed­ucation programs have opened the eyes of younger generations to press­ing envi­ron­mental issues, and sustainable practices. Strong, collab­orative partner­ships with Ontar­io-based art, envi­ron­mental, and ed­ucation orga­ni­zations have al­lowed No.9 to produce results well be­yond its size. Our programs bring forward-think­ing programming and exhi­bi­tions, which are inextrica­bly linked to the changes hap­pening in the world, di­rectly into the class­room.

Since 2006, over 14,000 Ontar­io el­e­mentary school students have expe­ri­enced No.9 ed­ucation workshops in their class­rooms. In 2010, 11,000 inner-city GTA students en­gaged with the Iain Baxter& EcoArtVan over a two-month pe­riod. Since 2012, No.9’s Imag­ining My Sustainable City, a three-year partner­ship with the Toronto Dis­trict School Board, has reached 50 el­e­mentary schools in each of Toronto’s 44 Wards. Through this in­ter­disciplinary and hands-on approach to learning, students were able to acquire new skills, gained the confidence to present their work, and were introduced to re­al life applications of the lessons by meeting their school Trustees and working with vol­unteers from the Ontar­io As­sociation of Ar­chi­tects.

Through our ed­ucation programs, No.9 has partnered with the World Wildlife Fund, Cana­dian Artist Iain Baxter&, The Toronto Dis­trict School Board, Toronto Public Libraries, and Ev­ergreen. We are proud to an­nounce that in 2015 our ed­ucational programming will expand its reach into class­rooms in Hamilton in partner­ship with the Hamilton-Wentworth Dis­trict School Board.