About Us

Mandate of N.S. Heritage Fairs Society

Mission Statement:

The Nova Scotia Heritage Fairs Society tries to facilitate enhanced heritage education in the Nova Scotia education system through:

direct support to a provincial heritage fair; support to school boards for staging of regional heritage fairs; encouragement and support of teachers to hold hold fairs in their own school
encouragement for and recognition of exceptional achievement in heritage awareness.

Terms of Reference:

“Education system” includes public schools, home schools and Mi’kmaw schools.
Main focus is Grades 4-9
As requested, help make teachers become aware of the potential of Heritage fairs for achieving prescribed outcomes by proving assistance at conferences and learning opportunities organized by EECDU, school boards, schools and curriculum groups.
Establish a liaison person at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
Ask Department to consider supporting, where it deems reasonably possible, the Society through their communications processing [emails, journals, curriculum notes etc].
Encourage school boards to promote heritage fairs as part of the means of achieving prescribed education outcomes, through project-based education.
Have regional representative[s] available to support boards and school when they request.
Promote use of N.S. Museum educational materials to achieve prescribed learning outcomes, and review future such developments.
Continuously invite feedback from teachers, students, parents and other community members as our activities develop.
Develop a website and other social media to inform, promote, and advocate.
Publish and circulate a newsletter, possibly three to four times a year, mainly by e-mail.
Broaden membership to improve community participation, and communication
Support cross-cultural developments where heritage is concerned, particularly as a means of helping newcomers integrate.
Maintain and develop partnerships: partners may include CCH, museums, SMU, Canada’s History, Heritage Trust, Helen Creighton Society,
Strengthen relationship with Canada’s History.
Maintain option of including home-schooled and private school students so that all students of Grades 4-9 are included.

Vision Statement:

Knowledge of Nova Scotia’s heritage is understood to enhance the quality of life for residents, communities, newcomers, and visitors. It contributes to our sense of place and encourages our students to become the stewards of our past by becoming the informed and caring citizens, historians, the film-makers, the investigative journalists, the museum curators and archivists of the future. It supports the economic development of Nova Scotia through the promotion of our historic sites and culture.