COMMENTARY — PDAC program teaches schoolchildren the basics of mining

Patricia Dillon is a senior geologist at Teck Exploration and chairman of the Education Committee of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC). She has written the following article at the request of “Keep Mining in Canada,” a grassroots campaign designed to increase awareness of the importance of mining in this country.

Communication is key to ensuring the strength and prosperity of mining in Canada. It is increasingly important for government decision-makers, for the public, and even for schoolchildren to realize that mining has evolved into a technologically advanced industry capable of competing in the 21st century.

As a spokesman for Keep Mining in Canada, I have been given the privilege of trying to impress upon Canadians, through speaking engagements and other media, the vital contribution mining makes to our standard of living.

Some of those Canadians are children. As chairman of the PDAC’s Education Committee, I work alongside teachers and industry volunteers in an innovative educational initiative — the Mining Matters program.

This program introduces mining to Ontario schoolchildren in Grades 6 and 7.

Modelled after a similar program begun by the Mining Association of British Columbia, Mining Matters was designed by teachers and comes in kit form with all necessary materials. In less than a year, the program has been introduced to 20,000 students.

Mining Matters introduces students to rock types, the physical and chemical properties of minerals, and exploration techniques. The students build models of open-pit and underground mines and become familiar with issues facing the industry, including environmental protection and land use.

It is vital to the future of our industry — and our country — that the next generation of miners and policy-makers be given the knowledge that will help them make the most informed decisions possible. It is programs such as Mining Matters and Keep Mining in Canada that are paving the way to a better understanding of how the mining industry functions and how it can continue to contribute to the Canadian economy.