Throughout my time in the Performance Learning Program, we’ve always covered broad topics, typically historical events not connected to us. In our latest project, we changed that, and connected our learning to our city, Deep Cove and more broadly, North Vancouver.

The final product we would be working towards in this project would be a (maga)Zine for the Museum of North Vancouver (MONOVA) on our topic of research in North Vancouver post-war. The driving question that would guide us through this project was “How did Canadian society change after WWII?”

The first step in this project was to find a topic that interested us. At the start of this project, had eaten recently at Honey’s Donuts. Inside this restaurant are many photos depicting Deep Cove through its construction. One thing I noticed when looking at these photos was the mountains in the background. All of them seemed to be barren, devoid of trees. This is when I knew I wanted logging and deforestation in North Vancouver to be my local topic of research for my zine. After choosing our local topic, we had to come up with a national topic to connect it to, and finally, its significance. The national topic I chose was the exploitation of Canada’s resources. The significance of these two topics was the connection to Canada’s economy. Through the exploitation of Canada’s resources eg. logging, the Canadian economy expanded greatly.

Local: Logging and deforestation in North Vancouver.

National: Exploitation of Canada’s resources.

Significance: The Canadian economy.

In my zine, I connect my world view, with established sources to compose a research-driven paper focused on the growth of Canada post WW2.

Lastly, the competencies. In this project, we would be assessed on our ability to communicate compellingly and establish historical significance.

I was able to communicate compellingly through my multi-paragraph composition. I used effective language, communicated my ideas clearly, and used reputable sources to be as transparent as possible. All the while presenting accurate information.

I established historical significance through my three points of how Canada was changed post-war. “Specifically, in the post-WW2 era, Canada was built on the exportation of its natural resources. The logging and deforestation operations in North Vancouver in the 1950s was directly tied to this growth.”

I learned how to use a multi-paragraph composition to communicate my ideas clearly. Throughout the project, improving my ability to do this and increase my effectiveness. I learned how Canada changed post-war, and how this can be tied to a local level.