Teacher candidate projects (2024/25 BEd program) from left to right: Nicole Desa & Brennah Connolly (Grouse Mountain), Anna He (Burnaby Village Museum), and Drew Michielson (Stanley Park Ecology Society)
The Emily Longworth Memorial Award was established in memory of Emily Longworth, a UBC BEd alumna, to honour her spirit, generousity and commitment to children’s experiential learning. The award provides funding to teacher candidates in the Bachelor of Education program (Elementary & Middle Years) to design and lead meaningful, community- and curriculum-connected learning projects with their practicum students. Rooted in the belief that powerful learning extends beyond the classroom, the fund supports experiential, place-based and relational educational opportunities that might otherwise be inaccessible.
Over the past 19 years, the award has supported 717 projects at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, orchestrated by 846 teacher candidates and reaching 27,633 elementary students (including spring 2026 projects). These numbers reflect not only the scale of the award but also its sustained impact, as projects continue to connect curriculum to lived experience, community spaces and creative exploration.
In late January 2026, 72 UBC teacher candidates in the current BEd program were notified by the Teacher Education Office that their initiatives had been funded. Their projects will engage 2,432 students during the teacher candidates’ 10-week certification practicum beginning in late March.
Teacher candidate projects are thoughtfully leveraging school grounds, neighbourhoods and local community spaces and organizations to maximize their funds. Where feasible, they incorporate local knowledge, public transit and parent or guardian involvement to ensure accessibility, while preserving the integrity and richness of experiential learning.
In the most recent annual report, the Longworth family praised the ingenuity of the teacher candidates and the dedication of the UBC Teacher Education Office. Mr. Tom Longworth, Emily’s father, expressed gratitude for UBC’s continued stewardship, noting that the fund responds to present realities at a time when many school and family resources are increasingly stretched.
The Emily Longworth Memorial Award remains a living testament to the belief that educational opportunity should be expansive, equitable and grounded in community.