Our Core Values
Recognizing and honouring that we are on Unceded Territory
By acknowledging the complexities surrounding living on Unceded land, we can start a lifetime of work to decolonize ourselves. We believe in getting to know where we live by learning the history, the people of that place, and about all of the beings who lived on that land and who still do. Doing this with care to prevent perpetuating colonialism and the taking and stealing of land and knowledge.
See our ongoing fundraiser for the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA) HERE.
Place-based Knowledge
By having strong relationships with the bio-region surrounding us, we can better understand our role within it. Our curriculum includes wildlife tracking, edible and medicinal plants, bird ID and understanding bird language, naturalist skills, and survival skills. All of these are situated within the bio-region that we are in.
Diversity
We honour that each person learns in different ways, and we honour all of the different ways that we can mentor. Our team comes from various backgrounds, with many combined years of being teachers and nature mentors. We also have a myriad of backgrounds and experiences within the families that come to our programs, and no one has ever been turned away from one of our programs for lack of funds.
Reverence and Gratitude
Our teachings are grounded in gratitude, deep respect, and reverence for the earth. Our learners become grounded in this practice. Through gratitude and reverence for the natural world, we see each child’s strengths and gifts and enable them to discover and share their gifts with the rest of the world. We foster the individual expression of each child, allowing them to be honoured for who they are.
Curiosity and Student-driven
When immersed in our own passions and curiosities, learning can be effortless, like an eagle soaring. We teach using passion-based learning and follow the lead of our students.
Hand-based skills
By having strong ties to the land around us, we begin to see and feel the countless interdependencies and inter-connections of all the beings around us. Using and creating tools and crafts that we have made with our hands from the natural world, we begin to see how we are woven into all the beings around us. Our wisdom comes from the earth, from our ancestors, and our own unique creativity.
Creating Culture
We aim to create an intergenerational community of naturalists from children through elders. We are working to create a culture where our students become mentors of future students. We hope that this generation of children will be so strongly connected to the natural world that they will fully understand their place within it.
Emotional and Social Awareness
When we express our feelings and feel safe doing so, we begin creating self-awareness and showing empathy for others. We can regulate our emotions, name them, and ask for the support we need. We can address conflict constructively and consider other people’s feelings. Role modeling this for children and giving them opportunities to put this into action will enable their emotional literacy and connection to their emotions to flourish.
