Guelph Outdoor School is the first and largest project of the Village Hearth Initiative - a Guelph based non-profit / social benefit organization dedicated to community and ecological health through nature connective practices.
With a love for nature from an early age, Dee has considered herself an avid outdoors woman for some time. Growing up, she went both back and front country camping, did thorough hikes, canoe trips, and more. She was also fortunate enough to live in a house backing on to hundreds of acres of conservation forest in the area of (so-called) Uxbridge, Ontario.
While her career took her in another direction, her passion for nature connection has never gone away. In fact, with a renewed focus on how to make more equitable spaces for people of colour, she’s turned her free time into a dedication to encourage nature connection for those who never had the opportunity. As such, she joined GOS as a board member to bring a new perspective to the group; honouring the lived experience of the diverse community that exists within Guelph.
You can find Dee on the trails around Guelph with her dog Cedar or running her local non-profit, BIPOC Outdoor Gear Library.
A mother and grandmother, Lisa takes the responsibility of being human into action for the quality of life and the sake of the Earth. Born and raised on Ohlone and Tongva land (California), she has worked and raised her family in various bio-regions in what is now called the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, awakening her curiosity and appreciation for the intersection of nature and culture. Since leaving corporate positions with Apple, Time Warner, and DK Publishing, she has worked extensively in volunteer leadership positions with local and regional environmental organizations.
When volunteering at her children’s school near Lake Ontario, she was introduced to the work of Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, and developed a keen awareness and appreciation of the benefits of deep nature connection for all ages. Lisa lives on the unceded land of the Cheyenne, Ute and Arapaho nations (now called Boulder, Colorado USA), where she is grateful for the inspiration and protection of the Flatirons.
Educator & Organizer at 2 Row on The Grand
I am of the Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan, born, raised, and still live on the Six Nations Reserve along the bank of The Grand River. I retired from a thirty-four year tenure as a classroom teacher of Elementary School in our public school system a decade ago, but remain an active volunteer in the education field, and tutor privately in my own home.
After paddling on the sixteen day Two Row Renewal Campaign from Albany to Manhattan, New York, on The Hudson River in 2013, I was one of four participants who established what is now known as “Two Row on the Grand.” Functioning as a grassroots-volunteer committee, we have watched this project’s participation more than double in size in its three years of existence. Plans are already underway for Two Row on the Grand 2019.
Since 2012 Bill has offered steady volunteer support, week in and week out, and has made the outdoor school a richer place since the beginning.
His generous laughter warms the cedar grove. His 45+ years experience as a hydro-geologist enriches our understanding of the landscape - the bones of the earth :)
He is a tracker, a photographer, an orator, a fire tender, a craftsman and a grandfather. He is fierce, and caring, he is fun-loving, an accomplished woodsman, and a role model for self-sufficiency and standing firm.
Thanks always to Bill for everything you do.
I have spent almost two decades working as a humanitarian aid worker. I have deployed to emergencies around the world including Haiti, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Zimbabwe and Niger. I also spent 15 months with World Vision Lebanon establishing World Vision’s response to the Syrian crisis. I am a passionate gender equality and mental health advocate and have developed strong skills in non-profit fundraising and management, mental health and psychosocial support, especially for children in crises.
I have seen first-hand the impact that being disconnected from community has, especially on children, and I believe that while we may not be facing natural disasters and conflict on the scale that other parts of the world are, the impact of our disconnection from the natural world has very real consequences that are not so different.
I am a proud Guelph Outdoor School parent and cherish the memories of picking up my child after a day in the woods; dirt smeared face, boots filled with river water, eager to share tales of feeding chickadees, tracking porcupines and playing wolf bite. I believe strongly that the work of the Village Hearth Initiative is essential to the well-being of our community and I am honoured to be part of helping the organization grow and to continue the good work of nature connection.
I am a human rights lawyer, having specialised in the past in refugee law and equality rights and am now the CEO of The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, a Canadian based NGO involved in the promotion and protection of domestic and international human rights.
I feel very privileged to be a parent at VHCS and to be the beneficiary of the vision and values of the wonderful team who have created a space for all children to access outdoor education in an inclusive and safe environment.
The mentorship and guidance my daughters have received by being part of this community is something we are forever grateful for.
I have always sought to combat systemic racism and all forms of oppression and I believe that VHI in general, and VHCS in particular, are the embodiment of these values and it would be my great pleasure to be a candidate to join the board of The Village Hearth Initiative.