Malin Christensson
When I was a kid, I went to the Swedish outdoor education school ‘Skogs Mulle’. My grandpa had a farm and there was still undeveloped land in the city where me and my friends could roam free.
Hoping to could help change the world, I got a Masters degree in Political Science. I worked many years with interdisciplinary, student-led sustainability education at the Centre for Environment and Development Studies at Uppsala University, Sweden. I also worked at the Swedish youth environmental and naturalist association, volunteered with Friends of the Earth, was a peace activist and travelled in Europe, Africa and India.
Feeling stressed and worried about the state of the world, I turned to yoga and my own ecosystem. I became a Satyananda yoga teacher and I lived a few months at the Yasodhara Ashram in Kootenay Bay. When my kids started school, I started to teach yoga to their class and have led kids yoga in Nelson. Now I am volunteering with the Shambhala Meditation Centre and their children’s program. I have mentored with Jeannine Tidwell at Twin Eagles Wilderness School in Idhao.
How to facilitate group and cultural change is the question of my life. I regularly lead earth grief rituals (Joanna Macy’s the work that reconnects) and have facilitated other community discussions. Being part of cocreating decolonialization, social justice and integrated wellbeing are crucial to me.
The forest is my second home. I see so much healing happening outdoors, so much joy. I feel blessed to connect kids with nature and to get to play!
Malin (she/her)
Cedar De Trey
Cedar de Trey was born and raised on the shores of Cortes Island B.C and has recently moved to the Kootenays where he has fallen in love with the diversity and wildness of Mountain life. Since moving here in the fall of 2019 he has been working with Malin Christenson and the forest path Kids/youth groups
He has extensive experience in backcountry and ocean/lake travel having completed the C.O.L.T (Canadian outdoor leadership training) course at Strathcona Park Lodge. He worked for many years as a Sea Kayak guide, he also undertook numerous long distance solo and group kayaking and backpacking expeditions, gaining a deep connection and respect for the wildness and wonder that this earth gives forth. He has also studied within the 8 shields Coyote mentoring tradition of Jon Youngs which he feels has really complemented his many years of Dzogchen Tibetan Buddhism training. He loves to use his Mountain Bike or Backcountry alpine skis to find wide open wild spaces to sit and Skygaze (a simple form of open eyed nature meditation) and loves to share these simple teachings with others.
He is also a very accomplished woodworker specializing in functional art/furniture utilizing raw wood pieces, Driftwood and Creekwood and other earth elements.
He sees clearly the need to harbour the natural skills and creativity that is so inherent and unique in each and every one of us. And is always reminded of the importance of the childlike nature and wonder in all of us.
Valerie Law
Valerie spent the majority of her childhood hanging upside down in vine maple trees and crawling under deer ferns in her backyard of Coastal BC. Her passion for nature led her to study Natural Resource Science, at Thompson Rivers University, located in the abundant grasslands of the Interior.
A passionate learner, she’s studied anthropology in Wales, marine biology in Australia, and french in Quebec. She’s been leading educational programming since 2012 and became a published scientist in animal behaviour research in 2014.
Passionate about the small quiet moments that can be found sitting admits swaying trees and dedicated to helping youth discover the wonder of connecting with all living things, Valerie personally finds her most nourishing element to be water. Valerie’s most at ease when surfing, ogling over slugs, screeching with delight in a game of tag, listening to bird calls, and dancing.
Jane Gao
My background includes: a B.Sc in Ecology and Conservation Biology from UBC. I have worked as a field biologist throughout Coastal and Interior BC. My work has mainly focused on plant and aquatic ecology.
I have been a homesteader in Argenta for 10 years before moving to Nelson two years ago with my family. I was a community environmental educator for the Wild Voices for Kids program through Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) for almost 3 years. I am also a certified hiking guide through Outdoor Council of Canada, and a mentor for a wilderness skill camp in Kaslo, Outstanding in Nature with Erin Carr.
My passion lies in sharing my knowledge and help people of all ages to cultivate a deep appreciation and understanding to the ecosystems we live in.
Jessilyn Leckie
My name is Jessilyn and I spent my formative years living up Sproule Creek rd. in an off-grid cabin where my sister and I had the leisure of running around in the woods. My mom’s main fear, when allowing us to play for extended periods of time alone in the forest, was mainly about animal and plant dangers so she educated us about this stuff. I enjoy the outdoors for skiing, hiking, swimming and exploring.
I ‘discovered’ forest school while living and working at a Montessori Preschool in France. I thought it was bizarre that Canada didn’t have something similar to this. Turns out it does and through an Indigenous perspective has been offering this type of education since time immemorial! After returning to Canada, I signed up for a Forest School Practitioners course offered through the Children and Nature Alliance Canada. I am emergency child first-aid certified along with having my ECEA and lots of experience doing camps with kids.
Jessilyn is now studying art at Emily Carr. She runs Kootenay Forest School.
Sarah Taranoff
Sarah is persuing a degree in Early Childhood Education, has two daughters in the Forest path programs and is very keen to learn more about bringing kids outside. She has studied kids yoga and with Malin.
"I really love seeing kids play outside, using their imagination and engaging in play with sticks, water, rocks etc. This is a growing passion of mine. It is wonderful to be a positive influence as they explore and spend time outdoors."
Tannin Shunter
Tanin Shunter was raised in beautiful Nelson, British Columbia, and to this day continues to call it home. He comes from a background in business (B.B.A), but youth work has always been one of his true callings and passions. He has worked with young people in varying capacities including teaching at an early child care centre, offering hiphop and nature-based workshops in public schools, creating original compositions for school plays, and co-facilitating a boy’s mentorship program in School District 8. In 2018 Tanin also co-created, organized, and facilitated a Young Men’s Rites Of Passage program on the shores of the tipi camp.
He loves seeing children (and adults!) of all ages come alive in nature and feels honoured to play a role in facilitating a reconnection to the beauty of the natural world. When he isn’t out exploring the mountains, working with youth, or in the studio writing his next heart-centered hiphop hit, you can find him relaxing at home with his partner and beloved kitties.
Eric Twitty
Upon graduating with a bachelor’s degree, Eric set off on what would become a two and a half year adventure, travelling and hiking extensively throughout New Zealand, Australia, and the Himalayas of India and Nepal.
He has spent the last 25 years exploring the beauty of these majestic West Kootenay mountains and lush valleys, growing lots of food, creating and managing a thriving health food store, organizing actions to halt old growth logging, as well as guiding weeklong ocean kayak adventures off the wild west coast of Vancouver Island.
A proud father of a recently graduated high school son, Eric has felt the deep calling to be of utmost service and support to our youth and those of special needs. Returning back to school after almost 30 years he obtained his EA (Educational Assistant) certificate and has recently been supporting outdoor education for youth in the Slocan Valley, as well as working full time in Nelson in support of autistic adults.
Eric is excited to share his enthusiasm for the love of the outdoors as well as to model and nurture a sense of the sacred in all our relations.
Past educators/mentors
Candice Mangione
Candice is as passionate about the outdoors as she is about teaching children. She has a Bachelor of Education (West Kootenay Rural Education) from UBC and Bachelor of Sustainable Resource Management at Memorial University. She is also working on her Forest School Practitioners Course Level 1 from the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada.
She has also been a youth camp facilitator at Flexpeditions in Revelstoke, BC.
Lyndsay Taibossigai
Anishinaabekwe Auntie and Sister
Anishinaabe Aadiziwin
Foodie
Creates: Art
Spirit animal: Unicorn
My spot: Forest and Water
Kwe Wellness
Kyle Garliq Chevrier
Garliq is an herbalist and plant lover to his core. He is papa of two young, adventurous boys and has learned about the enormous healing and nurturing capacity of untamed green spaces to free the human spirit.
Over the last 10 years, he‘s been an active part of nature-connected communities based on the 8 Shields models through the Firemaker Primitive Skills Gathering and the Art of Mentoring. Today, he’s working here in Nelson to create rich, land-based and connected community.
Shamus Orion Deer Birkel
Shamus is a permaculture and off-grid living enthusiast with 25 years of camp counselling experience, a love for Medicine Wheel teachings and a master’s degree in Conflict analysis and management.
When he isn’t with this family, in the garden or building something, he works as a Youth and Family worker at Salmo Secondary School.
Alexandra Dehnel
Alexandra is passionate about nature. Her enthusiasm for the outdoors has taken her through programs such as Adventure, Tourism, Leadership, and Safety (ATLAS) offered at L. V. Rogers Secondary School in Nelson B.C., as well as the Adventure Guide Diploma at Thompson Rivers University. Through these programs she has developed her leadership, and safety skills, as well as gained a greater appreciation for the natural environment.
At University, she specialized in whitewater kayaking and swiftwater rescue, which has given her the opportunity to teach summer youth kayak programs and camps. As a kayak instructor, she was able to discover the joys of teaching, mentoring, and watching the children learn. Therefore, she is very happy to be a part of the Forest Path educators where she can appreciate nature, and teaching!
Irina Peters
Irina grew up hiking and foraging with her father in the Mountains of Tien Shan. After immigrating to Canada she worked as a recreation and forest technician. She especially enjoyed sharing her wanderings with children, and in her forties trained as an Early Childhood Educator. She began to work with children full time, and over the years gathered a large collection of stories and books to engage the kids in exploration of the natural world and world’s cultures. She is currently working as an Educational Assistant for the Kootenay Lake District, and still wanders and forages in the outdoors in her spare time.
Jenni Konken Stol
Jenni grew up on the BC coast, following her love of nature to a biology degree and field jobs studying all kids of animals from zooplankton to sturgeon, snowshoe hares, and beluga whales. She has also worked as a naturalist and environmental educator. Jenni holds a master’s degree in environment and management and completed the fish, wildlife and recreation program at BCIT.
Jenni is enjoying getting outside with her two kids to explore our amazing forests, mountains and waterways. She works with our Forest School and volunteers with BC NatureKids!
Kaitlin Emig
Kaitlin‘s first introduction to outdoor education was as a Girl Scout in California and Kansas where she grew up. One of those camping memories involved packing up camp during a tornado, so needless to say, she’s not in Kansas anymore. She went on to study English and Writing.
Kaitlin has worked with outdoor education for the past 10 years. She has taught over 2000 youth in forest ecology, team building, geology, ropes course, and led many campfire songs and skits. While living in Colorado, she was a ski instructor and mentor for at-risk youth doing adventure sports. She has received training from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) along with a Permaculture Design Certificate, yoga and meditation teacher trainings.
Recently, she lived in New Zealand where she combined her yoga and outdoor education training to launch yoga hiking experiences allowing participants to feel grounded in nature. She moved to Nelson with her Kiwi partner in 2019 where they enjoy their time mountain biking, skiing and snowboarding, camping, and gardening. Her mission is to educate the next generation on making positive impacts for their community and the environment.
Kyoko Conne
Kyoko (Koko) was born and raised in Nelson BC and grew up biking, hiking, skiing, paddling, camping, and most importantly playing in the Kootenay woods, lakes, and mountains. Now she is a school teacher! She is passionate about supporting children to grow a lifelong love of learning through play, exploration, and inquiry.
Maybe you met Koko at the first year of forest school or maybe at the Nelson library Summer Reading Club. Kyoko is a former counsellor for the Wilderness Immersion for Self Esteem (WISE) kids and teen camps at Kootenay Lake’s Tipi camp and a graduate of LV Roger’s Atlas program which emphasizes leadership in the outdoors.
Megan Jamison
Megan is a BC teacher that worked in many West Kootenay schools, as well as at some of Forest Path camps. She is the board chair of the local EEPSA chapter (Environmental Educators Professional Specialist Association) and passionate about bringing kids out in nature.
Denise Currie
Denise (Ms Currie) is an amazing educator who with her classes at South Nelson Elementary has then be outside most of the day at least once a week, sometimes every day every week! She is passionate about children, learning, the outdoors, inquiry and was our mentor at one summer camp.
Join our team
The Forest Path is accepting applications for joining our team, for part-time contracts for summer camps or for fall, winter and spring programs. Contact us if you consider yourself fit with us!
Please familiarize yourself with our website and links to our inspiration. We blend deep nature connection (knowing your local place like how our ancestors and Firest Nations people live) with attachment theory (all about relationships) with cultural mentoring (teachers as invisible mentors that rolemodel, tell stories and ask questions rather than tell answers). Contact us if you consider yourself fit with us!
We are looking for staff who have:
– experience with kids aged between 3 to 12
– a passionate and comfortable connection to nature and willingness to share the joy of the outdoors to others
– ability to function independently yet a teamworker
– a current criminal record check.
Ideally but not necessary, you have:
– ECE or teacher certification or other relevant training
– current first aid training
– outdoor education training
– knowledge of Art of Mentoring/8 shields/Coyote Mentoring, primitive skills or First Nations knowledge
– skills and experience of parenting/early education with perspectives like Waldorf, mindfulness, NVC, Gordon Neufeld, no drama discipline, arts, music and crafts, storytelling etc.
Can I volunteer?
We have volunteers occasionally come to our programs. Thank you!
If you would like to be a volunteer for the Forest Path, send us an email telling about yourself and why you like to volunteer. We suggest you browse the rest of this website to familiarize yourself with our programs and approach. All volunteers need a valid Criminal Record Check.
We are gratefully welcoming Elders to share their stories and other guests with interesting offers.