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.
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 an updated first aid training and insurance.
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!
Cedar De Trey
Cedar has been with The Forest Path Friday group of 7-12 year olds since fall 2019. He brings lots of knowledge about the land and Coyote Mentoring and a calm presence.
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.
Madison Smith
As a child all my memories are going on hikes or with ski boots on my feet. My family planted the seed that being outdoors should be a core aspect of life.
My journey has just begun as an educator! In the beginning, I was a counselor and a participant at Tipi Camp, worked at NDCC as a Camp leader with paddle camps and adventure camps, and then during the winter ski instructed at Whitewater for 3 seasons.
Now I am working with 3 to 5 year olds while continuing my education as an Early Childhood Educator.
Past educators/mentors
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.
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!
Lyndsay Taibossigai
Anishinaabekwe Auntie and Sister
Anishinaabe Aadiziwin
Foodie
Creates: Art
Spirit animal: Unicorn
My spot: Forest and Water
Kwe Wellness
Join our team
The Forest Path is accepting applications for joining our team, for part-time contracts for summer camps or for preschool in the fall. Contact us if you consider yourself fit with us!
Please familiarize yourself with our website and links to our inspiration. Be curious to learn – we are not a traditional daycare or summer camp. We blend deep nature connection (knowing your local place like how our ancestors and native people live) with cutting edge psychology and 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.