Builders of the Sunshine Coast Trail are looking to engage more of Powell River’s youth in the work they’ve done over the past two decades.
Board members of Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society (PRPAWS), Scott Glaspey and Emma Levez Larocque, made a presentation to Powell River Board of Education trustees at February’s public school board meeting. Glaspey said he is hoping the wilderness organization could help promote stewardship among youth for the trail’s huts and rest areas, promote healthy lifestyles and pass along skills to younger generations.
Inspired by the low rates of vandalism Glaspey saw in New Zealand’s hiking infrastructure, he hatched an idea of bringing more students out onto the Sunshine Coast Trail to experience and appreciate it.
“When they see and enjoy it, they won’t mess with it,” Glaspey said in his presentation.
However, when he approached Ryan Barfoot, district outdoor and ecological education coordinator, Glaspey discovered that there were already high rates of usage happening from a number of outdoor education programs, he said. Glaspey added, though, that PRPAWS was still interested in finding some way of helping to not only pass on appreciation for the region’s wild spaces but also technical skills such as trail and cabin construction.
“We’re still building trails, making cabins and working on the whole thing,” he said. “We should be able to share what we’re doing.”
And that was a message well received by trustees.
Board chair Jeanette Scott told Glaspey after his talk that the board was looking for more opportunities for intergenerational learning for students.
Students in Powell River’s public schools have a wide variety of opportunities in outdoor experiential learning, programs which have sprouted and grown over the years.
Jay Yule, superintendent of schools, said the board of education created a goal which would allow every student the chance to gain outdoor experiences and learn about the sustainability issues affecting their lives. To that end, the district built a number of programs including the Powell Lake Outdoor Learning Centre at Haywire Bay, Eco-French Immersion at James Thomson Elementary School, Kelly Creek Community School Outdoor Program, Coast Mountain Academy, LEAP and others.
Now district administrators are looking to reflect upon and celebrate successes and provide strategic direction for the future.
An outdoor education sustainability steering committee has been created to review the existing programs and help develop recommendations for a strategic district plan and look at future partnerships, Yule said. Recommendations are expected by the end of April.
“We have all kinds of great programs in the district, but we want to make that a coherent plan,” Yule said. “Part of that is community partnerships.”
