After an incredible 12 weeks, it is bittersweet to see our Landscaping and Restoration Employment Program at Power To Be nearing graduation. This pilot project has empowered eight young adults who face various barriers to gain landscaping and restoration knowledge, job skills, and a sense of community.

This past July saw Power To Be travelling up to Whistler with BC Children’s Hospital, where we had an absolute blast exploring lots of wild spaces. While our time in Whistler was punctuated by moments of exhilaration, wonder, and adventure, the teens collectively agreed that their favourite part was the time spent with each other. 

As summer draws to a close, we celebrate yet another successful Wilderness School expedition. This year marked the fifteenth cohort of the Wilderness School, embarking on the challenging Juan de Fuca trail—a first-ever backpacking trip for most participants.

Tēnā Koutou, Nau Mai Koutou, Kia Ora Tātou Katoa! (A warm and generous welcome, greeting and acknowledgement to all of you reading this post) Ko Tangata Māori ahau (I am a Māori Person ‘visiting’ here on these Indigenous lands and waters of Vancouver Island)

As I reflect on the milestones in my life, 2023 holds a special place. It marks Power To Be's 25th anniversary and also 20 years since a car crash that altered the course of my existence. Little did I know that these seemingly unrelated events would intertwine and lead me to discover resilience, hope, and a renewed zest for life.

Are you looking for a fun way to explore the outdoors? Have you heard of geocaching? It's a worldwide activity with many thousands of community members participating in hundreds of countries. People hide containers called caches and then share the GPS coordinates with others, who then use their own GPS devices to try to find them afterward. It's like a treasure hunt, but instead of gold or jewels, you find trinkets, notes, or other small items left behind by previous seekers.

Last year, Power To Be’s Head of Programs and Services, Pete Carson, and I were approached with an opportunity to visit a number of organizations in Colorado who operate in very similar ways to Power To Be, with the intention to learn, share, and collaborate. Over three nights and two days at the beginning of November 2022, we were able to visit three organizations and one State Park, starting high in the Rocky Mountains.

At Power To Be, we want to help our participants build skills and create positive outdoor experiences by removing barriers to nature. We are proud to offer a wide variety of programs to accommodate as many of our community’s needs as possible. The Inclusive Adventures stream is designed for folks who are keen to learn and grow through outdoor adventures.

At Power To Be, we believe that nature can help us grow and find belonging. The concept of wellness is woven throughout our programs. With the introduction of the Wilderness Wellness stream, we are building more intentional programs to support people beyond feeling good with the goal of supporting them in functioning well.

A model that Power To Be has been piloting and testing over the last few years is called Have A Go events. A free community event where we facilitate in partnership with other service providers to offer a chance for people of all ages and abilities to come and enjoy a day of outdoor fun. One of our volunteers mentioned how many folks have expressed how great it is to “just show up and the rest will come to be”.

With the weather on their side, a group of families, staff and volunteers came together to enjoy nature. Our friends from Spinal Cord Injury BC got to explore Prospect lake, camp on our accessible tent pads, learn about banding, roast s'mores and so much more! It was definitely a weekend to remember.

Connection is at the heart of every Power To Be program; connection with nature, ourselves and others. This has been the impetus behind our program planning. On a late May program, a group of youth and adults met in a park in North Vancouver nestled in an inconspicuous place off the highway. Alli has lived in the area for a decade and had never ventured to this special park. This was the 2nd of 3 “Activity Sampler” programs offered and focused on Hiking.

Despite the rain and chilled winds, our Vancouver Program Adventures Lead, Alli, led a large group of youths through Stanley Park. They took part in nature sculpting, hiking and some great conversations. The group had a wonderful program full of reflection and sharing that ended in lots of laughter and self-discovery!

Over the last 3-4 years Power To Be has had the opportunity to do multi/ progressive day programs with a class from North Saanich Middle School. For most of them simply being outside for the whole day is quite the adventure. It’s an opportunity for them to explore, be challenged, and grow. Adventure squad is all about exploring the natural environment.

At the end of fall 2021, youth from the Wilderness School were offered an opportunity to work alongside a Power To Be volunteer, to help track the habitat and lifecycles of the Western Screech owl. Being able to be a part of and contribute to important ecological work such as this is a beautiful way in which we can honour the lands and waters we are so fortunate to dwell on.

At Power To Be, we are always looking for new community partners to work with that share our passion for connecting people with nature. And often we seek out those who can help to offer a new or unique way of making those connections. Perched high atop the Saanich Inlet, a breathtaking 250m above sea level, sits a relatively new feature to the forested and mountainous skyline of south-eastern Vancouver Island – the Malahat SkyWalk.

2021 marks the thirteenth year of the Family Roots program, where we hold space, alongside our partners at Human Nature Counselling Society, for families to come together in nature to nurture family bonds and build community.

In a special virtual program offering earlier this month, Power To Be virtually travelled with one of our community groups, Spinal Cord Injury BC, to the majestic peaks of the Himalayas. What made this program particularly special was that it was led by dedicated Power To Be volunteer, Karun Thanjavar, and Pippa Blake. As our humble tour guides, they shared their personal story of an epic journey to Everest Basecamp using a TrailRider.

Gathering as a community became increasingly important in 2020. We have had to forge new ways of connecting, building our community online, and remaining flexible during changing times. Despite being online, our year-end celebration still felt as magical as ever.

Our program team has always played with the idea of starting a “Nature Photography” program, but most of our staff don’t know their way around a camera. Enter Glenn: a long-time Power To Be volunteer, bird expert, professional photographer, and generally awesome human. Glenn agreed to help facilitate a Nature Photography program, and that’s when the magic really started to happen.