Arnold has been involved with Power To Be for about ten years now. He believes the staff provides the necessary support and encouragement for participants that they “can do” an activity. The staff “know what to ask, what to look for, and have a good sense of camaraderie and communication between participants and staff.” It is always a pleasure having Arnold on program or supporting Power To Be in other capacities.

At Power To Be, we understand the interconnectedness of our experiences in nature and its correlation to mental health and wellbeing. Programming focused around mental health and wellbeing has never been more important or requested than it is today. It is thanks to funders like Bell: Let’s Talk that make these types of programs possible for our community.

Power To Be is excited to present our final quarterly update of 2020. Find out how we ended the final months of the year as we continued to hold safe spaces for connection, hosted an exciting virtual concert, and found fun ways to support our community during the holiday season. See the impact of Power To Be, find out what's new with our organization, and explore what's coming up!

During the holiday season, the Power To Be team, with donations from local supports, had a lot of fun making some pretty neat holiday dreams come true! Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's Holiday Hamper project a great success!

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.

Power To Be works closely with the Parks Sector to collectively forward the notion of inclusion. One of the ways we do that is through our involvement with the BC Parks Accessibility Advisory Committee. We work alongside other regional non-profits working with people with diverse needs.

What if everyone pledged that every day they would be inspiring? What if we committed to being inspiring in every word, deed, and thought? And what if each of us were to invite 10 more people to do the same? By making a pledge, we could start a worldwide movement -and we would change the world.

One of the most amazing things at Power To Be is the feedback we receive from our community members on how our programs and staff have been a positive influence in their lives. We received this lovely letter from the mother of a Wilderness School participant in which she expressed thanks for the learning, growth, and leadership her son attained while going through this 3-year program.

Lover of nature, Christmas, and chocolate, Ashley Dueck is one of a kind! As the Director of Systems and Communications at Power To Be, Ashley is always at the top of her game to ensure that any idea big or small is brought to life.

I love Playdough. It's soft and squishy, comes in every colour imaginable, and meets all my sensory needs whether as a creative activity or as fidget toy for stress relief. For kids and adults alike – it's just fun! And the best part? It is super easy to make with familiar ingredients from our kitchen cupboards.

Looking to host a virtual activity where people feel engaged, and are having fun beyond staring at a computer? Power To Be turned to our friend Bob Ross for inspiration and combined creativity, with nature (our favorite), and space for lots of laughs in our very own Bob Ross Paint Night. What better way to spend an evening than building some happy little clouds and happy little trees!

Kaelan is a practicum student with our Vancouver Program Team from the Outdoor Recreation Management Program at Capilano University. He is a passionate outdoor guide who believes that nature is a place for people to explore their full potential. Kaelan has a natural ability to connect with participants and always contributes great conversation and participant-centered support while out on program.

As we near the holiday season and start to engage in our traditions it's always fun to find out how other people celebrate this time of year. Being an immigrant myself, I have always been curious of other people's traditions around the end of the year and what it means for our Power To Be Community. I started asking around and of course realized there is so many ways to celebrate and show gratitude.

As the weather turns colder and the days get shorter, it is a great time to cozy up with a good book. If you are looking for your next literary escape, or for some gift ideas, we have the list for you! Here is a selection of the favourite books of Power To Be staff from the past year.

Michelle Zimmer, one of Power To Be's amazing Program Facilitators, recently had a chance to join the Epic Exeo team to participate in a remote helicopter beach clean-up on Vancouver Islands West Coast. In 24 hours the crew managed to collect 26 full helicopter bags and many more lines with buoys and larger items tied to them totaling 8,000lbs.

This vegan banana bread always seems to turn out and is often a crowd-pleaser. Not too sweet, very moist, and all in all pretty healthy. You can mix all the ingredients in one bowl and it should only take about 15 minutes before it’s ready to pop in the oven. The hardest part is waiting for the loaf to cook and cool before you eat it!

As the rainy season starts to emerge between the beautiful colours of the fall leaves, so do most people’s instinct to spend more time indoors. Nature brought our house solace during this unpredictable year, and with that I’m conscious to continue to embrace nature through the rainy months. If you also want to continue nature exploration during the rain this season, here are some fun ideas to do with your kids or on your own!

Glenn always approaches programs with a smile, a calm presence, and a willingness to help in whatever way is needed. Seemingly effortlessly, Glenn provides a safe space where everyone feels welcome to learn and ask questions. When Glenn isn’t volunteering for Power To Be, he spends a lot of his time in the outdoors, as well as creating some really cool furniture in his woodworking shop.

At Power To Be our team is committed to engaging in impactful community development. The Youth Service Provider Network (YSPN) is one such initiative that Power To Be is part of. Founded by a group of service providers in Victoria, the YSPN serves to connect organizations through collective training initiatives and gratitude events.

Ellen has created hundreds upon hundreds of masks to date. Including a windowed face mask set for Power To Be’s program team. “Power To Be is an ideal client for me, I have a tendency to always think about accessibility and I’m so excited to have their team utilizing the masks,” says Ellen. Power To Be staff have been using the windowed masks while on program to increase accessibility.