Stuart Clark - Executive Director

I first came to Educo in 2003 and instantly fell in love with the profound energy and sheer beauty of the place. I love the way Educo allows me to balance out so many of my passions. I have always loved working with young people, I love being in the outdoors, I love adventure, I love to act silly and have fun, I love to be challenged, and, above all, I love to find the quiet moments amidst all that to sit and reflect and appreciate life.
Educo encourages all that in me.
Being a staff member at Educo is a mind-expanding experience. It rarely feels like work because it's so in touch with what I value.

I almost never feel like a teacher or an instructor since I always learn so much from the students. And, most importantly, I am always challenged and thus always given the opportunity to grow and become a stronger person.
The teachers are the real students in life, and that really stands out for me at Educo. Here I get to be a student of life. I get to learn about myself and I have fun while doing it. What more could I ask for? Perhaps only to help others do the same - to help them find their own unique selves and let them shine forth. That's the great gift of Educo, and I love giving it. Not only because I love to see people shine, but also because it's a gift that can be offered to anyone.

Kate MacLeod - Director of Program & Staff Development

I anticipated that my time at Educo would be a one-summer sort of gig, but in 2006 Educo worked its magic and I liked the show! Leaving my summers passionately paddling Ontario's waters, I realized I needed to motivate myself to make the change I continually hope I challenge and inspire in youth and so . . . ventured out West. Little did I know I would soon be swallowed up by this place where acceptance of everyone is a way of life, where the laughter is at times uncontrollable, and the peace of a mountaintop wake-up surrounded by distant snowy peaks is worth more to me then anything I could ever own. Educo is a place where not only the youth attending programs but everyone involved is constantly challenged to take a step outside of their comfort zones in order to be amazed by all that can be accomplished.

Amanda Bathurst

My most cherished childhood memory is of this magical, life changing experience I had at this amazing place called Educo. I am certainly not surprised, though very thrilled, to be back exactly ten years later as a staff member. After all, it is Educo that inspired my life goal of working with young people in the outdoors and of creating that same opportunity for them to connect with themselves and nature in such a beautiful way.

For the past ten years I've been seeking my life goals as a college student of many subjects ranging from psychology to mountain adventure skills, an experiential educator and youth worker, a traveler and adventurer, and as an enthusiast for nature and the environment. This long but exciting journey has now led me back to the place where the fire was sparked inside of me. Therefore, my hope is that I can facilitate the same life long memories for other young people that come into this profound realm that is Educo.

Erica Dolsen

I was the lucky participant in several outdoor and experiential education programs as a teenager, and when I realized that I, too, could be out there doing the same work I promptly set about pursuing that dream. After some post secondary education which concluded in Outdoor Recreation Management I went wandering and working, first around around North America and then to Asia. I enjoy working and playing in challenging environments where the learning stands out for all who are willing to do the work, whether that work is physical, emotional, or spiritual in nature.
I'm drawn to Educo for its commitment to the whole person, the incredibly beautiful and generous land around it, and the opportunities to learn, teach, and to learn about teaching.

The combination of fun, contemplation, communication, action and community is a dynamic and powerful environment, and one which has the potential to bring out the best in all of us - students and staff. To take the whole-hearted approach and choose to be honest and courageous in whatever challenges present themselves is a gift which each of us possesses. Educo provides ample opportunities to cultivate that gift, and I'm happy to have this place and time to share in that process with the land, the students, and the staff.

Jesse Sullivan - Program Coordinator - Educo Youth Rite of Passage

I’ve been coming back to Educo now for 17 years. What keeps me coming back is the depth of learning that happens here through the Educo experience. I’ve learned more about myself than anywhere else. I’ve gained the confidence to express that learning and just really be Jesse.
I also really enjoy the beautiful places we travel to at Educo. From the majestic mountains of the Coast Range to just right at the site itself. Being out in nature and having it as my classroom both as a student and teacher has brought the greatest learning for me.
As we explore the wilder places without it becomes easier to explore those amazing places within as well.

Paul Kehler

It has been three years since my last Educo adventure. Now I find myself returning, anticipating life-changing experiences. I first came to Educo when I was ten for the Junior course. Since then I have completed many of the programs and have spent some time volunteering as well. I have nothing but praise for Educo, the beautiful location, positive experiences and genuine people. I owe Educo for who I am today!

Gillian Kehler

This will be my second summer working at Educo. Before working here I was a student for three years. I assumed I would only be at Educo for one season. Don’t get me wrong, I had a wonderful time, but I thought I would move on to other great things. During the winter I was traveling in South America and an email arrived from Educo inviting staff applications - I immediately applied. So, there I was, sitting in a tiny internet café in Peru and there was no doubt in my mind that I was going back!
Being here this season I have already had many challenges, laughed so hard I cried more times than I can count, and just discovered more of who Gillian is. In this discovery I have chucked my previous shyness aside.

I started my first Educo adventure at the age of twelve. I remember the day very clearly, arriving after a long, hot and dusty drive from my hometown, Likely, BC. I was hooked immediately. The most positive, creative, beautiful energy was flowing everywhere! It wasn't very long until I started to feel this energy in myself and began to use it in my everyday life.
Wanting to take on a new challenge I began my journey as a junior leader. Over the years, through many more Educo adventures working with youth, my focus developed into giving back my energy into a community that has provided so much inspiration into my life.
What do I love about Educo? I love waking up to mist rising off Little Holden Lake, the sun poking through the trees.

I love being free to use my imagination, dressing up and acting wild, watching a group come together during a classic game of Hover-mah-rumps, or hearing a student pour their heart out at an Open House. I love taking a break from hiking by an alpine creek and realizing just how powerful we really are! I love being so scared and finding the courage and strength within myself to take just one more step.
My goal is to help guide my students, friends and myself into a place where we can communicate truly and confidently who we are to the world, to find our passion in life and through communicating this, hopefully inspire the people around us to do the same.

How can I sum up the spirit of a place when, to put simply, it's pure magic? It has taught me how to open myself up to discover the vastness of landscapes where meaningful learning happens. It is here that I am understanding how to create space, and see the capacity it holds for fostering inspirations, insights and actions in children beyond their developmental stages. It's not about what I am able to teach as a leader, but what kind of space I can create within myself that invites students to take initiative, realize, and use their own inner knowledge. Learning and teaching then becomes the same. What I am learning occurs naturally in how and what I teach.
What makes me want to work at Educo? I am continuously learning how to be human by challenging who I think I am and what I am able to do. What I am doing when I am not at Educo? Oh, probably walking along a fence somewhere... and going to school in child and youth care.

I attended my first Educo course during the summer of 2005. I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and up until that point, I had gone to a summer camp a few hours away from home for a number of summers with a group of my friends. However, during a family gathering, my elder cousin and former Educo staff member insisted that I should look into flying across the country to go to something called "Educo." Naturally, my parents were rather sceptical yet, when we looked at the web site, I was instantly hooked on convincing them to let me go, and finally, they agreed. As I flew and bused my way up to 100 Mile House, I couldn't wait for all the awesome outdoor adventures Justin and the web site had told me about: the climbing wall, the high ropes, the zip line, climbing on a real rock wall, hiking, canoeing, and much more! Little did I know that Educo was so much more.

During that first course, I found out more about myself, the world, and the people around me than I had ever known before. So, there was no doubt in my mind when my parents asked if I wanted to go back again the following year. I took the Leadership course for my third year at Educo, and in 2008, I volunteered as a junior staff member for the month of August.
Educo has played a significant role in developing the person I am today, and that is why I continue to come back each year. Although each year I have attended different courses and taken on different roles, Educo is a place that allows me to continue learning and developing, whether I'm a student or an instructor.
Other than Educo, one of my greatest passions is music. I play a number of instruments and love to compose original pieces to perform and record. In the fall of 2009, I am going to the University of Guelph where I will study International Development.

I was fourteen and looking for a challenge. So I took the Greyhound from Vancouver to 100 Mile House and found Educo. There, I found inspiration and support to be fully and completely myself. Since then, I have credited my self awareness, courage and confidence to those ten days spent climbing, canoeing and hiking. I am back now because those ten days changed my life and I hope to give the same opportunity to more people to stand out and love being who they are. The space at Educo truly assists in guiding an inner ourney in a world that has lost so much to the external. This year, I experienced the superficial sky rises and billboards of Toronto which made me desperate for something more, and that is when I applied for employment with Educo. I hope that as a staff person I can be with each camper as they discover the place and people that are Educo.

I am both new and old to Educo. I became aware of Educo back in the 70s as I started to watch youth from my neighbourhood attend Educo courses, always returning energized and with a magical glow.
Then, somewhere in the late 80s I attended one of the first women's outdoor programs at Educo and discovered the magic for myself. Most memorable was a silent midnight walk through the woods where, despite the overwhelming darkness of the night, my feet somehow attuned to the earth and ceased to stumble over the uneven ground and protruding tree roots.
At that time I had no idea the day would come when I would assume the Office Manager position for Educo which is where I find myself as of June 2007.

As I engage in all of the various office duties and activities that help to keep things running, I am filled with a sense of satisfaction in knowing that my energy is supporting an organization that provides such positive and life enhancing experiences for today's youth. I am inspired by Educo's legacy and the many hands and hearts that have helped build that over the years.