At GOS, the work of mentorship is to listen to stories.  To ask questions, and share in curiosity.  They keep an eye, and make sure that kids lost in wonder, or focus, are still safe.  They bring songs, stories and games that teach. 

When we hire, we look for the attributes of what we want to see in our young people, not just qualifications.  We hire teachers,,artists, naturalists, geologists, activists & community organizers, musicians, students, writers, storytellers, farmers, social workers, herbalists, woodworkers, personal support workers.

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Chris Green, Director

As Guelph Outdoor School grows, I want our organization to stay as approachable, accessible, and relationship based as possible. While I love being out in the woods with kids, I am equally enthusiastic about working with parents and caregiver to get started the child started with the GOS program that best suits them.

Along with my role as Director, I love workinging as a mentor in the field. I’m a Dad to two girls, and grew up in this area. My hope is that Guelph Outdoor School evolves and grows in a way that helps young people adapt to this rapidly changing world, delivering learning opportunities that are as fun, effective, relevant, and welcoming as possible.

Send me an Email about getting your child started at Guelph Outdoor School. Or Call Me during business hours.

Arlene Slocombe
Managing Director

Arlene dedicates herself to understanding what it is to be a caretaker, particularly as a guest on these lands she calls home. To walk with a light footprint she strives to tend as she goes, in deep gratitude for her rich life of nature connection she has had the privilege to enjoy. As a mother of two girls, Arlene is reminded daily of the importance in guiding and mentoring the natural curiosity and deep sense of empathy already existing in children. Arlene strives to continually increase her naturalist knowledge as well as deepen her learning on decolonizing herself and her role in nature connection and what it means to be a responsible treaty person. These ongoing life learnings have instilled a desire to pass these teachings along to young people.

Bringing in simple wild-crafting, folk herbal remedies, plant fibre crafts and bird language, Arlene hopes to share in the sense of AWE that we can all experience when we stop, listen, tend, and sit in gratitude of this majestic world.


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byron murray

byron (>he/him+) grew up walking, biking and singing along the Etobicoke Creek. the saving grace of an alternative school kept him in Southern Ontario until he graduated high school and set out to spend the next four years exploring the continent making music, writing zines, and learning about the natural world. Addtionally, byron has produced a radio show all about the natural world, broadcast on CFRU since 2016.

At the Guelph Outdoor School since 2013, byron values all-day tracking missions, and wandering the Eramosa River valley just trying to find out what's on the other side of the hill. byron is known for his infectious enthusiasm and love for the land. he appreciates the magic and mystery of the wild world and is guided by a deep sense of wonder and curiosity. He is inspired by thunderstorms, decolonization, and rivers.

 

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Alisha Arnold

As a child my father planted a seed within me that has grown into a deep sense of connection and gratitude for the natural world. Throughout my life I have always sought out comfort, connection and clarity in natural settings. When my daughter was born a desire to plant the same seed within her was awakened.

I have developed Earth Warrior Yoga & Turtle Island Yoga programs, both designed to help people connect with the earth, as well as, themselves.  I work as a Neighbourhood Support Worker with the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition. I know that deep nature connection and GOS programs helps ground and support the growth of healthy neighbourhoods everywhere.

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Alisha plays an important role in keeping Guelph Outdoor School in touch with the the ever shifting details and needs of our broader community, helping us to better dissolve the barriers to accessing our programs. Thanks Alisha, for wearing your many hats.

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Bill "the bear" Clarke

Since 2012 Bill has offered steady volunteer support, week in and week out, and has made the outdoor school a richer place since the beginning.  

His generous laughter warms the cedar grove.  His 45+ years experience as a hydro-geologist enriches our understanding of the landscape - the bones of the earth :)  

He is a tracker, a photographer, an orator, a fire tender, a craftsman and a grandfather.  He is fierce, and caring, he is fun-loving, an accomplished woodsman, and a role model for self-sufficiency and standing firm.

Thanks always to Bill for everything you do. 

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Danielle Gehl Hagel

Danielle is an artist, writer, naturalist and community herbalist. She’s lucky to live a stone’s throw from the Eramosa River and treasures time spent paddling its waters and roaming its banks in search of plants, animal tracks, and stories.

Danielle has spent years following the threads of justice, resilience and interconnection through work in the arts, social services, and now nature connection. She believes that cultivating right relationship with the land can remediate our relationships with ourselves and our communities.

She’s really excited about medicinal and native plant propagation, storytelling, language, and the intersection of mythology and ecology. She loves bogs, foxes, and elderberries.

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Jordan Roth

Jordan grew up in a small town on the outskirts of the Waterloo area and spent much (most!) of his childhood playing outside which fostered a deep appreciation for, and fascination with, the natural world. This curiosity inspired him to eventually study at Sir Sandford Fleming College where he earned a diploma in Ecosystem Management.  After graduating, he was accepted into a wilderness immersion program and further developed his naturalist training and wilderness skills. For two years, he lived outside in natural huts, attuning himself to the natural cycles and learning directly from living closely with the Earth.

Jordan has collaborated with various nature- based organizations, conducting workshops, teaching courses, and assuming roles including Apprenticeship Coordinator for Sticks and Stones Wilderness School and Red Wolf Camp Program Director for The Pine Project.  He has also provided support to Upper Canada College, Fleming College, Waabgon Gamig First Nation School and Earth Tracks.

Jordan is a father to a wonderful wild little boy.

 

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David Wilson

Davie was brought onto the GOS staff team in recognition of his commitment to reflective and responsive mentorship. His extensive experience in bush-craft and a life spent outside doesn’t seem to stop him from being in rapt awe with whatever he finds in the woods. His ability to relate with individual participants, recognize gifts, and provide meaningful next steps for development is exemplary and inspiring. He is an accomplished wood carver, and his willingness to share his craft with young people enriches our program, and keeps a special place by the fire.

In the years leading up to his time with GOS, Davie completed an apprenticeship with Sticks and Stones up near Georgian Bay.

A father of two, Davie brings a wealth of experience, colourful perspectives, and a commitment to a program experience that is at once kind, meaningful, gritty, authentic, and supportive.

 Matt Hamilton

Matt is a father, handyman, mentor and a big kid. You can usually find him with his kids adventuring, picking up a new hobby or reading books on self improvement, philosophy or anything samurai related. He regularly practices yoga and meditation and brings mindfulness to everything he does. Matt has a deep connection to water and has spent some time diving and exploring in the Caribbean. A good day at outdoor school for Matt is spending his days climbing trees, catching frogs, skipping rocks, building snow forts and learning life lessons with kids.

One thing that made Matt an obvious fit at Guelph Outdoor School is that he was already doing the work of mentoring youth through personal relationships and Big Brothers / Big Sisters of Guelph.

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Dylan Paczay

Dylan sees nature connection as a lifeline to sanity and competence. He believes the natural world can be a great teacher, seeding invaluable skills like effective relationships and physical awareness. Dylan's wonder of the natural was rekindled in study of mathematic phenomena (of all things), some ten years ago. Dylan actively pursues from-the-earth alternatives to modern lifestyle, and has been piloting an off-grid living project in Elora. He is a carpenter, fabricator and runs a small machine shop in Centre Wellington. Dylan was trained as a camp counsellor with the YMCA, and as a tool and die maker at Conestoga College.  At ourdoorschool, Dylan is known to play with the limits of balance, create function out of found material (often with hand tools involved), and leap disproportionate distances in running games.

 

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Annie Sanassian

Having lived abroad camping in the desert moonlight, meandering in wadis, discovering camel bones and being immersed in diverse cultures has shaped Annie profoundly in how she seeks education. Annie has worked with children for a number of years as a Certified Teacher, Forest School Practitioner and Outdoor Educator. Annie learns from tending land, animals and people and loves exploring, wandering and spending as much time outdoors as possible. Visiting many parts of the world has fostered both Annie’s understanding of cultural sensitivity and awareness to the richness and diversity of life. She aims to create inclusive and positive outdoor learning experiences for all people.

 

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Mark Spagnolo

Mark llllooooovvveeesss nature and music! He's a musical being, local jazz musician, outdoor music educator and student of music in Guelph. He hopes to demonstrate the connection between nature and music and spark a love for the two in others. Nature is the best teacher for many things in life, especially music! There's so much happening, constantly improvising and the more you pay attention the richer and deeper your heart cares for the world around you. At outdoor school you'll find him lugging many instruments around, always ready to play and create. If not traditional instruments, found instruments like sticks and rocks will do the trick (or the hidden, mystical instrument inside us). There's a time and a place to make sound, and there's a time and a place to listen deeply. *tweet* *buzz* *swish* *sploosh* *creek* *squeak* *hiss* *hoot*!

 

Wizard

(Brendan Rogers)

Wizard finds himself outside regularly. Often, he finds himself there for fun. For the past 10 years, he's worked at a children’s summer camp on the Saugeen Peninsula. Up there, he was outside all the time. The peninsula and it’s campers taught him valuable lessons, like the value of childlike wonderment, the brilliance of youth, and just how cool trees are.

He views the lessons nature and children offer as fundamentally important, and cherishes the wisdom both have to offer. Aside from being outdoors, Brendan is a computer programmer, freelance designer, and a lover and patron of the arts. The contrast between the digital and natural world in Brendan's life brings unique perspective to these “opposing” fields. The world is complicated, vast, and worth exploring fully.

Don’t be fooled by his merrymaking, easy charm, and general fun-loving demeanour, he has some realness in his noggin’ and heart that he is here to share.

Miki “Mouserinks” Tamblyn

(she/her/they/them)

Miki is a poet, printmaker, wildlife biologist and student of the more-than-human world. They grew up shape-shifting and running amok in the boreal forest on traditional Anishnaabe territory in so-called ‘Thunder Bay’, and have now lived and loved along the banks of the Eramosa River for 6 years or so, on and off.

Miki loves to feel big feelings, make things with her hands and sing with others as much as possible. They especially love to care for and support smaller beings, and they’ve practiced this care as a wildlife rehabilitator, raptor trainer and primate researcher before finding the magical world of outdoor school.

Miki seeks to play, explore creature senses, and celebrate life in all its queerness, diversity, joy and abundance. They especially love all things amphibious, poetic and make-believe.

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Mac Osborn

Mac had the good fortune of growing up in Guelph exploring the Speed River with his friends and going on canoe trips in Algonquin Park with his dad. Raised with a profound love for nature he decided to enrol at Sticks and Stones Wilderness School as an apprentice after high school. He spent the next two years living outside in debris shelters, studying naturalism and survival living. He has worked as a nature connection mentor over the past 7 years with a passion to share his love of the outdoors with anyone and everyone.

Mac loves canoe tripping, fishing, tracking mammals, listening to the birds and gardening. He believes that nature is really the best “classroom” around and he is always ready to be inspired by what nature has to offer. Mac is a woodworker by trade and can often be found at GOS supervising carving and wood cutting. He loves working with is hands when he’s not busy playing in the forest.

Nava Brimble

Nava’s curiosity for the natural world started at a young age. Growing up on Between the Lakes treaty land allowed them to run wild and explore the beauty and diversity of plants in the Carolinian forest. This love of nature brought them away from Lake Ontario and onto chasing rivers to get their Bachelors of Science in Biodiversity at the University of Guelph. From playing in the Eramosa River, to stewarding pressed plant specimens at the Canadian Museum of Nature, to testing soil fertility for Indigenous agricultural endeavors on Treaty 8, Nava is always looking to deepen their understanding and connection to the world around them.

However, the pursuit of a solely scientific understanding of nature left Nava feeling like something was missing. They dusted off the cobwebs from their creativity and rediscovered a love for nature connection through community, song, and poetry. They enjoy building fires, breaking out the ol’ jaw harp, and inspiring curiosity and questions about the plants and critters they find on wanders.

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Cailey Campbell

Cailey is a mama, seedkeeper, culinary artist, and food grower currently residing in the Dish With One Spoon territory of Hamilton, ON. She has found solace and joy being by water for as long as she can remember and believes that the land and water are one of life's most precious teachers for cultivating our inner worlds.

Through her various roles at Skaronhyase'ko:wa (The Everlasting Tree School) in Six Nations, Cailey has had the honour of experiencing the multitudes of benefits to children in an earth-based education that is culturally-rooted. These experiences continue to inspire her and deepen her commitment to cultivating equitable and liberated relationships with the earth and each other.

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Jen Britton

Jen joins our team with 20 years experience of supporting children in their experiential learning adventures and working outdoors. She holds fast to the power of relationship through connection with nature, each other and community.

She has had a passion for mentoring children in outdoor education since 18, when she was a student at the Bronte Creek Project and helped 8-11 years old cultivate land stewardship skills through the Earth Keepers program.

When Jen isn't at GOS, she works with Two Rivers Neighbourhood Group, where she supports her community’s food security efforts. She also co-facilitates an in-city nature connection program, Wild In The Ward.

 A friend to tiny humans and four legged fur faces. She is a lover of family, wonder and joy, creativity, solitude, plant medicine, fireflies, chickens, blue herons, snails and dancing.

It makes her heart sing to be able to share her passion and skills in nature connection work with children while deepening her connection to the land.

 

Sénor Banana

(Mr. Garcia Hernandez)

Just watch for the flash of yellow - that’s Senor Banana. He has a big heart, shows up to the woods ready for anything, - he’s a lover of song and music, stories and puppets; Banana brings essential experience in the world of special education and supporting unique children. Fluent in French and Spanish, Banana brings wit, patience, humour, warmth, and care to our programs.

Manny Ford

 Manny is a Mama to two wonderful kids, a crafter, hiker, runner and lifelong learner. She completed her honours bachelor of arts in English and History at McMaster University and her bachelor of education at the University of Western Ontario. While recently upgrading her teaching qualifications, she worked on a project about forest education and discovered the GOS. Although new to outdoor education, she was immediately enthralled with the organization and it's values. She began volunteering with the Cedar Grove program and through supply teaching has had the opportunity to work with several different ages and programs.

The most treasured aspects of her day at the GOS are sharing and hearing gratitude, a good sit spot, learning from her peers and always the infectious wonder and excitement from the kids.

Claire McCann

Claire (she/they) immigrated to Canada/Turtle Island from Scotland in 2005 and is grateful to be on this land. A qualified Forest School Practitioner and Ontario certified teacher with over fourteen years experience working with children of all ages, she particularly appreciates the feeling of timelessness and flow that can occur when teaching in the outdoors.

Claire plays some guitar, whittles some wood, enjoys back-country camping and bird watching and is constantly learning from nature.

 

Corbin Grynol (he/him)

Corbin grew up on the Rainy Lakes of Northwestern Ontario. Life in such a beautiful area allowed him to spend most of his time canoeing around exploring various islands and fostering his love for animals and the great outdoors.

Originally, Corbin moved to Guelph in order to study Zoology and work his way toward a fulfilling life of wildlife rescue, but after some volunteer work as a camp counselor and tutor he has become equally passionate about helping nurture the passions and curiosity of children. He now looks toward a future with the outdoor school where he can do both.

Corbin enjoys exploring nature and learning about animals, especially birds! He loves camping, hiking, and was basically born in a canoe. Corbin continues to volunteer with various organizations around Guelph, aiming to make a positive impact on as many young lives as possible.

 

Sam Blandford

Sam finds beauty in the small wonders of the natural world, whether she’s stringing together bracelets by the river, reading stories to kids, or observing life and loss in the forest. With an interest for dragonflies and butterflies—creatures that remind her of her mom—Sam’s sense of nature connection is both tender and keenly observant. She is happiest when hanging out with the Goslings, and the Goslings are a fan of hers to! Sam brings this love of small things and her careful attention to every wander and story she shares with her students.

Alicia Miecznikowski

Alicia (she/they) has been been co- facilitating programs at GOS since 2014 in the fine company of Goslings, Foxes, Lynxes and most recently Oaks and Acorns. In all seasons and all types of weather, she is honoured to learn and grow in this ever widening community.

Alicia is deeply grateful to their family for raising them with a love and awe of nature, growing food and supporting their explorations as an artist and musician.

Recently accredited as a yoga instructor and being a mum to 2 grown daughters, Alicia brings an array of skills and interests to share outdoors in nature. Timeless wanders, hide and seek games, quiet reflections,  and keen observations all come into play while crafting, cooking and singing on the land.

 With respect and understanding of the original and residing peoples here on turtle island, Alicia acknowledges she was born and lives on stolen lands, and with this in mind, it’s her intention to deepen her connection and find ways to support the ongoing relationships she has with the land, first nations and all beings.

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Madeleine Carere 

Growing up going on camping, hiking, and canoe trips with her family up in Georgian Bay and in the Gatineau Hills, Madeleine could never ignore the wonder and beauty of the natural world. She spent her free time as a teen biking out to surrounding country side of Guelph, her hometown. 

Called and curious by all the plant life, Madeleine immersed her self in Plant and Mushroom identification, and  earning their medicinal profiles.

This all naturally led to her discovery of The Guelph Outdoor School; one of the best things she ever found in the forest!

Madeleine loves to be creative, garden, cook, and use her hands. She has Volunteered with the University Bike Shop, Ignatius Jesuit Farm, and as of recently the Guelph Tool Library.

Maddie apprenticed with The Guelph Outdoor School in 2017, and completed the Earth Tracks Wild Plant Apprenticeship 2018.

Maddie brings fresh ideas, lots of young energy to our games, and has taken on leading our Skunks program on Saturday.

 Board of Directors

 Guelph Outdoor School is the first and largest project of the Village Hearth Initiative (VHI).
Link here to learn about the VHI board of directors.