GENEVIEVE DUPONT - INSTRUCTOR

I was born on the lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation. It's there on the land of the Wendake-Nionwentsïo peoples that I fell in love with the mountains, the colours of the four seasons and the smell of autumn. 

I live and breathe my work. My teachings draw on my ancestral heritage, and through these teachings, I am reclaiming a sense of belonging. I am cultivating a deeper connection to my European earth-based roots, while unlearning colonial ways and making reparations that honour the Coast Salish Peoples.

I am a Certified Forest School Practitioner through Forest School Canada. My heart is guided by permaculture ethics, a cultural and land based practice deeply rooted in indigenous science. I have learned from some of the most generous mentors at the Institute of Permaculture Education for Children. I completed my Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) and the Journey Of Young Women Mentor Training with Katharine KruegeI. I also have an ongoing journey of Nature Connection with the Wilderness Awareness School and the 8 shield model.

I aim to facilitate environmental, social, and cultural healing while supporting each child's unique ideas and inherent wisdom. With Little Knapsack, my devotion to help the world has found a joyful expression. Instead of focusing on what should be stopped, I find myself attending to what should be nurtured and cultivated. It feels like I am finally doing what I am meant to be doing.

I feel grounded, knowing that in each moment I have a clear purpose: to devote my love towards making the people around me… well, feel loved

STEPHANIE MACKAY - INSTRUCTOR

I am an educator and mentor in earth-based skills and ancestral ways. My family has been in the land that we now call Canada for five generations and I am grateful to be a settler, held in the arms of rivers, mountains, oceans, and deserts. I am a lover of wild places and my life is nourished by sharing in community, food, song, and story. As an ongoing student of Martin Prechtel’s, I am fascinated with the beauty and complexity of myth and it’s existence in the unfolding of our daily lives. I have had the honour of studying with the Animas Valley Institute, The Haven Institute, The Tracker School, and with my mentors Annie Bloom, Jade Sherer, and Florence Dedame. I have learned a tremendous amount about the natural world and human culture while being a Senior Instructor and Director at nature schools across Western Canada. The kids, families, and adults that I have worked with have touched my heart and each one leaves a lasting imprint that enriches the tapestry of my life. 

I am currently passionate about wildlife tracking and following the signs of animals across the land. To know that my feet are treading on ground where wolves, mountain lions, grizzly bears, and many more have tread, fills my whole being with awe. I believe in the wild animal and wild soul that lives in all of us. It is a life practice to follow the trail of that being in such a manner that one day, we might be so lucky as to catch a glimpse of their magnificent form. 

MINETTE MOOLMAN - INSTRUCTOR

My passion for the outdoors runs deep, rooted in my upbringing on a farm in South Africa. Surrounded by nature, my childhood was filled with endless outdoor adventures. Living far from urban amenities meant we had to be mindful of waste, composting or repurposing any excess. We even had our own beehives, granting us the luxury of enjoying raw honey straight from the source.

I believe in instilling a love for nature in our children, as they are the hope for a better, greener, and healthier future. It's a true blessing to play a role in teaching them to cherish and respect the natural world.I’m deeply honoured to have a role in facilitating young children in their learning journey while making space for nature to be their greatest teacher.

I completed my ECE in 2003. Since then, I've gained extensive experience working at various Forest Schools. For the past four years, I've served as the Director/ECE of a 100% outdoor preschool. Alongside these roles, I've embraced motherhood, raising two children aged 6 and 10. Additionally, I am a certified birth doula.

PEOPLE WE LOVE AND VISIT US SOMETIMES

T'UY'T'TANAT - CEASE

My nickname is Cease; my traditional Name is T’uy’t'tanat. I am a student of life, and I have chosen/been chosen by, the plant medicine world, to learn and utilize medicines for healing and strengthening. I have grown up with the Skwxwu7mesh Uximixw. I am Skwxwu7mesh, Sto:Lo, Hawaiian, and Swiss. 

I am an Ethnobotanist, Media Artist, Aboriginal Youth Worker and a dedicated food security activist.  I work collaboratively through writing, producing, directing and mentoring communities and individuals.  My work involves site-specific and culturally focused teaching with storytelling as means to sharing knowledge.

I have spent my teenage-hood to my adulthood researching and learning how to practice as much of my indigenous culture as I can. Reciprocity is invaluable to indigenous cultures. This is how I see my learning and teaching practice and discipline.

I love plants. I LOVE MAKING MEDICINES!  I love nature and all that we are gifted through Grandmother Nature and Grandfather Rocks. I spend most of my outdoor time in gardens and forests. I attribute my gardening skills to my family. My father is a master gardener, as were my Nahanee family ancestors. I work as an eco-tourist guide in the spring/summer/fall months in the local forests and waterways surrounding Vancouver.  I am a co-owner in a tea go pan called "Raven and Hummingbird Tea Co" with my daughter Senaqwila. 

Mother Earth is so important, and how easy it is for us all to live better by taking care of our collective home and Mother while taking care of ourselves. I encourage everyone I talk to, to grow some food, barter for some food, make art, compost. Please Learn everything you can try help the bees and other pollinators. 

FAUSTINE DES ROSIERS

 My passion is in the service of others and helping people find holistic solutions to well being and wholeness. 

I have been a herbal healing alchemist ever since I was old enough to play pretend I was a witch.  I have worked in the health food industry for over 17 years.  My interest in nutrition eventually evolved into the large scope of holistic medicine. I recently completed an Herbal and  Sustainable agricultural internship with Chanchal Cabrera on Innisfree Farm. During that time I dedicated myself to learning more modalities of healing with herbs, wildcrafting and food gathering being my highlight. 

I have a huge passion for organic gardening and sustainable agriculture. Sustainable living engenders consciousness in children that they are part of a life system that supports them. I believe that getting little ones re-connected to nature is crucial to the livelihood of generations to come. They are the future.

I finished a yoga teacher training at Karma Teachers and also finished a course geared at addictions and mental health, with Gabor Mate called  Beyond Addictions, yogic path to recovery.  I am grateful that Karma Teachers makes yoga accessible to those groups that might not otherwise have an opportunity to participate in yoga classes.

I am big on remaining curious and seeking as many adventures I can fit into this lifetime. Meeting new people and making the best of anywhere your're at is crucial to my happiness and wellbeing. I Love B.C. and all the hidden treasures it holds.  I am interested in learning more to benefit others and to carry healing to the communities I serve. I see every person as an extension of my family.