The teachers who dedicate their time to s outdoor programs in Paradise Valley north of Squamish are getting extra support, thanks to a local fundraiser aimed at providing comfort items while they鈥檙e away from home.
Alex Hebert oversees the growth and operation of the Zero Energy/Emissions Buildings (ZEB) Learning Centre at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and has been working with future trades students to renovate cabins at the Cheakamus Centre for several years. This year, they're focusing on the teachers' cabin, aiming to make it a net-zero energy building with solar panels, a heat pump and new windows.
While the renovations are fully funded for the net zero renovation, the funds we got don鈥檛 stretch to cover small comforts, Hebert felt the teachers deserved a little more.
鈥淭hose teachers are amazing, and I feel they deserve a little bit more than what we can do with our budget. I鈥檇 love them to have a really good coffee machine, a dryer for their boots because we know their boots are always wet in the winter when they鈥檙e with the kids in the forest. I鈥檇 like them to have some music at night, maybe some speakers, blankets, a bit of art, a little fridge for snacks,鈥� Hebert said.
鈥淭hese things I cannot pay for with my regular funding because they鈥檙e considered additional perks. So, I came up with the idea of doing my own GoFundMe campaign to cover what I couldn鈥檛 fit into the regular budget.鈥�
Hebert launched the fundraiser trying to raise $2,750 to cover these comfort items.
鈥淭hese are perks that would really make a difference in their day-to-day lives,鈥� he said.
According to Hebert, teachers at Cheakamus Centre work long hours with students from across various school districts, spending nights on-site, away from their families.
鈥淭here鈥檚 the huge Indigenous component to the programming they do. So, they have a longhouse where the kids can learn about the Indigenous ways of doing things. Kids can go to a salmon hatchery and learn about fishes,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he teachers that take the time to go there with the kids are really working overtime. They're away from their family and their own kids for a few days. I think they're awesome because they don鈥檛 stick to their nine-to-five job.鈥�
Mary McWilliam, whose children attended programs at Cheakamus Centre, said the fundraiser is a meaningful way to recognize the work the teachers do. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really important contribution to help recognize the effort that our teachers go to, to make that experience possible for our children,鈥� she said.
Her children have attended multiple programs at the centre through Ross Road Elementary School, in North Vancouver.
鈥淚t creates lifelong memories and a strong impression of what we need to do to make the world a more sustainable place or reduce our impacts,鈥� she said.
For McWilliam, it is important to provide the extra comforts for the teachers.
鈥淧roviding a few additional comforts to the teachers, to create a space where they can recover and recharge after running long day programs with our kids, is really important,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really happy to be able to give something back to the teachers who give so much to our kids.鈥�
Hebert also said that the renovation project is part of an effort to engage Indigenous youth. 鈥淭he grant we got is only for Indigenous youth, so we try to attract students with an Indigenous background from across B.C. who might not be sure what they want to do with their life,鈥� Hebert said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to inspire them with the idea of building houses for their own communities. We don鈥檛 require prior experience, which means it鈥檚 a bit more work on-site and slower, but we have time built into our budget to fix mistakes. It鈥檚 definitely harder with students who鈥檝e never done this before, but that鈥檚 part of the learning process.鈥�
Cheakamus Centre, established in 1969, has been a place for environmental education, offering hands-on nature-based programs for students from the Sea to Sky Corridor, Lower Mainland and beyond. The centre鈥檚 165-hectare ecological preserve in Paradise Valley hosts experiential programs, including cultural teachings tied to the B.C. curriculum, youth leadership and outdoor recreation.
Hebert鈥檚 fundraiser is part of a broader effort to support the teachers who visit the centre. 鈥淟et鈥檚 show our appreciation for their dedication,鈥� he said.
For more information on how to support the teachers鈥� cabin project, visit the
Bhagyashree Chatterjee is The 撸奶社区鈥檚 Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the .
