WHO WE ARE
We are a not-for-profit group comprised of volunteers from our local mills, the Wildfire Service, Ministry of Forests staff, local school district staff and many parent volunteers.
Our focus is education, but we are definitely "advancing sustainability through forest focused collaborations". We collaborate with the Cariboo Woodlot Education Society, the UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest, Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society, the Williams Lake Community Forest and School Districts #27, #28 and #74.
The form of education that we teach is one that you can never get in a regular classroom. The level of engagement with the kids is huge! They are having so much fun, that they forget they are learning. Participating students regularly say that their Gavin trip was the highlight of their school year.
WHAT WE DO
We provide a first-class outdoor eduction facility for school children in the Cariboo Regional District.
The main objectives of the Gavin Lake Forest Education Society are to bring youth out to the forests to both learn and recreate and to be a resource for our surrounding communities of Williams Lake, Quesnel and 100 Mile House.
We achieve our objectives in two ways:
1) We provide a venue for any school, youth or non-profit group at a below cost (subsidized) rental rate. We have a wide variety of non-profits that use the camp for fundraising activities, workshops, gatherings and recreation.
2) We offer a three-day all expenses paid outdoor education program to all grade 6 classes in BC School Districts #27, #28 and #74. We run the students through a variety of outdoor modules that cover topics such as ecology, first nations culture, sustainability, habitat and forest use as well as teach recreational activities and skills such as canoeing, archery, orienteering, cross country skiing and compass use.
We are the only outdoor school in BC to offer such an extensive course free of charge. We strongly believe in this approach so that all schools / students regardless of their demographics and economic circumstance have equal opportunity to participate.