About
about sea to sky outdoor school
Who we are and what we do
Proudly operating since 1992.
our purpose
Sea to Sky Outdoor School delivers educational programs for students of all ages that foster connections with self, others and the natural world. We challenge participants to think deeply about the world, and their role in creating more just resilient and sustainable communities.
Fostering an understanding of the interconnected relationship between human systems and ecological systems is at the heart of our curriculum and values. We believe that the outdoor classroom provides the perfect venue to nurture connections, community and critical consciousness that will empower youth.
our challenge
From Covid to climate change; from poverty to population; from digital dependence to depression, we face a plethora of challenges that will shockingly affect our lives in ways we cannot yet imagine. The challenges facing young people may seem insurmountable. At Sea to Sky Outdoor School, we aim to support health and foster leadership that is focused on personal wellbeing and self-awareness, developing a loving relationship with the land, and building resilient and just communities, so that we may face these obstacles together with grace and integrity.
Sea to Sky Outdoor School designs and delivers programs that will assist in this leadership development. We do not have all the answers. Nor do we presume to know the questions. We do know that nature can provide the wisdom and inspiration to lead us on this path.
OUR GOALS
It is our intent that in all Sea to Sky programs, students will:
- Increase knowledge and wonder about their natural home;
- Begin to develop a relationship with the land that is founded in reciprocity and gratitude
- Reflect on the ecological and social effects of personal lifestyle choices;
- Develop skills which will strengthen their home and school communities.
OUR Classroom
At Sea to Sky Outdoor School, we are honored and grateful to teach, live and learn on the unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nation, in southwestern British Columbia, Canada.
Sea to Sky Outdoor School operates from two sites — YMCA Camp Elphinstone on the Sunshine Coast and Camp Fircom on Gambier Island. Both sites are located on Howe Sound, Canada’s southern-most fjord, just north-west of Vancouver, both approximately 40 minutes by ferry or water taxi from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver.
Sea To Sky’s two campuses are easily accessible from Vancouver, but leave students, parents and teachers feeling they have come to a wilderness setting.
SunSHINE COAST CAMPUS
YMCA Camp Elphinstone is our Outdoor School site on the Sunshine Coast, just 2 km north of Langdale Ferry terminal. This campus provides a cluster of winterized cabins & lodges, a rec hall and cafeteria for our fall and spring season programs. The buildings sit on a large, flat grassy upland overlooking a beautiful ocean front shoreline.
The campus looks east across Thornborough Channel to Gambier Island. Surrounding the camp facility are 400 acres of diverse ecology including forest, rocky bluff, a salmon bearing creek and intertidal environments — an ideal classroom setting.
Gambier island campus
Camp Fircom is our Outdoor School campus on Gambier Island. The facility is bordered by a spectacular granite shoreline covered in a fir-arbutus forest.
Camp Fircom is a wonderful facility with comfortable cabins and lodge accommodations as well as a beautiful dining hall and many creative outdoor covered learning spaces. From here, Sea to Sky makes use of an amazing classroom of big trees, creeks, wild beaches, high mossy bluffs and protected parkland.
MORE ABOUT Our programs
We provide a wide variety of school and multi day programs that your kids are sure to love. We’d love to connect with you, don’t hesitate to reach out today!
WHAT KIDS ARE SAYING
