Stephanie and Kester combine many years of experience in nature school and wilderness settings across Western Canada. Their passion is to offer mentoring that supports the inherent gifts in each individual. As the founders of Fianna Wilderness School, they are excited to offer programs on Vancouver Island, Gabriola, the Sunshine Coast and Lower Mainland. Grounded in a relationship of reciprocity with the land and our communities, we honour a commitment to mentoring as a way of life: closer to the land, closer to each other.
Lands Where We Work
As settlers, we gratefully acknowledge the unceded traditional territories of the Snuneymuxw, Lyackson, E’iksan, Pentlatch, K’omoks, Tla'amin, Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Sto'lo, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam). It is on their land that we live and work, seeking to uphold their example of stewardship for all future generations.
We carry reconciliation as a deep value in our hearts and honour the traditions and cultures that have been embedded in this land since time immemorial.
Fianna strives to be a diversity-safe organization. We welcome all identities, and acknowledge the right of any individual to define their identity.
We welcome kids, adults and staff from across the spectrum of gender diversity and sexual orientation.
We commit to decolonization, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive practices, acknowledging that we are a settler-led school of white and white-passing directorship.
We strive to remain aware of our privilege, and welcome feedback on our ongoing process of reflection and growth in creating safer spaces for participants and staff.
If your family faces systemic forms of oppression that create financial barriers to attending our programs, we are happy to negotiate low-cost participation, please be in touch.
"Stephanie’s nature-based programs have opened my son’s eyes to so many subtle elements present in the natural world. He has developed confidence in identifying native plants, building fires, carving and making shelters. Her story telling has captured his imagination and enriched his access to myths that originate in the West Coast landscape. She weaves parents into the journey seamlessly, by providing detailed weekly summaries of their child's activities. Having this knowledge has lead to wonderful parent/child conversations for us at home. Stephanie is a gifted teacher with a unique ability to meet the child where they're at. My son always looks forward to her sessions with joy and enthusiasm. We are so grateful for her amazing offerings…"
~Zoe Lamb, Gabriola Isl.
"Kes Reid brings an inviting, magical style informed by many years of experience fostering deep relationships between people and the land. His influence has had a profound impact on how we design our programs, both for participants and for our staff team. Kes will always be welcome to bring his inspiring stories, deep game play and beautiful energy into the forest with us and our participants."
~Erin Nicolardi, Rivers to Ridges, Whitehorse YT
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