August 16, 2024
Introducing the Team at CPAWS Manitoba
The CPAWS Manitoba Environmental Education Program gets kids (and adults!) outside and teaches them to appreciate the wonders of nature through games, activities and community building.
It aligns with our mission to connect people to nature by teaching Manitobans about the value and beauty of our province and its wildlife.
The program was developed during the pandemic to help support educators, parents, and families in getting outside and engaging with the natural world. Now, the CPAWS Environmental Education Program continues to serve communities and schools across Manitoba through workshops, field trips, an after-school program, and contests
CPAWS Manitoba taught 20,430 students about Manitoba’s wildlife and natural wonders through 983 place-based outdoor education workshops, field trips and activities from May 2021 to August 2024.
We look forward to connecting many more Manitobans to nature in the years to come.
Our Programs
- Deliver place-based outdoor education workshops and guided field trips for schools, daycares, summer camps and community groups – like Girl Guides of Canada.
- Deliver an after-school program in Winnipeg-area schools and rural areas like Oakville and Selkirk.
- Host nature-based programming for families and the general public.
- Engage children in outdoor education through activity tables set up at festivals and venues like the Assiniboine Park Zoo.
- Support communities with nature-based activity programs like the Litter Challenge.
Our Team
Our educational program has been lucky enough to have many passionate members since 2021, including Environmental Educators, Avery and Carly, and Education Ambassadors, Ameilia, Alyssa, Annabella, Cheyenne, Obsi, Bella, Kate, Leah, and Shiv. The education program is where it is today because of the energy and passion of the educators who deliver it. Thank you to the Ed Team members, both past and present, for helping this program grow!
Inner-City Work/Study Program
Special thanks to the University of Winnipeg and the Inner-City Work/Study program. This learning opportunity for post-secondary students has been an incredible support to our Education Team and every year the student’s projects have contributed to their community in a meaningful way!
Last year, Kate organized and led an educational workshop “Queering Outdoors,” highlighting queerness found in nature. This year, Shiv created and facilitated an EAL in Nature program for the Winnipeg School Division.
Meet the Team:
Meet the inspiring Environmental Education Ambassadors of our Outdoor Education Program for Summer 2024, Kate, and Leah!
Kate Heide, Environmental Education Ambassador
Kate Heide is an education student studying at the University of Winnipeg to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming an educator. Her childhood in a sprawling wooded space south of Winkler, Manitoba planted the seeds for her love of the outdoors as most of her childhood was spent sledding, biking, camping, and kayaking. Her experience in a farming family has also informed her understanding of land as a space of excitement and learning. Kate joined CPAWS Manitoba in May of 2023 through a University of Winnipeg Inner City Work/Study program and has since continued her work delivering outdoor learning programming alongside Carly Gray.
Before joining CPAWS, Kate worked in a variety of child-centred environments including daycares, day camps, and math/literacy tutoring. She is passionate about outdoor education and creating safe, inclusive spaces for children to explore their surroundings, spark curiosity, and grow into their most authentic selves.
Q+A with Kate Heide
- What Is Your Main Role with CPAWS Manitoba?
My role with CPAWS encompasses all things Education-related! I’ve done a lot of work facilitating workshops through our After School Program, School Yard Workshops, Field Trips, and Summer Daycare/Day Camp Workshops. I have also been involved in the creation of a number of our programs alongside Carly Gray. Throughout July and August, my main role has been facilitating workshops at Daycares, Day Camps, and special programs in collaboration with the Assiniboine Park Zoo and their Zoo Camp.
- What Do You Hope to Achieve with Your Work?
My goal is to help ignite or continue to foster a love for the Earth in kids all across Manitoba. Engaging students in the sciences, exploration, and critical thinking about the world around them is crucial in both their development and inspiring the conservationists of the future!
Nature has so much to offer in terms of development and well-being, and those benefits are needed more and more as our world becomes more reliant on technology and kids become more isolated. CPAWS offers safe spaces for kids to explore, connect with each other, and learn in a way that encourages inquiry and play and I feel so fortunate that I get to participate in that! I truly believe this is life-changing work and will encourage a new generation to get involved in conservation and take an active role in their communities.
3. Favourite part of your job?
My favourite part of my job is workshop facilitation! Teaching has always been my dream and getting a chance to engage with kids and assist in their learning brings me so much joy! I also love getting to use my creative brain to come up with new activities and programs. My background is not in environmental sciences so learning from my colleagues and immersing myself in nature has been such a positive experience for me, and another reason I love this job!
4. What Inspires You to Protect and Be an Advocate for Nature?
I love nature, I love kids, and I love people! I believe that as humans, we have a responsibility to care for the Earth and ensure that it’s accessible for generations to come. I am a strong advocate for a variety of social justice issues and the intersectionality between those issues and environmentalism is deeply-rooted. I am dedicated to the protection of nature and creating a positive future for youth in which they have opportunities to spend time with a healthy Earth and pursue nature-related fields of study.
Photo Credit: Carly Gray
5. What are you working on right now in CPAWS?
Right now, I am working tirelessly on program delivery within Winnipeg and the surrounding areas. Within July, Leah and I have run 90 workshops and reached over 1,500 kids with our summer education workshops. Come September I will be stepping into a new role at CPAWS, while I continue my education degree. I am so excited to continue growing the CPAWS Environmental Education Program under the direction and mentorship of Carly Gray!
Fast Facts:
How would you describe yourself in 5 words?
Empathetic, passionate, creative, childlike (in a fun, full of wonder, kind of way!).
Favourite outdoor activity?
Nature Journaling, watercolour painting, kayaking, hiking (I can’t pick just one)
Favourite Manitoba Vacation spot?
My grandparents had a campsite at Emerson for many years and I have so many fond memories there! I lost my Papa to cancer this summer and Emerson will always remind me of him and his love for camping and the outdoors. I would give anything for another chance to bike through town, throw a frisbee around, or have a drink around the fire with him. A lot of my love for nature comes from him, and I feel as though my work with CPAWS is honouring him and his memory.
Favourite Provincial Park?
My family has a campsite at Stephenfield Provincial Park, which is pretty close to my hometown, so I’ve gotten to spend quite a bit of time there over the last year. It’s also covered with my favourite trees, Trembling Aspens!
Favourite Winnipeg Park?
McKittrick Park in South Osborne has a special place in my heart as it’s been key in developing my relationship with the Earth! It’s where my favourite tree lives and has been a haven for me since leaving my childhood home in 2021.
Favourite nature book or documentary?
“Mother Earth Plants for Health and Beauty” by Carrie Armstrong is an excellent reference for Traditional Indigenous Plant Knowledge and includes recipes for all-natural health and beauty products. “Life in the City of Dirty Water” by Clayton Thomas-Müller is a great memoir about Winnipeg, his life journey, and front-line work in the defense of Indigenous People’s Lands.
Leah Martin, Environmental Education Ambassador
Leah is a student working on her degree in psychology in hopes of reaching her goal of being a therapist for youth and young adults. She currently holds an Applied Counselling Certificate from the University of Manitoba. Leah grew up in a very rural area in the Interlake near Chatfield and Fisher Branch, which provided an expansive and beautiful space of wilderness which cultivated a deep love for nature and animals. Leah spent most of her youth exploring and hiking around this area and spending time with animals on the farmland she lived on.
Before Leah started at CPAWS, she worked in support-care centred roles such as comanaging at-risk youth homes and supporting people with disabilities. She finds a passion in helping people grow and caring for those in need. Leah sees what an impact being outdoors and learning from nature can have on mental health, and hopes to use nature as a tool for healing in practice as a therapist. CPAWS offers a space of learning and authenticity that Leah is excited to be a part of.
Q+A with Leah Martin
- What Is Your Main Role with CPAWS Manitoba?
My role includes reaching the youth in our community and helping them learn about the spaces around them. This includes facilitating programs at daycares, schools, and summer camps. We also collaborate with Assiniboine Park Zoo for their zoo camp.
- What Do You Hope to Achieve with Your Work?
My main goal is to inspire kids to learn and appreciate the world around them, and how cool nature is! There is so much more than the grass in our backyards, and even if that is the only space you have access to, how can we utilize that space and learn from it? Since the pandemic, many of our youth have not been exposed to and educated on all that Earth has to offer, and I love being a part of teaching that to them. I hope to spread the message that caring for the earth is super important, and I hope to inspire even some of the kids to take that message home with them.
- Favourite part of your job?
My favourite part would be how much kids will surprise you in what they know and their attitudes to learning. I really enjoy connecting with a kid that has a lot of questions or may not be as confident in their knowledge and seeing them open up as they explore the space around them. Every day there is a kid that makes my day and makes me smile. I also love spending time outside and this job definitely provides that!
Photo Credit: Kate Heide
- What Inspires You to Protect and Be an Advocate for Nature?
I have a deep respect for nature and most of all animals. I have always felt deeply connected to animals and empathetic when I hear the dwindling numbers of certain species, and how much we are impacting their homes. I want to remind humans that we share the earth and we don’t have more right to it than other living creatures. Growing up in an area where wildlife was very safe and secluded I was able to see how much they thrive when left in their habitats undisturbed and safe. My hope is that we all learn how to be more mindful of how we are treating species and recognize how an ecosystem works together and that we are a part of that.
5. What are you working on right now in CPAWS?
We are working on programming for the daycares and summer camps, and delivering the programs for the summer!
Fast Facts:
How would you describe yourself in 5 words?
Empathetic, creative, goofy, compassionate, fun.
Favourite outdoor activity?
Hiking, drawing or writing outside, kayaking, swimming, camping… on and on…
Favourite Manitoba Vacation spot?
Hecla or Whiteshell!
Favourite Provincial Park?
Whiteshell, or Birds Hill because it’s very accessible from the city!
Favourite Winnipeg Park?
Kilcona Park, and Enderton (Peanut Park)
Favourite nature book or documentary?
It’s hard to choose but Our Planet is a great watch.
Learn more about our education program in these blogs:
Teaching Kids About Nature With Outdoor Games and Activities
Discover Nature With A CPAWS And Watersheds Backpack
Exploring Manitoba’s Arctic Coastline