Are you passionate about youth, mental health, and the land?

Take a Hike Foundation is seeking a Land Based Learning (LBL) Specialist with an expertise in mental health, and a passion for the land, education and supporting vulnerable youth and families, to become part of our Programs Team either on Vancouver Island or in the Lower Mainland area.

THE ORGANIZATION:
Take a Hike empowers youth who experience vulnerability to change the trajectory of their lives with a full-time mental health and emotional well-being program embedded in an alternate education classroom. Take a Hike engages youth with intentional, continuous clinical counselling, experiential land-based learning, and community. Our public school district partners provide high quality education, and together, we empower youth with the skills and resilience they need to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, and achieve success – however they define it.

For more information on the program, please visit www.takeahikefoundation.org (http://www.takeahikefoundation.org/).

Role Summary:
Land-Based Learning is a key part of every Take a Hike program; through taking youth outside, we aim to build belonging, community, and connection with the land. As a mental health foundation, we understand that there is a connection between time spent in nature, and our wellbeing. We honour Indigenous knowledge and wisdom in our connection to the land and combine this with aspects of place-based learning and adventure-based learning. Youth go outside at least once a week on ‘out days’ and 1-2 multi-day trips every year.

Land-Based Learning Specialists are primarily in service to program teams, to support them in providing Land-Based Learning opportunities for their students. Some aspects of the role will be directly in service and relationship to the youth, as needed and in response to need from program teams (e.g. leading out days). The LBL team will collaborate to create centralized resources and communications for all programs.

KEY COMPETENCIES:

• Strong collaborative team player with the ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships; responsive to the needs of students and classroom cultures/staff teams.
• Expert ability to source, create, and share outdoor education material with staff teams, and where possible facilitate lessons to youth via a variety of land-based and outdoor activities
• Ability to physically support and lead youth in outdoor activities
• Competent and confident in risk management in relation to outdoor activities, including psychological safety.
• An understanding of outdoor education through a decolonial lens, and a commitment to centering Indigenous perspectives in your work.
• Working knowledge of trauma-informed practices in education.
• Excellent organizational and logistical skills and ability to set up systems.
• Organized administrator, who can provide support (logistics, planning, resources, safety) to multiple program teams, with different needs.

**RESPONSIBILITIES:**Support weekly out days:

• Proactively work with program teams to plan out days that address the learning, healing, and growth goals of the youth.
• Schedule meetings with program teams to plan out days. Support teams in making plans that are coordinated, appropriately delegated, manageable and sustainable, while aligning with TAH goals.
• Connect staff teams to learning plans, curricular links and other resources that integrate land-based learning with Ministry of Education core competencies and academic goals. Additionally, provide learning plans that support social and emotional learning and therapeutic goals.
• Identify and support opportunities to program teams that focus land-based learning activities on local and sustainable offerings that align with program budgets and existing workloads.
• Attend up to 2 out-days per week and model and promote TAH land-based learning practices.
• In collaboration with staff teams, manage logistics, bookings and purchasing, transportation, and approval processes for programs.
• Support in documenting LBL success with photos, videos, youth quotes, etc.
• Create, maintain and manage inventories of out days and ideas that program teams can pull from. Some suggestions may be specific to a region (e.g. hiking locations), while others (e.g. activity ideas) can be applicable to teams in any region.

Support multi-day trips:

• Maintain inventory/information of trips for repeat engagement
• Project manage trip planning, risk assessment, approval process, and support communication with youth and caregivers
• Manage trip planning logistics, including bookings and purchasing
• Provide on-site support leading up to trips including gear packing, meal planning, shopping and pack out, and updating first-aid kits
• Where necessary, participate in multi day trips during the school year
• Be trip point person and emergency contact for select trips or out days
• Develop and support community connections and relationships related to LBL activities, (e.g. outdoor activity guides, local Indigenous knowledge keepers, and other service providers) and ensure that these opportunities are in line with TAH goals and budget restraints

Gear and other coordination:

• Ensure there is appropriate gear for each program
• Support gear organization, maintenance, and inventory
• Support regional gear partnerships
• Support effective scheduling of transportation for all trips

Risk Management and LBL Projects:

• Implement and maintain TAH LBL risk management systems and policies, including the promotion of staff team understanding and compliance
• Work as part of a land-based learning team to ensure appropriate consistency across TAH programs
• Support LBL-based projects, systems, fund development and infrastructure

And such other duties as TaH may assign from time to time

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

• Two to five years’ experience in outdoor education
• Wilderness first aid (minimum 40 hour)
• Valid driver's license and access to a vehicle (Clean divers abstract for purposes of car rental potential).
• Able to travel to other regions on occasion

Desirable qualifications:

• Outdoor guiding certifications
• Teaching certification
• Experience working with vulnerable youth
• Experience working in the school system

Equipment Requirements:

• Appropriate clothing & footwear for all seasons
• Appropriate gear for multi-day backpacking trips (large backpack, tent, sleep system etc.)

TERMS & COMPENSATION:
This is a full-time, 11-month position (annually from mid-August to mid-July) with an ideal start date of fall 2025. The successful candidate will be paid between $5,000-$6,000 per month commensurate with experience, based on a 37.5 hour work week. This position is subject to funding and will be reevaluated annually to ensure alignment with program needs. Generous benefits include:

• Employer-paid benefits including extended health and dental
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Health Spending Account
• Generous paid time off
• Professional development budget and training opportunities

This is a hybrid role based in either the Lower Mainland or on Vancouver Island.

HOW TO APPLY:
If this position is of interest to you, please submit your cover letter and resume to our online portal, Collage. Applications will be evaluated, and interviews conducted, on a rolling basis and you are encouraged to apply early.

Take a Hike values the diversity of the people it hires and serves. Diversity at Take a Hike means fostering a workplace in which individual differences are recognized, appreciated, respected, and responded to in ways that fully develop and utilize each person’s talents and strengths. Individuals who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Black, people of color, people living with disabilities and candidates with lived experience in mental health are encouraged to consider this opportunity. In accordance with provincial Accessibility Acts, reasonable accommodation will be provided upon request throughout the recruitment process.

Our endorsement of reconciliation can be found on our website here (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b594bd32971143f390da926/t/60a5a773310e6523b74d31d6/1621469044091/Take+a+Hike+Foundation+Endorsement+of+Reconciliation.pdf). (https://takeahikefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/TakeaHikeFoundationEndorsementofReconciliation\_2022.pdf)