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New Canadian families experience the great outdoors at Tiffin Centre

August 27, 2021   ·   0 Comments

The Tiffin Centre for Conservation welcomed over 30 new Canadian families on August 14, to give the experience of enjoying the great Canadian outdoors.

“At the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA), we help all Canadians realize that being in nature is a fun activity which does not have to cost a lot of money,” said Naomi Saunders, Manager of Education at NVCA. “Through these activities, we want to help new Canadians feel more comfortable in nature. We have chosen topics and activities that would be helpful to know if they would like to go camping, hiking or canoeing.”

Funded by the Rotary Club of Barrie, families who are registered with the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) for classes this September could try some outdoor skills.

Families were divided into three groups with each going to a different station.

At one station, Sojourn Outdoors, an outdoor adventure and lifestyle retailer, walked people through tent setup and showed them some hiking gear.

At another station, outdoor enthusiast Frank Yamich, demonstrated outdoor cooking equipment and spoke about how to avoid dangerous plants like poison ivy.

The third station introduced families to canoeing and covered topics such as the importance of wearing a lifejacket, canoe safety, and how to launch and land a canoe. Visitors were then given the opportunity to try canoeing in the Conservation Area’s Papa Bear Pond.

“Outdoor education is a key priority for the SCDSB,” said Sarah Kekewich, Manager of Communications of SCDSB. “We are pleased to work with the NVCA and Tiffin Centre to support newcomers to our schools and communities as they learn about the uniqueness of our environment and how to explore it safely.”

By Brian Lockhart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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