Take Me Outside Educator Wellness Retreats are restorative gatherings where educators can reconnect with nature and themselves, build community, and cultivate a renewed sense of teacher identity in order to support their health and well-being. These retreats will focus on wellness as a holistic approach to the integration of mind, body and spirit, centering a variety of wellness approaches which all provide opportunities for educators to foster a deep and meaningful relationship with nature.
Educators will have the space to disconnect, slow down and rejuvenate in nature so that they can return to teaching feeling refreshed, calm, centred and balanced. Participants will be invited to connect to the Land, reflect on their teaching identity and stress levels, consider the way their relationship to nature connects to their teaching practice and envision how they can embed practices that enhance their health and well-being into their daily life.
Equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility are central to these retreats and we will work to create an inclusive, safer space and address the diverse needs of educators, centering and amplifying the voices of educators who may be experiencing barriers. We are also working to increase access to these retreats for underrepresented educators.
Wellness Retreats will provide an integrated, holistic approach in order to promote mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being, focused on six central themes:
- Deep nature connection
- Wellness and stress management strategies for educators
- Indigenous Knowledge and Ways of Knowing
- Reflection and gratitude
- Mindfulness and mindful movement in nature
- Community connection
Retreat offerings and activities will include:
- Opportunities to learn Indigenous Ways of Knowing from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, Elders and facilitators
- Mindfulness practices such as guided meditation, sit spots and Forest Therapy
- Mindful movement practices such as yoga
- Seasonal outdoor activities such as swimming, kayaking and canoeing
- Guided nature hikes and nature journaling
- Opportunities to engage in self-reflection as educators, assessing stress management levels and exploring wellness strategies, along with setting intentions
- Engaging and fun opportunities to connect to other educators, such as campfires, storytelling, music, dancing, playing games and stargazing
These Wellness Retreats will lead to increased health and well-being for educators and by extension learners, as well as contribute to a larger goal of healing relationships between human communities and the more-than-human world, contributing to increased reciprocity and mutual wellness for all.
YMCA Camp Elphinstone is nestled on 144 acres of oceanfront property and temperate rainforest on the stunning Sunshine Coast in Gibsons, BC. Just a 40-minute ferry ride from West Vancouver and a short 2 km drive from the Langdale Ferry Terminal, the camp offers easy access while feeling worlds away. Guests are encouraged to walk onto the ferry; once on the Sunshine Coast, Camp Elphinstone is just a short taxi ride away via Sunshine Coast Taxi or Coastal Rides.
