What We Do

Project Canoe provides youth with opportunities to build self-esteem, self-awareness, and self-love through the power of educational and therapeutic outdoor programming. Leveraging the inherently therapeutic power of outdoor spaces, our programs are intentionally designed to support youth in recognizing and building on their own unique strengths, forming meaningful social connections, and raising their perceived limits of what they are capable of.

Our core program offering is our summer wilderness canoe trip program, which is complimented by programs in Toronto throughout the year, which help youth build upon and carry forward the skills they learned and the friendships they made.

Project Canoe was founded by Dr. Herb Batt in 1977 and has served over 4000 youth.

Our Youth

We focus on youth ages 13 to 18 who would otherwise be unable to participate due to barriers they face in their lives. These barriers may be social, emotional, behavioural, learning or economic barriers. Youth discover Project Canoe in a variety of ways. The chart below shows our referral sources by percentage.

Why We’re Unique

NO FINANCIAL BARRIERS

We will never turn a youth away from a trip or a program due to financial barriers. Over our 40 year history we have bridged the gap for thousands of young people who otherwise would have been denied access to the great Canadian outdoors. We believe all young people should have the chance to experience the benefits of canoe tripping and therapeutic programming regardless of their economic situation.

1 STAFF:2 YOUTH RATIO

We have an industry-leading staff to youth ratio of one staff for every two youth. This allows us to foster positive personal connections between all trip participants, helping youth to build new connections and develop social skills.

SPECIALIZED AND HIGHLY TRAINED STAFF

All program staff have Advanced Wilderness First Aid, CPR, and Bronze Cross certifications. On top of this, our extensive four-week training period prepare our leaders with:

• Therapeutic Crisis Intervention certification

• Training provided by experts in the fields of Paediatric Psychiatry, emergency medicine, learning disabilities, Anti-Oppression, anxiety, newcomer youth, First Nations, Metis & Inuit land claim issues, and more

BEYOND THE TRIP

A youth's experience with Project Canoe doesn't begin and end with a bus ride. Before trip, each youth meets with our intake team one-on-one. This meeting is an opportunity for the youth to ask any questions about trip, and for our staff to learn about each youth's individual needs and goals.

After trip, each youth receives a personalized letter written by their trip leaders. They are also given the opportunity to participate in our year-round urban programs in Toronto. Youth can then move up to leadership trips, internships, and even pursue staff positions.