COEO NEWS
Registration is open for our Annual Fall Conference! Submit a proposal for a presentation today!
COEO is excited to welcome you to our annual Fall Conference at Camp Muskoka from September 25 – 27, 2026. Themed “The Strength of Play: Living, Learning and Leading with Nature”, this conference invites us to share how play has been transformative in our practice.
To register as an individual, click here.
To register as a group of 3 or more, click here.
To apply for a bursary subsidized ticket, click here.
To submit a proposal for a presentation, click here.
Check out our website for more information.
COEO est ravi de vous accueillir à son congrès d’automne annuel au Camp Muskoka, du 25 au 27 septembre 2026. Sous le thème «La force du jeu : Vivre, apprendre et guider au cœur de la nature» ce congrès nous invite à partager la manière dont le jeu a transformé notre pratique.
Pour vous inscrire individuellement, cliquez ici.
Pour inscrire un groupe de 3 personnes ou plus, cliquez ici.
Pour demander un billet subventionné par une bourse, cliquez ici.
Pour soumettre une proposition de présentation, cliquez ici.
Consultez notre site web pour plus d’informations.
Volunteer Opportunity: Social Media Support
COEO is looking for a volunteer to help support our social media presence. This role could involve creating and scheduling posts, highlighting member stories and events, sharing outdoor learning resources, and helping us engage with our community online.
If you have an interest in outdoor education, communications, or social media and would like to contribute a few hours each month, we’d love to hear from you. This is a great opportunity to support outdoor and environmental education across Ontario while gaining experience and expanding your professional network.
Interested? Please contact us at info@coeo.org for more information.
COEO’s Advocacy for Outdoor Education!
Thank you to all who have been fighting the good fight for TDSB Outdoor Education Centres and beyond. We must unite our voices during a time of budget cuts and a clear lack of understanding regarding the benefits and necessities of outdoor education for students everywhere. If you haven’t taken these steps already, please do so, and please pass this information along to colleagues, family and friends.
1) Meet with your MPP. Either just you, or unite with a couple of local COEO colleagues and meet together! Bring snacks, gratitude and maintain a collegial atmosphere. Remind them that OE aligns with their government’s priorities in education (back to the basics, student success, etc).
2) Use these letter templates (make a copy) and write to…
– Letter to your MPP: Find your MPP’s contact here.
– Letter to Paul Calandra, Minister of Education minister.edu@ontario.ca
– Letter to Doug Ford, Premier Premier@ontario.ca
3) Share your outdoor education story – the CBC wants to hear it! See our socials post. Julia, a producer at the CBC, is working on a documentary about the fight to save our outdoor education centres. She has asked for as many stories as we can gather – people speaking on camera about their experience with outdoor education and the impact it has had on their lives.
Two ways you can help right now:
– Share your story. If outdoor education left its mark on you or your children, they’d love to hear it. Get in touch, and they’ll find a time and place for a short, relaxed interview.
– Edit video. They’re looking for editors who can quickly cut clips down to size and format them for submission. If that’s you — or someone you know – please get in touch with them.
Connect with mortaza.amini@gmail.com if you have a story to share!
Every story we collect is one more reason they can’t shut these centres down.
Educator Wellness Retreat Recap
What a weekend! Take Me Outside, in partnership with COEO, held an Educator Wellness Retreat at beautiful Camp Wenonah in Muskoka, Ontario, returning for a second year of restoration and fun. A wonderful group of educators from across Ontario (and beyond!) gathered to connect deeply to nature together. Some highlights included sharing stories, tears, and laughter around the campfire, paddling and swimming in the lake, and soaking in the magic of May’s blue full moon.
A huge thank you to everyone who came together to make this Retreat so special! Elder Christopher Stock from A Journey Begins opened and closed the weekend in a good way, joined by his daughter Keana and wife Jackie. Carolynne Crawley from Msit No’kmaq and Turtle Protectors facilitated All My Relations and Forest Therapy sessions. Shehla Khan from Yoga with Shehla led yoga therapy, meditation, and mindfulness sessions rooted in authentic cultural practices. Samantha Wood from Maison Rosewood offered massage therapy throughout the weekend. Lilla Scott from the COEO Board of Directors generously offered her help and support throughout the Retreat. A big thank you to all of the educators who joined us. We’re already looking forward to next time!
“The Take Me Outside Educator retreat was 100% the best decision I made for myself this school year. I left the retreat feeling rejuvenated, both in my love for the outdoors and in who I am. This retreat allowed me to connect with myself and truly check in with how I was doing. I highly recommend it to any educator!” – 2026 Retreat Participant
OTHER OEE & RELATED NEWS
Request for Testimonials for Queen’s OEE Program
With the revival of the much-loved OEE program at the Queen’s Faculty of Education (starting once again in May 2027), we are looking for testimonials from folks who had Bob Pieh as their professor in the early years of this program. Please contact Rebecca Carnevale: rebecca.carnevale@queensu.ca
Participation Request
A researcher is working to get information about whether a residential outdoor learning (ROL) experience is required in any parts of Canada and to find out more about how, if at all, Initial Teacher Training/Education (ITT/E) has any engagement in this area, either practically with the students/trainees or from a theoretical perspective. Please reach out to Mike Platt at S2215690@uni.cumbria.ac.uk if you would like to participate in this research.
Opportunity to Share with Get Kids Paddling
Attention teachers!
Are you part of a school (located anywhere in Canada) that is committed to getting kids outdoors and paddling?
If so, please consider sharing about it with Get Kids Paddling, a non-profit group with a mission to provide paddling experiences for youth across Canada!
1. Complete the Schools That Paddle survey here to have the school paddling program featured on GKP’s social media and e-newsletter!
2. Complete the Schools survey found here to be included in the Canadian National Registry of Youth Paddling Programs that GKP is currently working on developing!
Job Opportunity with ALIVE Outdoors
ADDITIONAL OEE P.D. OPPORTUNITIES
Led by the Land: Banff Youth Leadership Gathering
November 6–9, 2026 | Banff, Canmore & Kananaskis
Register by June 12
Led by the Land is a national, land‑based leadership gathering hosted by The Howl Experience, bringing together 130 Indigenous and non‑Indigenous high school students and 50 educators from across Canada. The conference explores how leadership is learned and practiced with the land as teacher through outdoor time, hands‑on activities, and shared community experiences. Participants consider what we can learn from the land, what it means to be a good community member, and how to make a positive impact.
Grounded in both Indigenous and Western ways of knowing, the gathering welcomes all nations and perspectives.
Highlights
- Connect with iconic places in Banff National Park
- Build youth leadership through land-based activities grounded in Two-Eyed seeing
- Engage in experiential learning, field trips, and outdoor skills
- Form reciprocal relationships with peers, Elders, and community leaders
Learn more and register: www.experiencehowl.com/youth-conference
Registration is open for the 4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning, offered by the Outdoor Learning School & Store! You can access more information here: https://outdoorlearning.com/4-seasons/ Make sure to use the code, 4SEASONS25%, for 25% off your registration!
Access resources here: https://outdoorlearning.com/indigenous-learning/
Summer Camp Bondar Challenge, The Roberta Bondar Foundation
The Summer Camp Bondar Challenge is a photography program and competition that fuses
art and science to encourage youth to explore our natural environment through the lens of a
camera. The program teaches both photography skills and a scientific understanding of
nature. Participants capture an image in the environment related to our biodiversity theme
and interpret the artistic and scientific components of their photograph, challenging their
imagination and creativity. Campers are encouraged to submit their best photo to our
competition and complete an artist’s statement that helps them reflect on what they’ve
learned.
For a $130 fee per camp, we provide access to online training, ongoing support throughout
the summer, and a camp kit of all the materials necessary for one camp staff member to lead
the delivery of the program. An additional $25 fee is required for each additional staff
member needed.
We would love to have your camp join the challenge this summer!
To learn more and register, click here. If you have any questions, you can reach us by emailing bondarchallenge@therobertabondarfoundation.org or by phone at (416)*******44.
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Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/coeo.org
Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/coeo.org
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