OWLS 2026 Announcement!
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* Note: OWLS is a beginner-friendly symposium, welcoming people of all experience levels! No prior experience in canoe tripping, camping, nor any specific theoretical knowledge, is required in order to participate.
The Ontario Wilderness Leadership Symposium is a unique event designed to support the development and leadership of outdoor educators, including wilderness guides, teachers, camp staff, and canoe trip leaders. Starting from the understanding that all education, at its core, is about building good people, OWLS looks beyond the “hard skills” of outdoor education work. Join a community of peers, along with experienced mentors, in this co-learning event and focus on the deeper questions that are rarely asked. Illuminating the often-murky waters of educational practice, OWLS will examine such questions as: what is outdoor education? How is the campfire a site of learning? Why are wilderness trips such potentially powerful experiences, and how do we ensure that they are for our students?
Taking the form of a 3-day canoe trip plus one night in the frontcountry beforehand, in Algonquin Provincial Park, OWLS is a unique experience. With the trip itself – and the natural world – as our co-teachers, we invite you to join us in June and be part of Ontario’s next generation of outdoor education leaders.
OWLS is being run in partnership with the generous financial support of the Jean Wansbrough Leadership Training Fund. An original and long-time COEO member, we are proud that Jean’s legacy can help support the Ontario Wilderness Leadership Symposium.
Outdoor Council of Canada (OCC) Professional Development Certification
As part of this year’s OWLS trip, all participants will earn the Outdoor Council of Canada’s Field Leader Hiking certification. While the OWLS trip will go beyond the curriculum of the certification, the Field Leader designation is a great way to demonstrate one’s qualifications to take groups outdoors, and may be especially beneficial for those working in an institutional setting such as a school board.
Registration
Due to the limited number of participants (15 participants, plus the 3 organizers), we expect the conference to fill-up quickly, so register sooner rather than later to confirm your spot!
Click here to register for OWLS.
Dates
The date for this year’s OWLS trip is:
- Thursday, June 11 (evening arrival, after work & dinner) – Sunday, June 14, in Algonquin Provincial Park.
Cost
- The current cost is set at $395 per person. We are waiting to hear back regarding further external funding. Should said funding be received, we will lower the cost equally for all participants.
- There is also a bursary fund available for a limited number of participants. Please get in touch with us to to apply for the bursary if financial access is a barrier to you participating in OWLS.
Location
- The trip is taking place in Algonquin Provincial Park. For the first night, we will be meeting and staying in a shared cabin owned by Voyageur Quest, located at Algonquin Provincial Park Access Point #1 on Kawawaymog Lake in the north-west corner of the Park. For the next two nights, we will be camping at backcountry campsites on North Tea Lake. Driving and arrival directions will be sent closer to the date.
What you can expect
A fully-outfitted, guided canoe trip with 18 like-minded, young outdoor educators. The first night (the Thursday night) is spent at a frontcountry campground in a shared cabin in order to allow people to arrive and get to know each other in the afternoon and evening. The next morning, we will depart for our canoe trip. Following a short paddle, we will reach our campsite. We will remain at this campsite for the next two nights, allowing ample time to engage in discussions and workshops, cook food over the fire together, swim, explore our surroundings, and have fun with new friends.
Expect a non-strenuous canoe trip, fun activities, delicious food, building new connections, making new outdoor education friends, and, of course, lots of learning!
The trip is being outfitted by Headwaters Wilderness Program, who will send a complete packing list closer to June. For more information about what Headwaters provides, click here.
What is expected of you
OWLS is a co-learning event, in the style of an “open conference.” What this means is that unlike a typical conference, where participants only partake in workshops put on by others, we starting from the idea that everyone has something to share and invite all participants to be part of creating the learning of the trip.
If this sounds daunting, don’t worry. The trip will include three facilitators. There will be a flexible schedule as well as activities designed to spark interest. Additionally, there will be a few, short readings sent to all participants prior to the symposium, in order to start everyone on the same page and give you a sense of the philosophical and pedagogical directions in which we’re heading. In order for the symposium to be a success, it is expected that all participants do the readings beforehand.
Questions?
Let us know if you have any questions. Send an email to: info@coeo.org.
