Challenge

Life is a journey full of challenges that teach us and allow us to give pause. These challenges allow us to either be conquered or recalibrated. Challenges are an obstacle or an opportunity.

Strive

Life is not idle; it is flowing and evolving. Striving to fix, improve, overcome, enjoy, change, embrace (the list goes on), is a constant action. Participants determine what they want to strive for at our retreats, camps, expeditions, and experiences.

Learn

Life is about unlearning, relearning, and learning. Learning is a constant and conscientious act. It brings balance, modesty, and development to an individual within a community.

Life is precious, mysterious, difficult to describe and has an imminent but unknown end date. That’s life. At Fireside, we create unique life experiences that reinforce the importance of connecting personal individuality: a sense of community, relevance and meaningful outdoor experiences mixed with skill training and shared knowledge practices. 

Be a better person to yourself and others. Be the authentic you. We provide a platform for all participants who need and want time for exploration, self-discovery and individual growth that fits their own pace. Through group dialogue, video journaling, solo time, paddling, capturing amazing sunsets, yoga in the woods, and an easy and non-intrusive method, Fireside provides leadership workshops to create the connection between spirit and the experience, allowing you to be. Be brave. Be real. Be you.

Get out there and take the adventurous path forward! Experience true adventure with a group of like-minded, supportive and diverse people while learning skills that will allow you to plan and experience your adventures in the future. Challenge yourself to expand your comfort zone and check out the incredible spaces and places we take our participants.

Safety
Regardless of a participant’s level of comfort and outdoor skills, it is safer to travel in a group, and it is much safer to have an experienced guide/instructor supporting them. Our team always prioritizes planning, preparing, and, most importantly, teaching participants how to be safe in the wilderness and rural settings.

Climate Change Education
We do our best to understand the present and future impacts of climate change. We provide thoughtful discussions and rationale of why we all must do our best to minimize our carbon use, including ways to reduce food waste, non-recyclable materials and more. We take public transit or walk as much as possible and respect nature by reducing our ecological footprints.

 Indigenous Peoples’ Perspectives and Rights
We acknowledge we are visitors and settlers connecting to the traditional lands of the Indigenous people of Canada. We ask permission to visit and explore their lands while inviting local First Nations to participate in our camps, share their knowledge and provide a space to collaborate. Fireside Adventures recognizes the unceded traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

Food
A well-nourished body significantly impacts a person’s experience in times of physical and/or mental exertion. Participants will learn how to pack and prepare healthy and holistic meals in our camp kitchens.

Skills-Based
We focus on teaching social, leadership and life skills that complement each participant’s experience at Fireside. The skills we teach reflect BC Education’s core competencies and easily transition to life back home.

Positive Personal Identity & Strength-Based
We design all camps, courses and expeditions to develop a positive personal identity, reflecting how we instruct, lead and support others. We take a strength-based position in fostering each participant’s potential and enjoyment of the experience. We are prepared to support all campers regardless of individual deficits or challenges.

Social and Emotional Learning.
We know how important it is to create a safe place so participants can develop their resiliency, independence, and self-efficacy. We weave learning opportunities throughout our programs for participants to gain the skills necessary to manage and understand their emotions and relationships.

Small-Group Focused & Mobile
We place restrictions on group size (minimum 8 and maximum 15) of participants, as we believe that less means more for providing an enriched and meaningful experience for each participant. We are not defined by one permanent location, as we are rooted in the belief that adventure and learning come from exploring the lands and water around us.

Place and Inquiry-Based
We carefully choose locations for our camps, courses and expeditions that provide a platform for inquiry & experiential learning, an abundance of natural world and significance in relation to culture, geography, history, people and environment.

Fitness Capacities (Physical Literacy)
If you are concerned about your or your child’s physical readiness to attend one of our Fireside camps/expeditions, please get in touch with us directly. We modify our experiences based on the participants’ abilities and capacities. Relax, and let us work together to make an informed and shared decision.

Inclusivity & Privilege
We are inclusive of all genders, races, cultures, languages, shapes, sizes, colours, abilities and capacities. Those who arrive on the first day of the camp/expedition are important characters of the shared experience that is to begin. Being the characters in each other’s stories and experiences is a privilege, not our right.