Passion for Environmental Education

With a huge ear-to-ear grin, Jen Cunningham hesitated for a moment and then plunged her hands into the creek, emerging with a female pink salmon in hand, much to the delight of the children gathered around her. Hailing from the Northern Territory of Australia, Cunningham had never encountered salmon up close and personal until now.

She came to the North Vancouver Outdoor School (NVOS) in September 2011 for a week-long visit, plunging into the many programs with much enthusiasm and delight. At home she works as a senior community education officer with Parks and Wildlife and she is traveling in North America on a Churchill Fellowship scholarship, researching various environmental education programs.

Meeting up with NVOS principal Victor Elderton and vice-principal Kate Keogh in Brisbane at the World Environmental Educators Congress a few months ago, Cunningham was intrigued by what she heard from them about the experiential learning programs at the school. And before she knew it, she was here to experience it firsthand.

The Bighouse programs were particularly interesting to Cunningham, as back in Oz she helps facilitate ‘country camps’ - a model for learning how to live off the land for Aboriginal students. “We engage students from remote communities in environmental education,” she said.

And she loved seeing the Bighouse in real life, with her own eyes. “I could have read an email about the place, but being here in person is so much better – it’s great to see the context of the programs and how rewarding it is.”

Cunningham was impressed with the counsellor program at NVOS too. “It really adds value to the programs and to the school.”

In fact, she noted that she was sufficiently impressed that she’d love to see a counsellor program set up where she works in Australia. “I am amazed by the capabilities of these students to be counsellors and I have faith in incorporating it in the programs we run.”

Cunningham co-ordinates a Junior Rangers program and a BeCrocWise program where she visits schools to educate on crocodiles, a common sight in the Northern Territory.

Thoroughly enjoying her time at NVOS, Cunningham said she loved to see how independent learning was built into the programs and said she loves to see environmental education in action.

“Environmental education is what I’m passionate about, even when I’m not researching,” she said. “I’m into it.”

Now an avid salmon lover, Cunningham now has a reminder to take home with her. “I've just bought a First Nations salmon fridge magnet to take as my west coast souvenir,” she said. “Those salmon amazed me and seem to embody all that is plentiful, synchronous, seasonal and wonderful about my visit to the west coast.”

Photo: Jen Cunningham salmon wrestling at Outdoor School