Salmon Arm’s NatureKids BC branch is looking for a co-leader to help organize outdoor adventures for kids.
Founded in 2000, NatureKids BC is a registered charity that works to get children and their families outside, engaging in meaningful activities that foster discovery about nature from a young age. Kids aged 5 to 12 participate in all kinds of activities that get them playing, exploring the outdoors and learning how they can help the environment.
The Salmon Arm NatureKids BC club is led by Molly Cooperman, but as the club is expanding, the Salmon Arm area club is looking for another nature-loving club leader. A club leader helps organize ‘explorer days’ once a month for the children and promotes the club further within their communities. The time commitment is around five hours a month, attending roughly eight events per year. There is a one year commitment for the volunteer position.
“Volunteers are at the heart of our ability to create nature experiences,” said NatureKids BC executive director Rebecca Law. “The role is a wonderful opportunity to build the fabric of your community. The organization itself has all the tools to help you succeed, and you have a lot of autonomy to build the type of programming that will connect residents and families in your local environment.”
NatureKids BC is supported by the local Shuswap Naturalists’ Club, where Cooperman finds a lot of passionate mentors to come and speak to the group. Cooperman said in addition to the co-leader position, NatureKids can always benefit from local experts who want to share their knowledge with the kids.
“I enjoy connecting families with nature, I also work with school groups but this is kind of unique in that it’s not just the young learners, it’s also their parents that are quite interested,” said Cooperman. “They often ask the mentors detailed questions and get involved.”
Cooperman has hosted fun and creative events in the past, like a biologist talk on Earth Day, a ‘marvelous mosses’ workshop, hosting a falconer, Mandy Moore who brings live birds for demonstrations and creating egg carton seed planter crafts. Law said she loves seeing the kids’ cute crafts and kids engage and light up anytime live animals are involved.
“You can do something very simple but very meaningful, like a nature walk, introduce species and make it have a fun factor with a scavenger hunt,” said Law. “The goal is for families to have the opportunity to slow down, get off their screens and spend time in nature. We want kids to get curious so they continue to learn and want to learn about their natural surroundings.”
There are 25 NatureKids BC clubs across the province and the organization also publishes a magazine. Everyone is welcome to join and the clubs operate on a pay what you can, if you can, model, said Law.
Salmon Arm NatureKids BC information and upcoming events can be found on the organization’s website or Facebook page.
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