Fleming College

Galen Moore

Outdoor Adventure Skills, 2009

After completing the Outdoor Adventure Skills certificate program, I got my foot in the door leading backcountry canoe trips for youth with the Tim Horton Children's Foundation (THCF) in Parry Sound, Ontario. Most recently, my position with the THCF has been in Manitoba, the future home of the expanding Youth Leadership Program (YLP). As YLP Manitoba Program Coordinator, my job has been to supervise a staff team of eight others as we explore, develop and evaluate wilderness canoe routes all over eastern Manitoba and north western Ontario in preparation for the opening of the new Youth Leadership Camp in 2015. The job involved overseeing all logistics in the planning and execution of these canoe route reconnaissance trips including trip objectives, food, transportation, emergency response, and composing detailed reports. As ambassadors of the THCF, we also were involved in several community events and fundraisers around our area in eastern Manitoba throughout the summer.

I chose Fleming because of the school's reputation of having high standards of excellence in the fields of natural resources. Outdoor Adventure Skills (OAS) was an appealing option for me because I had been out of high school for a couple years and was unsure what I wanted to do with my future. The program was short, Lindsay wasn't far from home, plus the exciting content of the OAS program made it an easy decision. My year in this program was an ideal springboard into post-secondary education; the following school year I continued my studies at Fleming for three more years in Ecosystem Management Technology, and currently I'm completing my Bachelor of Environmental Science at Trent University through a transfer agreement.

I would recommend Fleming's Outdoor Adventure Skills program to anyone seeking entry in the field of outdoor adventure leadership and recreation, or just looking for an exciting college experience. The Frost Campus was a great fit for me because it has a warm and energetic community vibe, and the faculty are knowledgeable and helpful. Plus, the hands-on application solidifies the theory-based components, which makes for a full, holistic education.