The end... of the beginning
To me, this course and itās timing has been pretty significant. It has been a sort of coming home to me to get back into the outdoor world and teaching after being on the backburner while I have thought of pursuing different careers. The two main moments in this course that struck a chord are the differentiation between a job and work, and what climate activism can look like.
image: a photo of a quote written inside the canoe hut at Camp Edgewood.Ā āLook for the little miraclesā. Photo taken by me.
Iām not sure that everyone has experienced what āworkā feels like compared to a ājobā, but I was lucky enough that one of my first jobs was working as a camp counsellor, among other things, at Camp Edgewood in Eden Mills. I worked there for two summers before, devastatingly, the camp had to shut down because of a lack of funding to replace our sewage system. Can you believe it? Working there meant giving up you whole summer, besides Saturdays to work 24 hours around the clock, anyone who works at camp knows this, but to me it never felt like a job and I remember saying this at the time. This place was so special, no matter someoneās background, it gave them a chance to connect with others and the nature around them. When youāre disconnected from the rest of the world, the news, and social media, social norms kind of go out the wind and youāre allowed to be as goofy and weird as you want because people are accepting. I remember a camper saying to me that the one week a year that they got to spend at camp weas the only time that they felt like they belonged and that they werenāt the outsider or the āweird oneā. This setting and this communityās commitment to fostering these relationships is something that I seek for my work in the future. Lately, Iāve kind of thrown away the idea of ācareerā and I am committed to focusing on āworkā. So, what makes it work for me? Making a difference. Ā Ā
image: graphics of a melting earth with blue rings around it. Image taken fromĀ https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/strategy/impact-and-opportunities-of-climate-change-on-business.html.Ā
This year I have really struggled with learning about climate change. It is so essential, yet draining, and leaves me without hope. In chapter 5 of Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage, a huge wave of relief washed over me when they explain how fostering relationships with nature is a way to help with climate change. This idea made me realize what my approach to solving climate change must be, to educate and excite people about the world that we live in. I know that as someone who knows about climate change, I need to lead a life that makes a difference, but the idea of having to think about and face this complex challenge every day in a job has been weighing on me and I hadnāt even started this mystery job! During this semester I have decided to apply to the Queenās Outdoor and Experiential Education Teaching Program after I graduate from my Undergrad. This is the outlet that I can use to encourage stewardship for other people and do my part to help tackle the climate change challenge. Here is a link to an interview with one of my high school teachers talking about the OEE program: Queenās University Outdoor & Experiential Education Program.
Throughout my BA in Geography I have been learning about the complex relationships between people and places and the details about those people and those places. What I have learned in taking this course is that part of my work needs to be on the frontlines of those relationships between people and spaces, particularly in the outdoors. I would like to teach in some sort of an outdoor setting. I hope that in doing this I can include different aspects of interpretation from science, art, history, education, and sustainability. Personally, I have always been a generalist, meaning that there are a lot of things that I am okay at, but thereās no one thing that I am an expert at. In this field, I can use this to my advantage because it required a lot of skills to interpret/teach. Ā
image: a photo of me at my cottage in Temagami, crouching under the old growth forest, picking blueberries. Photo taken by my sister
A direct application to what I have learned in this course will be the job that I landed this summer. I put myself out there and sent an email to the rental cottages around the area of my cottage asking if I could teach swimming lessons at their sites. I was answered right away and will be teaching swimming lessons, fishing skills, canoeing skills, and leading hikes just a short canoe ride from my cottage. I am so excited to learn more about the area so that I can teach it. Mostly, I am excited that I can be outside all day and help other people enjoy the outdoors. This type of job is something that I have been dreaming of since working at camp, but had deemed it as not a ācareerā job and had assumed that I would not make enough money at a job like this. I was wrong, no both fronts. Like I said before, Iām not worried about a job that looks good on a resume because it matches my degree, a so called āadult jobā. I sought out the job that I know will make me happy and that at the end of the day I will be able to say that I did a good dayās āworkā. Ā
If youāve made it this far, thanks for reading along with my realizations, hopes, and dreams. What do you want to be when you grow up (not your adult job, your real job)? Ā
Goodbye for now.
Jasmine
image: a photo of me holding one of my custom jeaote bags, another passion that I have been investing in. In the fall I started making bags out of old jeans and fabric to reduce textile waste. Here is a link to my Instagram in case you want to check it out!Ā https://www.instagram.com/jeaote/Ā Yes, this is a shameless plug.
Hey jasmine before I begin I just want to say I understand where that camper was coming from who finally felt like he belonged somewhere and wasnāt the outsider when he was at camp. This is since truthfully when I was younger that was me. I didnāt fit in to too many groups or if I did I still kind of felt like I was the outcast but then I went to an overnight sports camp in cottage country where I meet likeminded people and finally felt like I fitted in somewhere.
In regards to my dream job I am still juggling some ideas, however I do know I want to make a difference either through educating the next generation of nature lovers or somehow contributing to research that can make a difference to protect our planet. Included in the research avenue I am interested at looking into ways to reduce or offset air pollutants which would aid to slow climate change. Outside of research though I am considering something in the education field in which I could educate the next generation of nature lovers to so that beautiful nature landscapes can be preserved for future generations (Beck et al., 2018). Now I believe I am actually ready for this career in nature education since I understand that individuals at different ages should be taught varying things so that they may develop a love of nature and protect it. For instance individuals under 11 should be taught to love and explore nature and that only once they are older than 11 should they engage in solving real world problems (Beck et al., 2018).
Ā Now I understand you have a general framework of what you want to do for work so my question for you is what do you not want to do and why?
References:
Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage (First Edition). Sagamore-Venture Publishing LLC.




























