Canoe trip leaders and participants in a Project Canoe’s Wilderness Canoe program head out for a five day interior canoe trip from Cache Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park, on July 12.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
The organizer: Sascha Ellis
The pitch: Leading Project Canoe
Sascha Ellis never dreamed of going on a canoe trip or a hike in the woods when he was growing up in Brampton, Ont., the child of a single mother who struggled financially.
But a school field trip to a forest in junior high and a generous offer to attend a summer camp one summer changed his life. Mr. Ellis, 37, returned to the camp regularly and he eventually became assistant program director. He also got involved in counselling young people and pursued a career as a youth worker.
In 2021, he combined his passion for the outdoors and helping young people, and took on the post as executive director of Project Canoe. The Toronto-based charity runs summer canoe trips and year-round outdoor programs for at-risk youth. It’s been operating for 46 years, but Mr. Ellis said demand for the programs picked up significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our big mission has always been to provide unique experiences rooted in the outdoors for youth facing barriers,” he explained. “And post-COVID those barriers are more evident than ever.”
The organization put its trips on hold in 2020 because of the pandemic and it operated a reduced schedule in 2021. It’s now back to six trips of varying lengths this summer and demand has been overwhelming. Around 200 young people take part every summer and most of them have been referred to the project by various non-profit organizations.
The charity relies on grants and donations for its $400,000 annual budget. Mr. Ellis said he and the staff are constantly looking at ways to expand the programs. Along with the summer trips, the charity runs hiking excursions in High Park and Rouge National Urban Park, as well as paddling outings on the Humber River.
Mr. Ellis said camping and canoeing remain a big part of his life and he still marvels at the impact a few days in the woods can have on young people. “It’s been so amazing to get to see those changes in young folk knowing that part of that was rooted in the outdoors and them being able to have that access,” he said.