Forest Schools, Nature Schools, Outdoor Schools

Hiring: Forest Mentor
Organization: EPIC Learning Community
Location: Victoria, BC

EPIC Learning Community is a nature-based alternative to the classroom and works in collaboration with a provincial online learning school to offer enriching learning opportunities in nature alongside BC-certified teachers. We are located on south Vancouver Island on the traditional land of the Songhees, Esquimalt, Malahat and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. We are whole child-focused and strongly believe in an approach based on connection to build relationships with children, our community, and the land we play on.

• Commitment: September 2026 to June 2027
• Primary Location: Prospect Lake and Beaver Lake, Greater Victoria
• Compensation: $150 - $160/day based on experience and qualifications; inlcuding paid preparation time, paid professional development and paid sick leave.
• Work Schedule: Work onsite 3 days per week; approximately 6 hours per day (9:00am - 3:00pm, Tuesday – Thursday)

Overview:

EPIC Learning Community is looking for a passionate individual with an understanding of attachment-based practice and ideally wilderness training to co-lead a group of up to twenty-two learners in our innovative nature-based program. The Forest Mentor is an individual experienced in stewarding groups of kids in outdoor education and a naturalist with ecological and botanical knowledge. The Forest Mentor will have a toolbox of activities rooted in supporting children as they learn and discover their relationship with the land, themselves and one another.

EPIC Learning Community’s programming operates five days per week with learners spending each day outdoors in the woods and fields at Prospect Lake. We also go on field trips within the Greater Victoria area. The Forest Mentor reports to the Program Manager and works alongside our BC-certified teachers and Senior Forest Mentors as a member of the EPIC Learning Team.

We are looking for someone who embodies caring leadership and who desires to build emotional safety within the group by building connected relationships with each student and responding to challenging behaviours in ways that support children’s emotional health.

Are you passionate about reimagining education? Do you enjoy getting muddy, pausing to watch a slug cross the path, marveling at wildflowers, and helping build strong connections and community? We’re seeking a creative educator who is excited to inspire learning, curiosity, and discovery in a nature-rich environment.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaboratively plan and implement activities with the other members of the Learning Team.
• Adapt activities to meet the needs of a diverse group of learners.
• Support the unfolding of children's learning through inquiry.
• Meet with the Senior Forest Mentor and BC-certified teachers weekly to plan activities prior to on-site time and debrief at the end of the day.
• Actively participate in the EPIC community including off-site meetings and training with the EPIC Learning Team.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with learners, parents/guardians, Learning Team, Program Manager, both in-person and electronically.
• Work alongside and mentor practicum students.

• Commit to EPIC’s mission and vision.

Qualifications/Previous Experience:

• Outdoor experience or training as a wilderness/forest practitioner such as Coyote Mentoring, 8 Shields model training, or land-based learning practices.
• Experience holding a group of elementary age children for hours in an outdoor setting.
• Experience facilitating activities designed to foster a deep connection to the natural world.
• Familiarity with, or curiosity and commitment to, learning about attachment-based methods in order to keep a child’s heart soft and create a culture of connection.
• Experience with inquiry-based learning and adapting activities to suit the capabilities of various children.

The Ideal Candidate:

• Has 3 years experience with educating children in and about the natural world.

• Has experience developing and facilitating engaging activities for elementary-aged children.
• Lived or educational experience with First Nations, Métis, or Indigenous ways of knowing and being.
• Exhibits emotional self-awareness.
• Is highly adaptable and able to take initiative.
• Is able to work independently as well as collaboratively with other educators and can lead a group or support the one leading.
• Practices an attachment-based, developmental approach (e.g., collecting before directing) and is confident in their ability to create a culture of connection.

• Uses clear, compassionate, respectful communication skills.
• Has knowledge of West Coast botany and of history of the area.

• Is comfortable and experienced with being outdoors in all kinds of weather for extended periods of time.
• Is willing to develop a practice of self-reflection to investigate how learning/teaching goals align with those of learners, as well as with EPIC’s values.
• Is a life-long learner who is interested in receiving specialised professional development training, either independently or in a team setting.
• Has cultivated a deep relationship with the land and has a desire to share it with future generations.

Successful applicants must be able to complete a Crimincal Record Check with a Vunerable Sector Check and hold a current First Aid & CPR Certificate . Having access to a vehicle is also strongly encouraged.

Not sure you meet every qualification or have all the desired experience? If you're passionate about connection with others, eager to learn, and excited to grow, we'd love to hear from you.

Onboarding scheduling:

• Training and Orientation: September, 9 & 10 2026 (2 paid days)
• Program Start: Wednesday, September 16th, 2026

To Apply:

Please submit a cover letter, resume and two references to EPIC Learning Community by email at epicprogrammanager@gmail.com . Please title the subject line “EPIC Salal Forest Mentor Position 2026/2027”. Send any questions to the same email address.

Please mention you saw this at rcen.ca or goodwork.ca.

EPIC wants: more tree climbing, more gardens, more ritual, more Mother Earth warriors, more “wild in the child”, more respect, more bird song, more “I want to go to school today”, more soft hearts, more curiosity, more free play, more reflective time, more foraging, more no-trace lunches, more risk takers, more hide and seek, more tide pooling, more skill sharing, more respect for sacred spaces, more mud kitchen, more hugs, more public art, more science experiments, more laughter, more owl pellet dissection, more empathy, more critical thinking, more ways of knowing, more dance, more intergenerational learning, more gratitude, more connection-based practices, more safe spaces to be your true wild self.