Take a Hike West Vancouver
In partnership with SD 45 and based at the Inglewood Learning Centre.
Opened in 2023 and serves up to 22 youth.
For intake information, please contact Corrine Kinnon, District Principal at ckinnon@wvschools.ca.
Applicants will be interviewed, and notified of their status. Upon acceptance to the program, youth must sign a medical clearance form before attending classes.
Take a Hike empowers vulnerable youth through a full-time mental health and emotional well-being program embedded in an alternate education classroom. Over the past 25 years, Take a Hike has supported over 1,000 youth, to change the trajectory of their lives.
Take a Hike partnered with School District 45 in September 2023 to open the West Vancouver program at the Inglewood Learning Centre. Together, we engage up to 22 youth each year by combining high quality education with intentional, continuous clinical counselling, community initiatives, and land-based learning. We empower youth with the skills and resilience they need to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, and achieve success – however they define it.
According to the 2024 Vital Signs report, youth on the North Shore are increasingly struggling with their mental health. In 2013, 83% of youth reported ‘Good or Excellent’ mental health, whereas only 63% of youth felt the same in 2024 – a decrease of 20% over the decade. Plus, youth in the North Shore reported a higher use of substances (vaping, smoking, alcohol, cannabis) than in the rest of BC.
Take a Hike demonstrates the powerful combination of mental health supports and land-based learning, as youth report a greater sense of purpose, community and self-awareness, and are more likely to graduate high school.
While in the Take a Hike program:
90%
of eligible Grade 12s graduated
96%
of youth reported learning skills and knowledge to be successful in the workplace
99%
reported having safety in expressing their feelings at Take a Hike
The Take a Hike program reaches far beyond the traditional classroom. It’s often in these land-based, out-of-school experiences where the most meaningful growth happens, as youth feel safe to take healthy risks, build trust, and reconnect with themselves, each other, and the natural world. Youth in the West Vancouver program regularly explore the outdoors and engage in community building opportunities that the area offers, such as snowboarding lessons in Whistler, and kayaking – both in Deep Cove, and from Galiano Island to Wallace Island. But these activities are about more than learning new skills – they foster resilience, confidence, and help the youth feel supported when stepping outside of their comfort zones.
