The Canadian Canoe Foundation is a registered charity that develops watershed-health projects that culminate in youth environmental leadership canoe-trips. Our participants return to their communities as Water Leaders, educating and motivating their family and friends about environmental issues in their watershed and what citizens can do to work towards solutions.
The Foundation partners with environmental organizations who are working to protect the lakes and rivers we travel. Our youth participants get an on-the-water education about the work that is being done to protect Canada's water resources and are provided opportunities to become active in the conservation work of our partnering organizations.
Please explore our site to find out more about our programs and how you could find yourself exploring Canada by canoe this summer!
We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations who have expressed their support for the aims and objectives of the Canadian Canoe Foundation.
Project supporters
SUMMER 2024 PROJECTS
During the summer of 2024, the Canadian Canoe Foundation once again partnered with the Ayalik Fund to provide life-altering canoe trips for Inuit youth from Nunavut. With funding provided by the Bell Let’s Talk community fund and the government of Canada's Sport for Social Development in Indigenous Communities program, Ayalik embedded a mental health counsellor and resilience-building program manager on each of the trips.
During these wilderness canoe trips the Inuit youth experience strong emotions while away from home and family, often for the first time, as they take on new challenges, share personal stories, and attempt to overcome barriers. Having a trained counsellor on the trip staff help the youth to manage these challenges in a healthy and informed way, give them words with which to describe their feelings, and coping strategies to become stronger and more confident. The counsellor follows up with the youth after they return to their home communities in Nunavut and successfully communicates with a majority of the youth about their experience on the trip, and encourage them to seek continuing support as needed in their home community.
The Canadian Canoe Foundation continues to also proudly serve as the partnering charitable organization for the Bill Mason Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Paddle Canada Youth Paddling Grant.
We are working to secure funding for our summer 2025 projects! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation! Thank you for your support!
PAST PROJECTS 2010- Present
For a text description and visual summary of our previous projects please visit our Picture and Video Gallery.
