OUR TEAM
Meet the team and join us on this journey in sharing a legacy of wisdom and nature connection with Aliannah Earth School.
Aliannah's Story
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Originally starting Pender Island Nature School in 2022, founder Jackie has taken this dream of expanding the school across the Southern Gulf Islands, Victoria and Island and Vancouver region with more wilderness mentors.
From her own journey of realising all of humanity can be masters of their own destiny, through inner peace, play and understanding of health in nature she has forged the path to grow something marvellous. Jackie and the team wishes to share a legacy of wisdom and nature connection and inner child joy with every child and family that comes to Aliannah Earth School. At Aliannah, there is infinite hope and space for Earth Kind and every child and family's gifts and strengths are honoured in the community.
Our name was given to Jackie in a phrase by the medicine women and the natural world "Aliannah seh anya nyana nyan" "Everything is connected. Love is all around. From the flight of the birds to the movement of tree roots."
Founder and Lead Mentor
Jacqueline/Jackie
"Growing up as a child, I moved around a lot with family to different countries, schools, cultures and landscapes but I have always found a way to connect to nature on a personal level. The birds and butterflies were always friends of mine, while I myself flitted between exams and bustling concrete jungles. My favourite memories while living in these countries were running through, smelling, tasting the tropical jungles of Singapore, where I was born, playing under palm trees in Bahrain, Middle East, finding pebbles in the rivers in the mountain fjords of Bergen, Norway and climbing oak trees in the ancient forests in the South Coast of England. I then landed in the coastal islands British Columbia, falling deeply in love with nature here in my early 20's. Along the way, experiences and stories of animals connected to local landscapes like the komodo dragons in Singapore, the black bears and salmon in Canada as well as nature spirits like trolls in Norway touched my heart and imagination. I spent many timeless
moments moving worms and slugs off the path to safety, gazing at leaf silouhettes while making potions of herbs and rhymes for my soul to flow. These times weren't always given to me as a child, but I always found a way to them, even being in taxis I'd stare at leaves, watch the water flow in the city ditches and hear the bird calls over the construction noises. Always blessed to live by the coast I love the ocean and swim in all bodies of clean water if I get the chance! My mother also always told animated stories of her climbing mountains passes in Nepal, windsurfing in the South China Sea and forest trekking in jungles in South East Asia which inspired me. Once in Bahrain, with my sister and I, she even bought a live sea turtle and released it back into the ocean with us.These stories and play in nature helped open my mind to a soul connection of purpose in kindness and harmony in nature; teaching me to not just cope with the pressures of the modern world but to thrive in a sensitive and alive world within that I co-created with nature. I have experienced as a child and an adult the pressures of living in bustling cities like Singapore, London and Vancouver, which itself encapsulates the challenges of modern world living, with progressive schedules, deadlines and achievements. Overcoming a severe illness in my early teens, where I almost gave up on life, mostly due to the pressures of disconnection from soul purpose in our modern world, I healed and gained an understanding into tapping into nature connection as the fundamental balance of inner peace and holistic health. A peace within and without in the forest, that awakened in my heart as 17 year old, solidified this inner healing and the journey since that has been a growing gratitude and awareness for the sanctity of life and nature's true love and medicines. From this awareness of what it means to be on time to pass an exam for a deadline and to live in a timeless world that is full of miraculous wonders like the stars above us, I wish to bridge the gaps between city living and celebrating remembering of our ancient roots and living thriving present connection with plants, minerals, funghi, animals in the soil, sea and sky at Aliannah. My ancestry is Celtic, Scottish/Cornish on my father's side, and Singaporean Chinese and Polynesian on my mother's side. Being an immigrant to so many different countries from a young age I have enveloped a love for humanity that celebrates differences and the thread of Love that flows through all. But the real story is finding out where my home is and where I truly belong within and without. In spite of not having strong ancestral stories as a guide and having to re-awaken connection to my ancestors at a later age, the Earth herself has always spoke to me and held me in trying times. Even with a disconnection to ancestral stories of natural health/nature connection due to recent generations of war, famine and hardship where experience of suffering formed stories of wounds and scars, there's always at the very least, very visible remnants of an undying nature connection and nature relliance/alliance in all expressions and I believe we have the power to reconnect with the songs of our ancestors as they loved the Earth and Community, and dream about their connections as we presently walk with ours. I believe we can fully reclaim this collective and personal power of being a steward of our Earth.. healing our scars with Love and hold space for each other's healing as we heal and create our own story. I believe this Earth, living, conscious magnificent Earth, is where all children should also feel like they are valued and belong. In the many trials, tribulations and celebrations of life I have always found play, joy, inner peace with nature as a way of always adapting and finding the path to recreating reality, no matter the age, country, pains or dreams of a person. I give gratitude to all those who are remembering Earth's Love for them, and the nature guardians helping awaken this tapestry of connection. I also give thanks to the indigenous First Nation connections to their ancestral home here in Canada, and am grateful to be fulfilling my soul purpose guiding children on this sacred living land, their beautiful homeland. Thank-you.
After emigrating to Canada, I became an organic farmer, a gardener, herbalist, wilderness explorer and a mother at 23 to a beautiful daughter. Becoming a mum gave me experience, deep honouring and respect in teaching/guiding the younger generation in forging a connection with the natural seasons, local plants and wisdom of the ancestors through living embodiment of play and plant awareness. You'll have found my daughter and I from the start playing in nature with many children splashing in ocean sparkles and making potions and rhymes up. We art, art, art all the time. Life and nature is one miraculous living canvas! My daughter and all the children under Aliannah's wing are the foundations for why this nature earth school exists. "
Mentor
David/Water
"Raised on a land surrounded by forest with a big pond as a young child I would go out into the woods build forts out of rocks and sticks, and make up games or have fires with my brother and our friends. When going for walks and being submerged with in the forest full of massive trees, bright green moss, lichens and lots of wonderful plants, I would always be amazed and in awe with the beauty of the forest. I love hearing the sounds of the birds and wind, the sweet scent of pollen, spores, fungus, trees and rich soils, to watch the trees dance in the wind, and the water trickling in streams or rushing down a waterfall; and to witness the sparkling light from the sun and moon meet the green leaves in the forest or shine its glimmer on the waters. Nature, the Earth, is home to an incredible amount of life and diversity; there is so much to learn and discover as we connect with it and life. In this connectional all of its medicines and nourishments
start to reveal themself. The closer we are and the more still and silent we become, more opens up that can be shown as we listen and see what nature presents. Over the years my fascination with the natural world and my connection to nature continues and expand. At some point I became very interested in health and wellness, learning lots about the human body. I started to learn about fitness, martial arts, dance- the movements of my physical body that would nourish, strengthen, soften, stretch or restore self. I also dived into meditation practices connecting to the heart, spirit, body and mind while also sitting still and being with the breath. This began creating a deeper connection to the world within my self. I started to practice different forms of yoga and took yoga teacher trainings.
At a young age I became informed about the food we eat where it comes from, what foods can be used as medicine, what wild local plants, fruits can be picked and used for making fibre, food teas or to help heal a wound; connecting to the cycles of the seasons and noticing how these changes in the out side world affect changes with in self. I am grateful to have lived with gardens, chickens and cows growing up. I got to go mushroom picking for chanterelles with my family, so I had a direct connection with lots of the food I ate. I got to learn about preparing, growing, harvesting and cooking healthy foods. Later on I discovered what permaculture was and learned about alternative ways of living, having a connection to the land working with the natural cycles of the land creating systems that over time to create a healthier ecosystem that improves and benefits the life and soil on that land. I spent time at an eco village took a Permaculture design course, and also did an apprentice as a natural builder building with cob. I have also committed my self in protecting the land and being a guardian of the earth, and water. I have had time living in the forests standing for protection of the ancient untouched old growth forests, these lands with some trees over two thousand years old. There is less than two percent of lands like these untouched forests that remain in Canada. Considering the state of the world and the drastic impact humanity has created our toll of life on this home mother planet I find it important and a necessary duty to learn about, to walk and work towards creating new ways of existing on this earth together in harmony and respect with and for all life. There is so much this earth has to offer and so much that we have to offer the earth. We can be aids and stewards, caretakers of the lands we live on. I believe that we are meant to help the life on earth thrive, become more abundant beautiful and vibrant, we have this capacity within us. As humans we remember this capacity as we connect closer to our local food and water sources, witnessing the impacts of what we consume and how we nourish our selfs; as well as importantly what we do to return that nourishment back to the earth in our own ways. Finding the balance of give and take. May we continue to remember the ways of being and existing with our earths lands and waters, to honour and respect this place in its sacredness and the beauty of all the life it holds. May we give thanks for all that it has to offer may we remember to care and tend to it, as it naturally does to us loving us all unconditionally- as we connect deeper to our roots and ring with the sound of earths song. I feel honoured to be a part of the Aliannah Earth School, to be along side children as a mentor. I hope that this can be a way that I can give back to the Earth in providing a safe space to share what I have been and am learning about the earth, to share through my own experience and others connections to it. To respectfully explore the gifts and wonders that the natural world has to offer, whilst having fun playing and growing together."
Mentor
Evangeline/Evie
"We all have a deep connection with nature. A deep call to reconnect and learn about this innate connection we all share. I grew up on Lake Huron in Ontario. As a child the lake and the wondrous river were my backyard, my home and playground. I would walk all day looking for magic powers, collecting flowers, playing in the mud and feeling the wind. When arriving back home my parents would call my sister and I the mud sisters. We just loved getting our hands in the earth. I began to start exploring nature/plants deeper, gaining bits of knowledge and forest whispers. If I’m not exploring outside you’ll find me painting. I’ve always loved making things. Art has been apart of my life for as long as I can remember, it's my way of expressing emotion. I have practiced outdoor skills, crafts and games at incredible art camps and with each of those experiences I found all of us expanding our creativity, curiosity and exploration.
Nature continues to blow me away with the great mystery and inspiring me to adventure, listen, care, respect and Feel the Earth Connection to all the living beings who are here. Earth school is such a special way to learn and grow in this way."
Mentor
Daniel/Dan
"I am an Artist, Musician and Yogi originally from the Yukon. My younger brother and a were raised in a small community of Tagish Lake. My connection to and love of nature was formed at a young age living in those northern wooded mountain lands.
I am joyfully looking forward to sharing my love and respect for the natural world with the children of this school! Encouraging them to draw inspiration from the living world around us for creative endeavours. While sharing ways to connect to all the living things around us through playful and simple yogic methods! Also greatly enjoy sharing small wonders like the game of Hacky-sack and believe that fun and joy are essential for all people to learn well!
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Namaste, "the light within me sees the light with you."
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Graphic Designer/Mentor
Jade
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