Yukon Educator Professional Development
Our Yukon programs travel throughout the traditional territories of the Kluane First Nation, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, the White River First Nation, Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council.
Engage with local Elders, Knowledge Holders, artists and researchers to enhance your own understanding of Arctic science and research, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, ReconciliAction, and community connection and volunteerism. Get inspired by truly connecting to place through land-based and relationship-centered learning – all while learning how to support your students in finding their voice, and meaningfully weave this unique experiential approach into your own teaching practice. Your home base for this program is the Kluane Lake Research Station on the shores of Lhù’ààn Mân (Kluane Lake).
Overview
2027 Dates:
Cost:
Duration:
Start/End Point:
Aug 20-25
Sep 24-29
TBD
6 days
Calgary/
Whitehorse
Program outcomes
Cultural History and ReconciliACTION
Taking an approach that is rooted in relationship, authenticity and storytelling, you'll will develop an understanding of Indigenous governance and co-management of lands. Visit cultural centres in Whitehorse and Haines Junction. Take a lesson with a local Language Keeper. Learn about Southern Tutchone cultural history by spending time on the land with Knowledge Keepers at Kwäday Dän Kenji (Long Ago Peoples Place), as you are guided through a re-creation of a traditional village, enjoy bannock, tea and storytelling.
Climate Action and Adaptation
Engage with researchers in residence at Kluane Lake Research Station and from Yukon University through hands-on citizen science projects and small group conversations around climate science, while exploring glaciated mountain landscapes and ecosystems that are being directly impacted by climate change everyday.
Experience the midnight sun on the shores of Kluane Lake, stop to reflect with some sub-alpine art during a hike to Kathleen Lake, or witness the impressive summer glacier melt of the Slims River after hiking to a viewpoint on Thechàl Dhâl (Sheep Mountain).
Community Connection and Volunteerism
Service learning with our community partners is at the core of every Howl experience. Spend time volunteering on community initiatives such as the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations community greenhouse or help out with invasive plant species removal alongside community members in the Village of Haines Junction. Howl’s community partnerships are alive with reciprocity, reflecting the needs and values of coastal communities who can’t wait to meet you.
Creative Expression and Wellbeing
Through arts based methodology as well as guided personal reflection, gain confidence embracing creative approaches to teaching. Everyone has a creative spark and a story to tell. This program will offer you a dedicated space to strengthen the light they carry.
Frequently asked questions
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We are currently assessing the cost to run this program and will provide an update program cost for 2027 on or before October 1. 2026.
This program fee covers return airfare with Air North from Calgary to Whitehorse. Participants are required to arrange and pay for their own transportation from their home community to Calgary.
The program fee also covers all on-program costs, including meals, accommodation, ground transportation, and on-program activities.
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This program fee covers return airfare with Air North from Calgary to Whitehorse. Participants are required to arrange and pay for their own transportation from their home community to Calgary.
For any participants who are planning on driving themselves to Whitehorse to meet the group, we will provide you with meeting times. In some cases, we may also be able to accommodate direct return flights from Edmonton to Whitehorse (instead of Calgary, dependent upon flights). Please indicate in your application if this is your preference.
Once you are accepted into the program, our team will reach out to provide exact arrival and departure times in Calgary so that you can plan your travel arrangements (if traveling from outside of Calgary).
Some participants may choose to arrange their own flights directly to Whitehorse from their home communities. Our team will work with you to accommodate this option wherever possible. Our ability to accommodate this option depends on the program itinerary, as we are not always able to arrange separate ground transportation for individuals in the Yukon (e.g., for late arrivals).
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Accommodations during the program will be in communal dorms within cabins on the shores of Kluane Lake, immersed in beautiful natural settings. Each cabin has space for two to six people. Single beds, mattresses, top sheets, and pillows are provided, however visitors must bring their own sleeping bags and/or blankets.
Meals provided throughout the program will be mostly managed by staff at the Kluane Lake Research Station. Please not that due to the remote location of the program, we are not always able to accommodate all dietary restrictions/preferences. If you have dietary concerns, we invite you to share these in the application form so that we can assess our ability to accommodate these.
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Each program is unique. Our team works with community partners, local organizations, and Knowledge Holders to tailor an experience that differs each time. Often times, our staff are balancing last minute changes and accommodations, which is why we do not release the itinerary far in advance of the program. We encourage participants to keep an open mind to changes and to fully embrace living in the moment while they are in the Yukon.
All of our programs and the activities within are built around our four key teachings: Personal Resilience, Truth and ReconciliAction, Climate Action, and Community Building.
We will host an online pre-program meeting approximately one month before the start date, at which point we will go over the “preliminary itinerary” for your program.
Program team
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Warren (he/him) has lived his entire life in Calgary on Treaty 7 land and considers himself to be an educator always in transition: he is searching for ways to reconnect young adults and educators to the natural world. He started his career in 1995 with the Canadian Rockies School Division teaching at Canmore Collegiate High School for 18 years. His focus was to find ways to help students find a passion for the study of biological sciences. During his time in Canmore, Warren looked to pursue ocean studies by taking groups of interested students on Marine Biology trips to Bamfield Marine Science Station. This allowed the opportunity to introduce students to an ocean ecosystem not often discussed in the curricular setting in Alberta. Warren pursued an opportunity to move back into Calgary and helped open a new high school in Calgary, Robert Thirsk High School, and taught there until his retirement in June 2025. The enticement back to the city was to envision and create a Natural Science program that would reignite the awe, wonder and excitement of nature in high school students and show them the future these reconnections can create. As a part of this program, Warren Lake established a trip to Kluane Lake in the Yukon with the Arctic Institute of North America to highlight northern science, indigenous knowledge and adventure travel.
It is in this aspect that Warren joined the Howl Experiences full time in July 2025 and continues to develop a burgeoning experiential land based journey in the North for High School students, young adults and educators. The journey to shine a light on unique and important ecosystems will continue to be a challenge that shifts and flows with the topics that abound in environmental education, reconciliation, outdoor adventure and in the need to build a greater sense of nature literacy with participants.
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Amélie (she/they/elle) grew up on the territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council (Whitehorse) and has had the privilege of living, playing and learning in Châ Ûpchîchîyen Kudebi (Canmore) since 2021.
Throughout her BA in Gender and Sexuality Studies and afterwards, Amélie has had the opportunity of working with a variety of community-centred organizations and charities, such as the Community-Based Research Center, the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta, and Rocky Mountain Adaptive. Through these experiences, Amélie has found a passion for community building and meaningful connection as resistance. As a Huron-Wendat First Nation, Amélie connects with anything and everything that centers Land, being outside and the lessons we can learn from it all!
In their free time, Amélie seeks out type 2 fun: skiing (all kinds!), running, hiking, biking (and of course, the snacks that come with it)! She also enjoys crafting, painting, and all sorts of other artsy things!
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