Why did I volunteer as a PM?

My time as a Peer Mentor (PM) with Environmental Youth Alliance was such an invaluable experience!

Last fall, I moved back to the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations after being away at university. As I adjusted to being back home, my mind felt a bit scattered. I felt a strong desire to meet new people and get involved in the community meaningfully, but I just didn’t know where to start.

I first heard of EYA while researching aligned volunteer and work experience. I resonated with EYA’s focus on liberating equity denied youth through land based learning and wanted to know more.

I’ve always been passionate about hands-on learning, cultivating safe communities of care, and doing work within the environmental sector.

However, as a BIPOC person, I often felt like I didn’t see myself represented within environmental spaces, which at times felt discouraging…. until I found EYA!

Looking through EYA’s website and Instagram, I felt validated and excited to see folks that looked like me doing work that I too was passionate about. Thus, shortly after, I signed up for the fall cohort of the PM program.

 

What does the PM program actually look like?

The PM program begins with a training weekend before moving into weekly skill-building sessions and program days where you get to work directly with youth over the course of ten weeks.

Skill-building sessions included hands-on activities, games, presentations, guest visits, and group discussions. These sessions were not only relevant and informative, but also a fun and safe space to try new things, whether that looked like facilitating the opening circle, doing a land honoring, sharing ideas and experiences, or just listening.

I really appreciated how approachable the learning felt. Topics like trauma informed practices, collaboration, community care, facilitation and group management can feel intimidating at first, but these sessions made those themes accessible and engaging. It was also just so lovely to see familiar faces every week, build friendships, and eat yummy snacks!

I slowly became more confident when it came to supporting youth during weekly program days, which were opportunities to practice leadership and facilitation skills while helping engage youth and ensure the day runs smoothly. 

I was honestly a little nervous going into program days. Stepping into a new environment felt overwhelming. I understand now in hindsight that it’s okay if talking with a large group or facilitating an activity feels out of your comfort zone.There are so many ways to engage and contribute meaningfully, and it looks different for everybody. Plus, the coordinators are there to support you. They checked in before and after programs, shared the daily overview ahead of time so you can feel prepared for the day, and encouraged us to work towards our individual goals.

At first, some of my program days were spent just observing the coordinator and getting to know the youth by chatting with them. However, as the weeks went on, I became more confident in facilitating activities and discussions and allowed myself to be silly and playful. For instance, I ended up doing a rap song with a fellow PM about plant morphology in front of the youth, who were our back up dancers (see the video at the bottom of this blog!).

By the end, I had learned so much and felt proud of my growth—from practicing facilitation, to strengthening my stewardship skills, to learning how to identify and cook with native plants… the list goes on! 

What I really loved about being a PM is that you not only get to nurture community, but you truly get what you need for yourself out of the program too.

 

Skills that I learned and continue to apply

At the time of writing this, I am working as the Stewardship and Program Support at EYA, where I have had the opportunity to support the 2026 spring cohort of PMs. I’ve found myself often reflecting on my own experiences as a participant and how I’ve been putting my new skills into practice.

I’m able to continue to strengthen my leadership, facilitation, and lesson planning skills while supporting new cohorts of youth in the PM and Cultivate programs. 

I’ve gained new knowledge about local ecosystems, like identifying native plants and knowing their traditional and medicinal uses, which has changed the way that I connect with the land.

Plus, I’ve continued building my stewardship skills while working in my own garden, like potting up plants and removing invasive species, and I’ve even shared much of this knowledge with friends and family too. 

All the knowledge I gained from the PM program has shaped both my work and personal life. I feel a lot of gratitude to have been welcomed into such a vibrant community and to be inspired to continue to learn and grow from the land.

 

In conclusion

There is something incredibly grounding about returning to the garden or ravine week after week and fostering connections with like minded people.

For me, this program offered so many amazing opportunities for personal and interpersonal growth at a comfortable pace. 

Whether you are looking to learn more about engaging in the environmental sector, strengthen your leadership and facilitation skills, gain experience in land based education, or simply want to be part of a caring and supportive community, l think this program has something valuable to offer!

Thanks for reading. 🌱

 

 

If you’re interested in becoming a Peer Mentor, application is open for our Fall Peer Mentors program! Applications will be closed on August 24th or until filled, so apply now at www.eya.ca/peer-mentors