Our Team

Meet the Wild & Immersive team

Wild & Immersive team group shot
Wild & Immersive leader holding up wild raspberries in the forest

Not only will you spend time communing with nature and making new friends at Wild & Immersive, you’ll also be interacting with our fun and knowledgeable staff.

Learn about our paths towards outdoor learning, our passion for the environment, and why we became involved with Wild & Immersive.

Wild & Immersive Team Member Victoria

Victoria

Field Education Manager

Victoria has a B.Sc. in Biology and a masters in Ecological Restoration. Her passion for terrestrial ecosystem recovery led her to Wild & Immersive because she believes the first step in combating the current environmental crisis is to empower individuals to get out and enjoy their own backyards. Through exploration of the natural environment, comes curiosity, and curiosity seeks knowledge.

“Protecting our environment should be an easy sell: go outside, play, explore, ask, learn, and take action! Everyone is capable of doing this and Wild & Immersive is helping them do that.”
Wild & Immersive Team Member Christiane

Christiane

W&I Coordinator

Originally from Northern Ontario, Christiane Smoroden graduated from Laurentian University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences and complemented her academic journey with a certificate in Environmental Monitoring and Impact Assessment from Cambrian College. Christiane has been an integral part of the Wild & Immersive team since 2018.

“I am dedicated to educating youth and adults in fluent French and English on how to be stewards and I believe that begins with knowledge of the nature that surrounds you. The impact of this information creates a fondness and a bond one has with nature. If everyone was an environmental steward, its condition could be fully restored. We are the voice for nature!”

Mitch

Outdoor Educator

Mitch has always had a love for nature and has been fascinated by how living things experience and interact with the world around them. While studying wildlife conservation, he found his passion for helping others discover their love for nature and the mysteries it holds. Working as a climbing instructor, camp counsellor, and outdoor educator has helped shape Mitch’s approach to education with encouraging play and experience based learning. By helping others experience nature and discover what they love about it, Mitch’s goal is to help people connect with and care for the environment.

“Having the opportunity to work with the Wild & Immersive team and help foster people’s love for nature is incredibly exciting. I believe nature is infinitely fascinating and that by helping people find the aspects of it that excite them they will develop a love and desire to care for our wild neighbours.”
Wild & Immersive Team Member Kjersten

Kjersten

Outdoor Educator

After finishing a diploma in Outdoor Leadership at CBC in Abbotsford, she’s currently working towards a BA in Applied Leadership. Several summers working at a camp as a lifeguard, teaching outdoor activities, and a year with BC Parks as a student park ranger led her to Wild & immersive. Her focus is ecological restoration and public outreach to inform others on animal safety and leave no trace principles.

“The Wild & Immersive team are a great group of people teaching things that I am passionate about. I enjoy spending time outdoors and with kids, I strive to pass on knowledge and respect of the creation that we live in to future generations.”

Joeri

Program Facilitator

Originally from Europe, Joeri has joined Wild & Immersive to discover the wonders of British Columbia’s ecosystems along with the kids in our programs. Joeri obtained extensive nature training in Belgium, and he uses this knowledge to understand how different ecosystems and habits have great similarities as well as huge differences at the same time. With a keen interest in the captivating “other” aspects of nature, such as poisonous and invasive plants, Joeri delves into their unique stories. He is dedicated to sharing his own sense of awe, still vivid from witnessing the growth of a giant red cedar from the smallest seed, with children of all ages.

“My previous work with Metro Vancouver Regional parks was with classes on a one time basis, and I had no idea how it would feel to build longer relationships with kids that come to forest school regularly. I have to say, they are adorable! Those kids gradually immerse themselves with small steps (and often without even realizing it) into a whole new world, learning that they can actually enjoy the forest, the trees, the ponds, the animals and just the fact of being outdoors, instead of spending their days in front of a computer screen. I am happy to contribute to all of this with Wild & Immersive.”

Have an interest in helping others and learning more about teaching in an alternative, natural classroom?