For over 30 years Yukon Education has been providing canoes for use in Yukon schools.
There are three distinct canoe seasons:
Spring Canoe Season (Ice out - mid-June)
*Summer (when school is out of session)
Fall Canoe Season (Late August - mid-October)
*Summer season. The Yukon Education Canoe Program will provide canoes and gear for Yukon youth serving not-for-profits (not private businesses) during the summer season. All canoe standards need to be followed.
Why take your class canoeing?
The canoe is a First Nations invention. Although modern materials, like plastics, are now the norm the shape and function of the canoe has remained relatively unchanged which speaks to the quality of its development over thousands of years
Consider using the canoe as a way to decolonize your classroom as you explore the Yukon landscape
Embedding core competencies into a canoe experience is a great way to reinforce these concepts and skills with students
The canoe is an acceptable alternative for a chair given that our redesigned curriculum explicitly encourages connections to First Nations ways of knowing and doing, student-centered learning, and to place-based learning
""Paddling in traditional seagoing canoes on the 10-day Pulling Together canoe treks added to his school experience. “I would argue that these canoeing journeys did shape me as a person,” he said. With each successive journey, he gained experience and grew from learner to mentor. “My last journey was a major shift in how I acted, my responsibilities to the canoe and our canoe family changed and grew,” he said."""
Paddling Season
Canoe wrangling is organized by Jesse Jewell and contracted out to a service provider in the community
Booking request forms are sent out in April and returned to jesse.jewell@yukon.ca These forms are used by the service provider and your canoes are delivered and pick-up from the lake/river
I will send the canoe booking form out to all schools in early April and also post it on this site
Things to consider
Please read the canoeing standards below
These standards outline important information regarding canoe certification and operating procedures
Gear
Yukon Education has a fleet of 50+ canoes
23 canoes were added to our fleet in 2018
Old T. Discovery 16'/17', Mad River 16' and Nova Craft 16'/17'
6 canoe trailers (5 x 10 boats, 1 x 8 boats)
2 new added in 2018
Paddles
50 new paddles added in 2018
PFD's
Throw-ropes and bailers
Resources to replace/repair gear is limited so please treat the gear kindly :-)
Please clean the inside of all canoes free of mud etc. prior to returning them
Please report gear malfunctions etc. to jesse.jewell@yukon.ca