The role of the Taiga Adventure Camp’s Advisory Board is to provide leadership and governance in fulfillment of TAC’s mission statement and objectives.
Board members represent TAC to the community and optimize the relationships between stakeholders.
Kirsten Carthew
Kirsten is a current Taiga board member, and a long-time northerner (a graduate of Sir John Franklin H.S. in Yellowknife) and proud representative of the North. She has spent time in most NWT communities through her work with Taiga, as well as as former producer for CBC radio and television.
Together with Shannan Schimmelmann she founded both the GYGO workshops and the Taiga Adventure Camp. Outside of Taiga, Kirsten divides her time between Canada and the US, where she works in entertainment and education. She recently completed graduate work at both the London School of Economics and the University of Southern California in Global Media and Communication. Kirsten is a strong advocate for experiential learning, particularly vis-a-vis leadership and outdoor adventure. She is grateful for the opportunity Taiga affords to contribute and participate in strengthening the lives of individuals and communities in the North.
Amy Lizotte
Amy came to Yellowknife looking for a summer adventure in 2006, and five years later finds herself quite settled in the north married, and a mother of two.
Taiga Adventure Camp inspired Amy from the first moment she learned about the program. She remains inspired by Taiga’s values, philosophy and vision. From internal Board communication, to staff training, camp programming, external relations Taiga strives to ‘be the change we wish to see in the world”. She is honoured to work with all the Board and to grow personally as she continues to give to Taiga.
Amy believes young women in the north deserve an opportunity to shine, to be stewards of their world, to be the leaders they have the potential to be, and to love and honour themselves deeply. Working towards the fulfillment of these possibilities is what keeps her excited. Promoting self development with young women has encouraged Amy to do the same in her own life as she is currently working towards an Interdisciplinary Masters degree with Royal Roads University. As a day job she is an Environmental Assessment Analyst with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories
Jennifer Young
Jennifer Young is the President of J. Carey Consulting Evaluations Plus Ltd. She holds a Masters Degree in Assessment and Evaluation, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. Outside of her formal academic training, Jennifer remains engaged in her field by undertaking training in specialized areas and being an active member of the Canadian Evaluation Society as well as the Canadian Evaluation Society Educational Fund.
Jennifer has a breadth of experience in evaluation design, evaluation, performance measurement strategies, surveys, and facilitation. Based on her experience, and recommendations within Yellowknife, Jennifer was hired by Taiga Camp in 2010 to conduct a case study evaluation that would examine the linkages between suicide prevention and adventure camps. The results of the case study suggested that Taiga Camp is an effective approach to instilling protective factors among its campers; thereby having some influence as a primary suicide prevention approach. However, the results also identified that a longitudinal study would be required to make more accurate conclusions to this end.
Through her work on the Taiga Camp suicide prevention case study, Jennifer was inspired by how the Camp board members and staff remained accountable to their values and ensured that the campers were provided a positive camp experience. Once the case study was completed, Jennifer committed herself to get more involved. Her involvement first started with the J. Carey Consulting Scholarship Fund which began in the summer of 2011, and has now grown through her role as a dedicated board member.
To find out more about Jennifer’s work in evaluation, please visit her website at: www.jcareyconsulting.ca
Shannan Schimmelmann
Shannan has been a long time resident of the Northwest Territories. She has traveled regionally throughout the territory, and is familiar with the political, social, economic and cultural realities present in individual communities. Shannan is currently self-employed as the principal consultant of S3 Consulting, a firm skilled in facilitating the strategic planning process.
In fall 2003, Shannan and Kirsten Carthew co-created the Get Your Groove On! workshop series, which was developed out of specific concern for the issues confronting young girls in the Northwest Territories. She has enjoyed the evolution of the workshop into what is now Taiga Adventure Camp, and is excited to be part of the management team.
Shannan is a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) graduate of Royal Roads University, and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) graduate of Athabasca University. She strives to be the kind of person she admires; compassionate and confident with a good sense of humor and ability to inspire others to follow their dreams. She is passionate about youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, outdoor adventure and fitness.
Rebecca Plotner
Rebecca Plotner grew up in Dettah, NWT and is currently working for BHP Billiton in the Community & External Affairs department. Growing up in a small community, it was always important to her to meet people from different communities. Her current position with BHP Billiton requires Rebecca to travel to communities throughout the Northwest Territories and a community in Nunavut, which she finds very rewarding.
In 2005, Rebecca was one of thirteen youth delegates selected to travel with the Government of Canada to Belgium and France as a part of an Aboriginal Spiritual Journey. From this trip she made life-long friends and believes that unique experiences with peers creates great self-esteem and confidence. Rebecca is grateful Taiga is providing a space for our Northern youth to gather and grow into strong and confident people.
Ella Mawdsley
Ella Mawdsley grew up in Fort Smith, NWT where she was active in soccer, volleyball, swimming, skiing. Before graduating high school, she began to seriously compete in biathlon – a sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle marksmanship. At university, she was a member of the Augustana Vikings the only funded university biathlon team in Canada.
After racing with Augustana for three years, Ella switched schools and completed her degree in Business Management with a concentration Marketing in 2008. She returned North, working first for the Government of the NWT, then for Outcrop Communications as an Account Manager. She volunteered actively, serving as the Vice-Chair of the NWT Sport and Recreation Commission, Coach for the Yellowknife Biathlon Club, VP Marketing for IABC Polar and as a board member for the Taiga Adventure Camp.
In 2010, Ella left Yellowknife to work with Commonwealth Games Canada in their African Capacity Support Program. Ella lived in Lesotho, a small country in Southern Africa, where she worked for the National Olympic Committee in a role combining capacity building and youth development through sport.
You can find out more about Ella and her current work on her blog at ellamawdsley.blogspot.com.
Jenny Crawford
Jenny moved to Yellowknife for a 6 month contract in 2006 to see the North of Canada and never left. She has a passion for outdoor adventures that allow for viewing and experiencing the environment including canoeing, hiking, camping, cross country skiing and kite-skiing.
Jenny has a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology, with an option in Ergonomics from University of Waterloo where she was captain of the University Field Hockey team that competed at National tournaments. She currently works with the Government of Northwest Territories, Department of Human Resources.
Taiga Adventure Camp’s vision and values resonated so much with her that she wanted to be involved and was Camp Director during the Summer of 2010. Taiga is honoured to have Jenny as a board member, to continue to assist in providing opportunities that empower our female youth to be leaders both today and tomorrow.
Other board members: Janette Morris; Lorraine Phaneuf; and Ruth Rolfson.