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Staff Team- Our core team of seven "Coordinators" are professionally certified teachers, popular educators, and social change leaders. The Coordinators develop and facilitate the activities and workshops each day, and they are resources for helping students develop their own amazing new ideas and projects.

Facilitator Team- Crucial to the success of the program are the peer-facilitators who help the program run smoothly. They are selected from amongst our partner United World Colleges and from our cohort of participants from the previous year. They bring invaluable skills and experience, and an international perspective, to the program - as well as acting as role models for the participants.

For more information about PSYL you may contact us-

by email: youth@pearsoncollege.ca

by phone: 250.391.2416

or by mail: 650 Pearson College Drive, Victoria, BC, Canada. V9C 4H7

Who are we?

Our staff team is composed of professional teachers, popular educators, social-change leaders, artists, adventurers, and outdoor enthusiasts. Our 2009 program team:

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David Hatfield has worked with us over the past five years as a Coordinator and a guest presenter. He brings a wealth of experience in his work in conflict transformation, assertiveness training, and gender work with men and boys. David is also a talented musician, and is passionate about creating ceremony and rites of passage for youth.

Natalie Gerum has gone through the entire gamut of Pearson College experiences: first as a PSYL participant, then to Pearson College as a student, and has worked with our staff team now for several seasons. Natalie is an animated and passionate outdoor educator who runs environmental programs for school groups at the Sea to Sky Outdoor School on the sunshine coast. Like many of our crew she is also a talented musician and can always think of a song to suit the theme of a workshop.

Jeanie Morton is a secondary school teacher in Vancouver, where she finds creative ways to get social justice issues into any class she teaches. Jeanie knows the PSYL program inside out- as she was a participant in the program way back when, then a student at Pearson College. Jeanie is also an uber-talented creative type and regularly performs with her " all lady, bike inspired, street-performance collective whose performances are a celebration of bikes and those who ride them ". Jeanie's offerings at PSYL include sessions on media activism, globalization, and self-awareness in leadership .

Scott Read is an outdoor experiential educator who is currently completing his certification at teacher's college. Scott has coordinated summer and environmental education camps, and run programs with Outward Bound. Scott is passionate about developing leadership and self-awareness skills in youth. As an outdoor educator he shares his passion for nature and finds ways to help connect the PSYL participants to the beautiful place that is our campus.

Ryan Cho is a secondary teacher in Port Coquitlam, where he runs the music program and has been involved with coordinating the International Education and ESL communications program. Ryan is passionate about International Development issues, and was involved in an internship in Botswana that used arts and theatre for education on HIV/AIDS.

Kim Meredith is a secondary teacher from Vancouver and is currently undertaking her PhD in Cross-Cultural Communication. Kim is also a member of the BC Teachers Federation Social Justice committee. During PSYL Kim delivers sessions on cross-cultural communication and building a culture of peace. PSYL students can also look forward to participating in her star gazing and swing dance sessions.

Sean Mattys comes to us from London, Ontario where he teaches an integrated course on philosophy, utopian societies, and independent studies focusing on mind, body, and spiritual connection with the environment. Sean has coordinated social justice clubs throughout the school district, and was the organizer for an annual 900 student Social Justice Now conference. In addition to his teaching field Sean brings his passion for outdoor recreation, connection to nature, meditation, yoga and healthy lifestyle to share with PSYL participants.

Ruth Whyte is the Director of the program and organizes the "big picture" and logistical concerns of the program. She is passionate about making the PSYL experience a truly extra-ordinary experience for the participants, the facilitators, and the staff. Ruth has a background in international community development, leadership training, and international volunteer service.