Alberta High School Programs

Currently we offer two core programs for high school groups in the Canadian Rockies: All My Relations and Creating Cultures of Belonging: Leadership & Personal Wellness in the Rockies. Our programs use the unique lens of land-based learning, in combination with the amplification of community voices, as tools to help youth understand their personal wellness and develop strategies to manage their emotional health while also developing connections to the local community through relationship building and community service. In addition to our two core programs, we are happy to work with educators to develop custom programming that meets the needs your students’ needs.

Youth can expect to engage with Îyârhe Nakoda Elders and Knowledge Holders who will share traditional wellness practices and strategies for developing personal relationships with the land. Enriching life experiences can help youth to see themselves through new lenses and adopt new practices that will help to guide them to knowing themselves better and making positive choices for their futures.

Interested in providing this program for your students? Click the button below to submit a booking request or contact us for more information.

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Offered: Sept - June
Length: Minimum of 2 nights
Cost: Programming fee $50/student/day; accommodation fee $105/person/night
Grade level: 10/11
Curricular fits: Science 10/20, Bio 20
Howl Experience partners with the Biogeoscience Institute (BGI) and the University of Calgary in Kananaskis Country to provide a 3-day land-based and experiential scientific field school. In this world class learning institute, students will develop an in-depth understanding of reciprocal relationships within the natural environment through:
- Hands-on participation in scientific processes, including data collection for on-going scientific research by our partner organizations
- Weaving and amplification of Indigenous voices, perspectives and Knowledge Systems
- Scientific literacy development through data analysis and science communication
- Land-based ecology learning immersed in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains
- Analysis of factors impacting our climate and environment and their immediate impacts in the Bow Valley
Download program overview

Offered: Sept - June
Length: Minimum of 2 nights
Cost: $250/pp
Grade level: 10/11/12
Curricular fits: Social 10/20, CTS NAT and HRH Streams, CALM
Creating Cultures of Belonging is a 3-day immersive leadership and wellness program rooted in supporting youth to develop personal resilience, find their voice and build the confidence to be leaders in their community.
Students will explore sustainable wellness strategies that help them along pathways to building and maintaining healthy lifestyles, reciprocal relationships with peers and broader community, and step into leadership roles in these spaces. Youth can expect to engage with Howl Educators, community leaders, Elders in Residence and local Indigenous Knowledge Holders, to learn integrative wellness practices that support body, mind and spirit.
Creating Cultures of Belonging weaves experiential learning through a unique intersection of land-based learning, community engagement, and personal wellness in order to meet youth where they are at in developing strong leadership skills and strategies for wellbeing.
Download program overview

Additional offerings for longer programs

For groups looking to explore the Rockies for longer than 2 nights/3 days, Howl can curate an experience for your group or work with your educators to customize the experience to meet the needs of your learners.

Please see the lists below for examples of supplementary activities that you could experience on your next Howl program.

Science Focused Field trips

Weaving western science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in topics around glaciology, hydrology, geology, and applied climate change science on the Icefields Parkway.
How to balance the needs of everyone who visits the busiest of Canada’s National Parks? With more than 4 million human visitors a year, learn about how Banff balances the needs of people and the environment in this busy place.
What role do amphibians play in an ecosystem? Learn about the significance and vulnerability of this group of creatures while conducting citizen science research for RAINA (Reptiles and Amphibians in Alberta).
A Kananaskis Country case study: How to keep the peace and avoid conflict in an ecosystem loved by both humans and bears. Learn strategies that wildlife biologists use to monitor bear movement and behaviour.
What can a pond tell us about the health of an ecosystem? Conduct a series of scientific tests to determine the health of a pond and its related organisms.
Explore the beauty of Kananaskis on snowshoes, while learning about the significance of snow to mountain ecosystems. Participate in investigative snowpack science activities and learn about how plants and animals adapt to survive challenging winter conditions.
Learn the cultural significance of tipis and the variations in building style used by different Indigenous communities throughout Treaty 7. Practice building your own miniature version and discover why this is a challenging practice.
Get to know our plant relatives by learning about botany and traditional plant medicines from an Indigenous Knowledge Holder in this land-based learning experience.
What does it mean to be a natural space? Explore your understanding of nature through a visit to this unnaturally beautiful place.

Wellness & Leadership Focused Field trips

Learn through movement - test out some of the games traditionally played in various Indigenous communities across Canada.
Explore personal wellness through a nature based activity by learning the basics of paddleboarding on a pristine mountain lake.
Explore personal wellness through nature based activity by learning the basics of cross country skiing in a wintery mountain wonderland.
Lend a hand to help one of Howl’s many partner organizations in the Bow Valley. Sometimes the best way to calm the mind and explore one’s thoughts is through supporting others.
Visit the town of Banff and learn more about the history of this popular destination mountain town from both Western and Indigenous perspectives.
Work with Stoney Nakoda Elders to learn about traditional medicines, the significance of medicine bags and how to make them.
Understanding community-specific Indigenous cultural history, protocols and Wise Practices in Indigenous relationships through land-based learning, culture, arts and community connection building.
Use music as a healing tool, begin to learn the importance of the drum, and explore rhythm and storytelling.
Howl educators guide youth through the process of developing an idea and a process for a community focused project to initiate in their home, schools and/or community.
Build connections between students and develop an understanding of personal leadership skills through participation in team building games and activities.

What to Expect

Howl High programming is designed to take students out of their everyday learning environments, and immerses them in real life examples of their curriculum in action. We believe:

The outdoors is the best classroom
Impactful learning comes from moving, doing and exploring through personal experience
Hearing diverse perspectives provides more holistic understanding

Howl provides young people with safer spaces to build meaningful relationships, find their voice as changemakers in their own communities, learn from local Elders and Indigenous Knowledge Holders, scientists in the fields of climate and ecological systems, industry experts and community leaders and empowers youth to proactively take ownership of their wellbeing.

At Howl High, stories and studies carry equal weight and value. Learning takes place through action, immersed outdoors in the breathtaking landscapes of the Rocky Mountains.

Howl High offers multi-day, overnight experiences focused on creating opportunities for community building, personal wellness and resiliency. Howl High brings important concepts like climate and reconciliation - which are studied, but not often truly learned at school, to life through living connection to curricular concepts.

Howl High programs are designed and delivered with consideration of these guiding principles:

All my Relations: Howl programs provide youth with an immersive introduction to the ecosystems and Peoples, who now, and ancestrally, call the Rocky Mountains and these sacred places home, with the intention to help them to see the interconnectedness of all elements and build their personal relationship with the land and those who steward it.
Two-eyed seeing: Howl programs braid narratives - connecting stories and views students understand with ones they may not have heard before. Students will learn about scientific concepts through both Indigenous and Western ways of knowing, developing their ability to understand the world and appreciate diverse perspectives.
Wise Practices: Wise practices are locally appropriate actions, tools, principles or decisions that help to ensure programming meets the needs of participants and communicates to them in culturally appropriate ways.

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Frequently asked questions.

Program costs

Our core high school programming is divided into two terms:
- Semester 1: September to January
- Semester 2: February to June
We also offer core CALM programming for students in the summer months (July/August). For inquiries related to programming outside of these core times, please contact us directly to discuss options.
Programs are subject to availability with our hosting partner, the University of Calgary’s Biogeoscience Institute.
Thanks to our funders and program partners, we are able to offer our core program to schools at a cost of $50/student/day (program fee) and $105/person/night (accommodation fee) for the 2024/2025 school year. This rate applies to group sizes between 20-30.
- Program fee: Covers educator and activity costs
- Accommodation fee: Covers cost of facility rental, accommodation, food and cleaning
All participants (including supervisors) are required to pay the accommodation fee ($105/person/night). Only students are required to pay the $50/student/day programming fee. Accredited educators from Howl and the Biogeoscience Institute will facilitate all programming, lead group discussion and debriefs, supervise and support youth and coordinate logistics.
Groups can opt into supplementary activities at a higher per person cost. Options include indoor rock climbing, rafting, mountain biking, skill sharing or art with local Indigenous Knowledge Holders, culture camps and more. Options depend on season.
Program fees to not include the cost of transportation. Groups are responsible for arranging their own transportation. Please consider the cost of transportation when determining whether to proceed with program booking. In certain cases Howl may be able to provide transportation for your group for an additional cost.
Our ideal group size for core high school programs is 30 students and 2 school-based supervisors. This ratio allows us to ensure a meaningful experience for students while also keeping program costs at a minimum for students/schools.
We are able to accommodate groups of 20-30 students plus school based supervisors. If your class/group is smaller than 30, we encourage you to submit a booking request and include this information. Our team can provide a tailored budget that meets your needs.

Application and booking

Our core high school programming is divided into two terms:
- Semester 1 (September-January): Bookings must be made by May 30 of the previous semester.
- Semester 2 (February-June): Bookings must be made by October 31 of the previous semester.
If you miss these booking deadlines and still want to apply we encourage you to reach out. If calendar space allows, we will attempt to add a booking. Bookings can not be made fewer than 2 months prior to the start date of the Program.
1. Submit a booking inquiry through our booking request form. A member of our team will be in touch with you to learn more about your program needs and to answer any questions.
2. Submit a signed copy of our booking agreement.
3. Submit a non-refundable deposit of $1000. If paying this deposit in full presents a barrier to your school’s participation in the program, please contact us directly ahead of the booking deadline.
Final participant numbers are due 2 months prior to the start of their program. At this time, we will generate an invoice for the program, less the deposit fee. One half of this amount is due 30 days before the start of the program, the other half is due within 30 days of the Program ending. Schools can choose to pay in full prior to the start of the program. Full payment is adjusted to reflect the number of participants, less the deposit amount.
In the event that schools to not pay 50% of their program costs by 30 days prior to the program, their program will be cancelled.
Payments can be made through Interac e-Transfer (finance@experiencehowl.com) or by credit card through our secure online payment system.
Payment by EFT can be made by contacting our finance team to discuss.
Teachers in charge may adjust their group size at any time up to 2 weeks pre-program as long as the group size stays within the 20-30 student parameter.
Group size cannot be reduced within 2 weeks of the Program start date. At this point, Teachers-In-Charge should work to replace students who are unable to come on short notice.

Cancellation policy

If a school cancels a Program more than 30 days prior to the Program start date, all program fee payments less the non-refundable deposit will be refunded.
If a school cancels the Program less than 30 days prior to the Program start date, Howl will not refund the program fees.
In the unlikely event that Howl has to cancel the Program for any reason (e.g., due to pandemic, unforeseen circumstances, etc.), we will reimburse the entirety of the program fee payments already made, including the deposit.
In the event that a participant withdraws from the Program with short notice, after payment for their spot has already been accounted for, Howl will retain the non-refundable deposit and all program fees paid. The School should do their best to replace the participant and maintain numbers.
No refund will be made if a participant is asked to leave the Program for violating school conduct regulations or for any other reason determined by the School, acting reasonably. In the event of withdrawal or dismissal from the Program, any remaining unpaid fees will be payable within 30 days of the participant’s departure from the Program.
We understand that special circumstances may arise. In exceptional cases, fees may be refunded (e.g., serious injury, medical situation, death of a family member, etc.). Howl retains the right to waive any part of this policy at its sole discretion. We will assess these circumstances on a case-by-case basis.
In all cases, we will work closely with Schools to identify any reasonable solutions or accommodations to overcome challenges that they may be facing and to help them navigate the Program successfully within the limits of our capacity.

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Program partners.