Beyond Banff: Sustainable Tourism Exploration
April 14-20, 2025
Application open until filled
Rockies Explorations are based in Canmore, Alberta, traditionally known as Châ Ûpchîchîyen Kudebi by the Îyârhe Nakoda. Throughout the program we will travel through the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta, the traditional territories of the Îyârhe Nakoda Nations, Niitsitapi Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina and the Métis Nation (Region 3).
When we learn about a place, we learn about ourselves.
This spring, Howl is bringing together 20 Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth leaders (ages 17-35) from across Canada to play an active role in advancing conversations related to sustainable tourism in the Bow Valley. Youth will engage in deep listening and actively seek solutions around topics affected our communities such as, reconciliation, conservation, transportation, housing, careers and mental health.
With an approach rooted in Etuaptmunk (Two-Eyed Seeing), this immersive, 7-day Howl Experience program offers youth from across Canada first-hand perspectives from Elders, tourism industry experts, small business owners, local guides and Knowledge Keepers into how diverse ways of knowing are shaping sustainable solutions to some of the most pressing tourism and land-use challenges of our time.
Program Cost:
$1500
This program has been designed for folks who are currently in careers and/or education in the tourism and/or outdoor industry, or are considering pursuing pathways in these areas. We encourage applicants to collaborate with their employers to secure professional development funding for this program.
Price includes:
Accommodation
Meals
Education
Activities
This program offers guidance, education, coaching and support 24 hours/day for the duration of the program. Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements to Calgary.
You may be eligible to apply for additional funding of up to $1500 through external partners to cover your program fees and/or travel expenses. Please note that this scholarship program is not administered by Howl and therefore we cannot provide guarantees or timelines about when applicants can expect to find out about this funding opportunity. Program fees will be due before confirmation of this funding is received.
We understand that cost can be a major consideration for participants. We encourage youth to apply regardless of financial means as we do not wish for anyone to be deterred due to financial constraints. Financial assistance may be available.
Earn a Microcredential.
Participants are eligible to earn a Royal Roads University Microcredential in Land-Based Community Leadership for ReconciliACTION. Learn more about the Microcredential here.
Program highlights.
All of Howl’s programs explore the themes of reconciliation, citizen science, service learning and strategies for personal resilience. These are just a few of the things that you might do as part of your Exploration.
Click here for a draft itinerary of the March 2025 Rockies Itinerary to get an idea of the program. Note that this program will follow a similar format, but the exact details will differ.
-
Afternoon: Participants arrive and are welcomed to the Canadian Rockies by Îyârhe Nakoda Elders in Residence Margaret and Terry Rider.
-
Morning: Join Soul of Miistaki for a morning of connecting to place and introduction to indoor climbing.
Learn about how non-profits are collaborating with businesses to expand access to the outdoors.
Afternoon: Support with and attend a BIPOC Film Festival at the local community arts centre in Canmore
-
Morning: Engage with various tourism operators in Banff to learn about how they are approaching sustainable tourism and reconciliation in their work.
Afternoon: Visit the historic Cave and Basin National Historic Site to explore the “birthplace of Canadian National Parks” through a Stoney Nakoda lens. Explore how and which stories are told and learn about how community groups are shifting that narrative through the work being down by the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.
-
Morning: Learn about the tensions between development, transportation and wildlife in a mountain town. Join Yellowstone to Yukon to learn about their advocacy work, wildlife crossing structures, and how towns are managing growth in an era of rapid development.
Afternoon: Volunteer with a local organization focused on conservation and land management.
-
Morning/afternoon: Full day exploring the Lake Louise area. Learn from Stoney Nakoda Knowledge Holder and guide Travis Rider about the impact of Stoney guides on early settler exploration in the area.
Explore how climate change is impacted local habitats and the tourism economy, and how communities and businesses are responding to these changes.
-
Morning: To be determined
Afternoon: Reflect on your time in the Canadian Rockies by applying what you’ve learned to your own life and home community.
-
Morning: Participants depart
Program details.
Participants start in Calgary, AB and travel through the Canadian Rockies, Banff National Park and Kananaskis. Participants will be staying at the University of Calgary’s Biogeoscience Institute in Kananaskis.
What our participants are saying
“I am confident in my abilities and power to define my path in life. That is something I never thought I'd say. Howl has given me a sense of encouragement to be the best version of myself. It is so refreshing to be surrounded by amazing people, laughs, many circles, and smudges. Howl brings me tears of joy. I'm so grateful to have the chance to be here.”
“Overall, I felt like the Howl program was an absolutely incredible experience. It has opened up my world in terms of learning more about my own backyard, and it has given me completely new perspective of the land I have lived for many years through a lens that includes reconciliation, the urgency of climate change, the need for personal well-being and the power of community in the inner and outer journeys we are on.”
“After being on three Howl trips, I've noticed a theme, I can't quite identify. There's a certain piece /joy/calm fulfillment/motivation/love/acceptance/ease/comfort that Howl has that money cannot buy and that is hard to find nowadays. Howl feels like connecting with an old friend and having days to catch up.”
“My understanding of Traditional Ways of Knowing has evolved throughout this program. As someone working in the conservation field, I have often struggled with how to protect land that isn't ours (settlers) land to protect. This program has taught me the importance of having Indigenous peoples at the centre of conservation.”
“Although I work in land conservation and am actively working to conserve wildlife corridors in NB, being able to see the impacts of development in Banff and Canmore has emphasized the importance of land conservation to me. Similarly the Columbia Icefields worked as a large visualization of the effects of climate change. Both were moments of clarity and affirmation.”
“Life-changing; environment/conservation-focused program that integrates both Traditional Ways of Knowing with western, scientific knowledge; focused on connecting people to the land and to those who have been on the land the longest; well-organized and planned.”
“It was nothing like I expected, but in a good way. This trip was so much more than I could ever have asked for.”
Program partners
