Langskib Northwaters Staff | Canoe Camping Ontario

MEET OUR Leadership

NWL Leadership is comprised of the organization’s owners, C.G. Stephens and Jodi Browning, and longtime Langskib Director, Michael Jarvis. Together, we guide, influence and ensure NWL’s core values of empowering young people to become the best versions of themselves, and share three major commitments.

Our first commitment is to safety. Beyond professional standards and accepted practices, each of us is a parent. We know how difficult it is for you to entrust us with your children and how important it is to keep them safe, both physically and emotionally.

Second, we are deeply committed to running absolutely the finest wilderness program anywhere. Each of us has been profoundly influenced by our experiences on the trail and so believe deeply in the power of our programs.

Third, we are deeply committed to the young people we serve. We measure our success in the feedback we get from young people and their parents. We often hear from participants years afterward that their experience with us shaped their development and character for years to come.

MEET OUR Administrator & Program Directors

Our programs are managed by an outstanding team of Program Directors and Administrators who share in our collective commitment to safety, program quality, and the young people we serve. While each of them have specific areas of responsibility, they work together during the summer (and year round) to manage all aspects of operation and programming at Northwaters and Langskib.

All of us (Leadership, Program Directors and Administrators) spend our summers in Temagami and one or more of us will be in charge of (and working directly with) whatever program your child is enrolled in.

MEET OUR Tripping Staff

These are the people who make our programs extraordinary. Occasionally we hire a professional from outside our community but the vast majority of our trip leaders start out as participants. After working their way up through the ranks, earning a spot on a James Bay Trip and then completing our Leadership Program, they begin a multi-year apprenticeship to become a Northwaters/Langskib leader. All in all, it takes from 5 to 8 years for a young person to become a trip leader.

Our camp leaders are chosen because they have earned our respect and trust, because they have demonstrated a strong ability to relate to young people and because they share our commitment to providing outstanding wilderness experiences for young people coming of age.

Once they sign on, our camp leaders tend to stay—many for 10 or more years. Low turnover insures consistent program quality and the capacity to train new leaders. During the off season, we encourage our staff to pursue endeavors which stretch them as individuals and develop them as leaders. This makes for a diverse group of adventuresome staff with an ability to relate to young people from all walks of life.