Island Expansion

Take a Hike introduced it’s proven, evidence-based program to our first Vancouver Island community, Nanaimo two years ago. And since, we have doubled our capacity in Nanaimo, and have introduced new programs in Cowichan Valley and Saanich , we are ready to expand our impact across Vancouver Island.

“For 20 years Take a Hike has transformed the lives of so many young people. They’ve helped youth develop the skills and resiliency required to graduate from high school and leave with dignity, purpose and options for their future.

We knew this was the right alternate program, not just for our students but also for the wider community.”

- Brett Hancock, District Principal Learning Alternatives

Take a Hike opened it’s first Vancouver Island program in Nanaimo in September 2019. Initially, the program opened to a small number of youth who could benefit from our unique program. However, within the year, it was quickly realized that we needed to expand to meet the need of the youth we were serving in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith Community. To meet this need, we doubled our capacity to up to 40 youth. The program became the only one of its kind on Vancouver Island.

In March 2020, thanks to the support of donors, we were able to open a new program in Cowichan Valley and began serving 20 youth in the Cowichan Valley community to great success. We are now looking forward to starting a pilot program in Saanich starting in September 2021. We are delighted to being able to serve even more youth on Vancouver Island.