Our Streams of Work

Huckleberry Little Learners is a place-based forest school for children ages 3 to 5, located on Snuneymuxw Territory in Nanaimo, BC. Rooted in the values of community, curiosity, and care, our program is guided by child-led, learning, our Huckleberry Resident Elders’ wisdom, and grounded in relationship—with the land, each other, ourselves, and our Host Nation. Through seasonal exploration of local ecosystems, storytelling, traditional knowledge, and hands-on play, we nurture a deep sense of belonging, respect, and wonder. Huckleberry Little Learners is a place where children, families (parents, grandparents, and caregivers always welcome!), and facilitators learn alongside one another in rhythm with the natural world.

Join us throughout summer for a series of special Huckleberry Little Learners Intergenerational Summer Camps—seasonal gatherings rooted in land-based learning, traditional knowledge, Elder guidance and child-led curiosity. Each camp centers around a unique theme, inviting little ones to explore through hands-on experience, storytelling, and care-based community.

Future camp possibilities include:

Hide Camp – Learn the traditional practice of hide tanning through sensory exploration, storytelling, and respect for animal kin.

Salmon Camp – Celebrate the salmon's journey with water play, ecological learning, and teachings about interconnection and gratitude.

Plant Medicine Camp – Get to know local plants as teachers and helpers through gentle harvesting, tea-making, and traditional uses.

Weaving Camp – Weave stories and materials together as we explore natural fibers, basketry, and creative self-expression.

Each camp is guided by our Huckleberry Resident Elders, experienced facilitators, and is co-designed in relationship with the land and our Host Nation, Snuneymuxw. Caregivers are always welcome, and curiosity is guaranteed.

Nesting Together: An Inclusive Perinatal Education Series

Nesting Together is an inclusive, evidence-based perinatal education series designed to support you through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood.

Everyone is welcome—solo parents, partners, co-parents, support people, blood and chosen family. At Nesting Together, families of all shapes, sizes, structures and stories are honoured and celebrated with care. Our sessions are grounded in evidence-based information, best practices, practical tools, open dialogue, and a welcoming space to learn together.

Facilitated by two experienced full-spectrum doulas, who bring over 30 years of combined experience and have supported more than 1,000 families, this series offers compassionate, nonjudgmental guidance tailored to a wide range of needs and experiences.

What to Expect:

Evidence-based education on pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care

Interactive workshops on infant feeding, sleep, emotional wellness, and more

Supportive environment that affirms all family structures and identities

Community-building with others on the parenting journey

No matter where you are on your path to parenthood, you belong here. Let’s nest, together.

Hearts and Hands: Community Grandparents is a harm reduction–oriented, community-led wellness initiative rooted in the care and wisdom of Community Grandparents—Elders from diverse cultural backgrounds who lead support circles for pregnant and parenting individuals navigating substance use, recovery, trauma, and systemic barriers.

This program is guided by the belief that perinatal wellness is not only clinical—it is emotional, cultural, and deeply relational. For families impacted by stigma, isolation, and the fear of child apprehension, Hearts and Hands: Community Grandparents offers a different path: one where wellness grows through connection, care, and culturally rooted community—not through surveillance.

Quilt Club is a monthly all-ages mutual aid quilting bee—a space of care, creativity, and solidarity. All are welcome, whether you’re a seasoned quilter or just curious to learn. We gather in community to stitch quilts together, sharing stories, skills, and support.

Each quilt is crafted with love and purpose, then raffled to raise funds for mutual aid—redistributing resources where they’re most needed. This is slow work, shared work, and an act of solidarity that wraps warmth around our whole community.

Pull up a chair. There’s always room for one more.

SKILL UP!: Knowledge Exchange + Community Gathering is a people powered knowledge sharing convergence rooted in the belief that building resilient, self-determined communities begins with the sharing of knowledge, skills, and lived experience. In a world shaped by systemic inequality, ecological crisis, and economic precarity, this gathering creates space to challenge hierarchies of expertise, reclaim collective agency, and value the wisdom that already exists within our communities. We view skill-sharing as a political act—an act of resistance against isolation, capitalism, and the commodification of education.

Have a skill you want to share with the people? We want to hear from you!

Listening Nests are a welcoming space for kiddos, parents, caregivers, Elders, and all others taking part in NEST: Woven Futures programming to share their thoughts, experiences, and ideas. These gatherings are part of our commitment to co-design and collaborative learning—ensuring that community has a meaningful voice in shaping the programs they’re part of. Listening Nests take place four times per calendar year, creating regular opportunities to reflect, dream, and grow together.