Leading Youth in Nature Experiences (LYNX)

Are you aged 14 to 17 and interested in working with kids in the outdoors? The LYNX Teen Leaders program from the Humber Arboretum offers you the tools and skills to help you create exceptional experiences for the children who will be exploring nature under your guidance. 

Whether you are already volunteering with kids in your community, hoping to get your first job at a summer camp, or are planning a career in education, the LYNX series from the Humber Arboretum is here to help you become the best nature mentor you can be.

LYNX Level One

As of 2026, LYNX is a fully in-person program.

Participants who successfully complete LYNX Level One, which includes one training week and two shadow weeks, will be issued a certificate from the Humber Arboretum recognizing their accomplishment.

Who

LYNX Teen Leaders is open to participants aged 14 to 17.

No prior experience is required for LYNX Level One; this session is both an excellent introduction for those who are hoping to work with children in the future, and an in-depth look at designing and facilitating nature experiences for teens who are already working in leadership positions with kids.

You do not need to have been a Nature Camper at the Humber Arboretum to sign up for LYNX.

What

LYNX Level One is a three-week program.

Participants all attend the same training week, during which time they will learn about such topics as:

• An introduction to the two-eyed seeing approach to nature connection
• Designing activities that help develop "ecosystems thinking"
• The importance of activity sequencing, and why and how to debrief after an activity
• The difference between “busy” and “engaged”
• Hazards vs Healthy Risk
• How to be a nature mentor
• Asking and encouraging great questions
• Adaptability, problem solving, and self-care in the outdoors
• Communication skills: Explaining activities, communicating across cultures, and talking to parents
• Citizen science and ecological stewardship
• and more!

When registering, you will also select two shadow weeks out of five possible options. These weeks fall after the training week. During these two weeks LYNX participants will shadow camp leaders to observe them in action, and will assist in running some activities with direct supervision, guidance, and feedback from experienced staff. This is when LYNX leaders get to put what they learned during their training week into action.

When

2026 Training Week:

• Monday July 13 to Friday July 17

2026 Shadow Week Options (Select Two):

• Monday July 20 to Friday July 24 (Fantastic Freshwater)
• Monday July 27 to Friday July 31 (Wilderness Survival Skills)
• Monday August 10 to Friday August 14 (Insectopia: Mission Monarch)
• Monday August 17 to Friday August 21 (The Great Nature Games)
• Monday August 24 to Friday August 28 (Creating with Bushcraft)

Times:

• LYNX programming begins at 9:00 am each day
• LYNX participants may be dropped off beginning as early as 8:30 am; they will stay with the Summer Nature Camp group until LYNX programming begins
• Pick up times coincide with Summer Nature Camp; from 3:45 pm to 4:15 pm

Where

LYNX Level One takes place at the Humber Arboretum in North Etobicoke. The Arboretum is found at the back of Humber Polytechnic North Campus (205 Humber College Blvd). LYNX programming is based out of the Centre for Urban Ecology (see the location on Google Maps). 

How

2026 Cost: $475 

(covers all three weeks - one training week and two shadow weeks) 

Registration Now Open

New Registration System

Please note that we have transitioned to a new camp management system this year called CampBrain.

We have already migrated most information from our previous system. If you are a returning camp family, please click on the reset password link and input the same email address you have used to register for camp in the past. Follow the instructions to create your own password. Once you have logged in, you will find that your account already exists.

If you are not sure which email address you used in the past, you can email us at arboretum@humber.ca to inquire.

For new camp families, you will need to create an account.

Questions? Email arboretum@humber.ca