ABOUT US
Our Mission
Creating empowering and challenging opportunities primarily for women and youth through multi-day canoe trips.
Desire to Discover was created in light of our passion to share canoe-camping opportunities with more people, but above all, to provide unique and memorable experiences that will send you home with a full heart and a sense of accomplishment.
We use canoe-camping expeditions as a vessel to challenge ourselves, facilitate introspection and reconnect with our natural environment. We seek to provide a place to push personal boundaries and develop outdoor skills.
We are two passionate young women that strive to spend the majority of our time immersed in the wilderness. When we are out under the stars we are in our safe place - our home away from home. Being on the river allows us to live our authentic lives and challenge ourselves daily. We learn to appreciate the basics of life, and the strength of community. The connections and memories that have come from experiences like these have been the fuel that has driven us to build Desire to Discover.
We look forward to sharing a wilderness experience with you.
- Keva & Jessica
Our Vision
Discover your potential, take it with you and flourish.
Goals
Be a reference for women who want to introduce themselves to outdoor adventures
Provide outdoor opportunities for a more diverse clientele
Foster a supportive working environment for female guides and interns
Provide professional standards of quality and security
Empower.
Create a safe environment to realize your full potential.
Challenge.
Offer attainable challenges to push your personal limits and discover your mental and physical abilities.
Discover.
Using the wilderness as a playground to learn about yourself, your community and the natural world.
Why Women?
We are both very inspired by female lead, female participant trips. We want to provide opportunities for women to be, and work, in the outdoors, and for them to feel empowered and supported by their communities. It is crucial for us that there is a welcoming and accessible place for a more diverse clientele to experience the beauty of Quebec’s landscapes. We all have energy to give and take, and we’d like to put our energy into our outdoor community of women.
*PLEASE NOTE* that all are welcome and we will respect and use your chosen pronouns. If this feels like a trip for you, then there is a place for you here.
Lorie Ouellet, Teacher in Outdoor Leadership program in UQAC and a mentor of ours, explains how women's groups are beneficial to their development:
"The gender-neutral environment offers incredible benefits for women's development. These groups provide an environment that allows women to take on active roles, to learn without paternalism, to develop their confidence and skills at their own pace. They are able to recognize their own strength and physical autonomy. These communities, which are based on fun rather than performance, also foster a sense of belonging.
Ultimately, these groups will play an important role in increasing the number of women in the outdoor community. These women will then join mixed groups, and, little by little, they will show that they have all the necessary skills. These groups are part of the solution."
Source: OUELLET, Lorie, « Un regard aiguisé sur les rapports de genre en plein air »