Green Job Helps Nova Scotia Youth Inspire the Next Generation of Nature Stewards

Roots and Boots Forest School Society has spent the past decade creating opportunities for children in Nova Scotia to learn through outdoor play and exploration. Unlike traditional classroom environments, forest schools emphasize curiosity, creativity, and hands-on experiences in nature. 

Children build shelters, discover plants and wildlife, explore forest trails, and develop problem-solving skills — all while forming meaningful connections with the outdoors. 

But like many grassroots non-profit organizations, providing these opportunities isn’t always easy. 

“We are a very small not-for-profit that’s grassroots,” says Kellie Allen, co-founder of Roots and Boots Forest School Society. “Although we’ve been running for 10 years, we have a lot of funding challenges because we do not have core funding.” 

Support from CPRA’s Green Jobs Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) program, helped change that. 

“Without the Green Jobs Initiative, we wouldn’t have been able to create this job,” Allen explains. 

That funding created space for a Forest School Play Practitioner at the organization and opened the door for Cassandra Nauss. 

For Cassie, the role offered something deeply meaningful: the chance to help young people discover the same connection to nature that has always shaped their own life. 

“I especially love being able to help kids discover the environment around them,” Cassie says. “Seeing them realize that nature isn’t just something you learn about in a book — it’s something you can experience, care for, and be part of. Watching that curiosity grow is really special.” 

Cassie came to the position while navigating their own academic journey and shifting interests. 

“I was in aerospace engineering and had just recently transferred to environmental science,” Cassie says. “This position definitely helped confirm that I made the right decision!” 

From Allen’s perspective, Cassie was a natural fit for the role. “I instantly knew Cassie would be a great fit,” she says. 

Forest school environments are built around exploration, but every child approaches that experience differently. Some eagerly explore the woods or examine plants and insects along the trail, while others need a little reassurance before trying something unfamiliar. 

Cassie had a special way of helping children feel comfortable enough to take those first steps. 

“If a kid was really nervous to climb a tree, Cassie would come alongside and say, ‘let’s walk through this together,’” Allen recalls. 

Moments like that can quietly shape a child’s confidence — and often lead to breakthroughs that last far beyond a single afternoon outdoors. 

“Cassie’s strength was really in connecting with people one-on-one,” Allen says. “They were able to come alongside and help fill those gaps for kids who needed a little extra support.” 

Over the course of the summer, the program reached 174 children, who collectively spent more than 36,000 hours outdoors exploring, learning, and building friendships in nature. 

“In St. Margaret’s Bay, there’s no other program like this,” Allen says. 

For Cassie, every day brought new discoveries — both for the children and for their own professional growth.

 

“I definitely did learn a lot of new skills,” Cassie says. “Especially working more one-on-one with kids and learning how to support them in ways that help them feel confident exploring and trying new things.” 

The experience also provided mentorship and collaboration within the Roots and Boots team. 

“At the end of every day we do a debrief — we talk about what we did that day and what we might need to work on,” Cassie says. “It’s really helpful because everyone shares ideas and supports one another.” 

That supportive environment allowed Cassie to grow in confidence while strengthening skills in leadership, communication, and environmental education. 

But the impact of the experience reaches far beyond a single summer job. 

Through the Green Jobs Initiative, Roots and Boots was able to expand a program that connects children with the natural world in ways that simply can’t happen inside four walls. The opportunity also gave Cassie hands-on experience and mentorship that helped confirm their path in environmental science. 

Most importantly, it created hundreds of quiet moments of discovery for the children who spent their days in the forest. 

A child noticing the shape of a leaf for the first time. 

A group of new friends building something together from branches and moss. 

A young explorer realizing the forest is not just somewhere you visit — it’s somewhere you belong. 

“When you see a child suddenly light up because they’ve discovered something in the forest, or figured something out on their own, it’s incredible,” Cassie says. “Those moments will stay with me as much as they stay with them.” 

Through opportunities like CPRA’s Green Jobs Initiative, young leaders like Cassie are helping spark something that will endure far beyond the program: a lifelong connection to the natural world — and a deeper sense of responsibility to protect it.