Preventing COVID at Family Earth
Our Family
Rochelle has spent her entire career designing programming to promote the well-being and resiliency of children and families across Canada and in some of the most dangerous places in the world to grow up. Yet, it took being pregnant with Kai for her to realize that the survival of her baby was inextricably linked to the future of the planet. This anxiety festered in the background as she juggled stressful work that had her chained to a computer for much of the day with impossibly high expectations about being a mother. The performance was manageable until her second son Ewan arrived, then cracks began to show. Through it all, her partner and the kid's dad, Koen, jealously guarded the family’s downtime and persistently ensured that the family spent as much time in nature as possible, decompressing and reconnecting. During one weekend hike Rochelle confided in Kai (then 7) her crazy idea of a better way forward: they would start a nature camp for families. This was the most excited Kai had ever been by anything his mom suggested, and so Family Earth was born.
OUR TEAM
Dr. Rochelle Johnston
Rochelle is the driving force behind Family Earth. You will find her doing the big picture visioning, taking care of the beauty in the details, and asking your child about their ideas. Rochelle brings two decades of experience working with some of the world’s most innovative educators, mental health workers and political advocates to Family Earth. Like you, she’s encountering much of what we’re trying to learn (and unlearn) together here for the first time.
Michaela Norgren
Our gardener, Michaela, is getting her hands (and feet, and sometimes nose) dirty, creating Family Earth’s garden. A big dreamer, she considers herself a “maker of many things." Her hobbies include spoon carving, traditional archery, foraging, baking sourdough bread and exploring the wild and wonderful. Her biggest dream for the future is to live sustainably, become food independent and enjoy the simple things in life.
OUR PARTNERS
Housing:
Land Based Knowledges:
Climate Action:
