Q & A
Melissa Peroff
- Hometown:
- Edmonton, AB
- What conservation issue is closest to your heart?
- It’s really all interconnected for me: I care deeply about the ocean, but also our forests, our wildlife and the overall health of our planet.
- What are you hoping to learn from CCC?
- I’ve not set any expectations for this adventure. My expectations for myself are to have an open mind, take each day as it comes and embrace any chance to learn something new.
- Who/what inspired you to care about conservation?
- I grew up in the country, but as I got older, I found myself in school and subsequently working in the city, where I’ve often felt a sense of hurry and competition. When I decided to go travelling, I ended up spending two years sailing and living aboard full-time. I was reliant on my surroundings for everything from safety, comfort and entertainment to food and water. In that time, I formed a deep connection to our environment, curiosity for our planet, and thus an interest in conserving it.
- If you could sit down with anyone in the world and have tea or coffee, who would it be? And why?
- I would pick a member of the Sentinelese tribe. I think we could learn a lot about our history from their culture and way of life.
My Experience So Far
The Algonquin Adventure
Stage 1
Group 6 CCC members will be releasing their inner Canadians during a winter trip through Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park. The trip will build their experience over the 10 days. They will start with five days of traditional snowshoeing travel and warm camping. They will have the opportunity to camp in the cold as part of a mid-trip challenge so they are experiencing a winter expedition in a variety of ways. The final five days will feature a combination of dogsledding and snowshoeing where they will be separate for portions of the day, refining their skills in each area and coming together at the end of each day.
Conservation Field Learning
Stage 2