People

Founder/Director/Guide
Gigi Jobb is an educator, school builder, and lifelong advocate for joyful, child-centred learning. For more than 16 years she has been creating alternative learning environments and communities where children are known deeply, given meaningful agency, and supported to develop a lasting love of learning.
Her work is grounded in a fierce belief that childhood deserves to be protected, respected, and fully lived. She has spent her career questioning conventional approaches to parenting and education and exploring what becomes possible when children are trusted as capable, curious participants in their own development. She describes herself as a “wholesome radical,” deeply rooted in the values of community, kindness, wonder, and responsibility, while willing to challenge systems and assumptions that no longer serve children well.
Gigi is the mother of four children, each of whom has experienced a wide range of educational approaches over the years. Their upbringing has been an ongoing experiment in creativity, autonomy, relationship, and alternative education—and has profoundly shaped Gigi’s understanding of what children need in order to flourish.
Her professional journey has been informed by extensive experience in Waldorf education and Anthroposophy. At the emerging Waldorf Independent School of Edmonton, Gigi served in a variety of leadership and community-building roles, including board member for school growth and development, Grade One classroom support, school videographer, Parent Association leader, founder of the Welcome and Gratitude Committee, and Parent-Tot teacher. She spent four years studying Anthroposophy under the mentorship of Gene Campbell through the Rudolf Steiner Centre, developing a deep appreciation for the importance of presence, rhythm, imagination, storytelling, gesture, verse, and play in the lives of children.
From there, Gigi continued to develop innovative educational programs and communities of her own. She founded Tenderheart Wonderforest, a Waldorf-inspired program created for sensitive and imaginative children; an Emilia-Romagna-inspired after-school community where families cooked, crafted, played, and gathered together; and several creative ventures devoted to supporting childhood, including Ramshackle Play, Parent by Magic, and Toad Spool Press. She is also the author and publisher of two children’s books, A Whole Other Magic and Being With Wonder.
Wildhaven is the culmination of more than twenty years of study, experimentation, community-building, and close observation of children. It brings together the influences that have shaped Gigi’s work—from Waldorf education and democratic schooling to emergent pedagogy, experiential learning, neurodiversity-affirming practice, play, nature, and the profound importance of belonging.
At Wildhaven, Gigi continues the work that has animated her for decades: building a place where children can become fully themselves, where learning is rooted in relationship and genuine curiosity, and where education is understood not simply as preparation for life, but as a way of being fully alive now.

Guide
Belinda combines over 30 years experience working as a caregiver and/or mentor with children and adults of all ages, a deep love of life-long-learning, and a need to understand and apply compassionate, non-violent communication, big impact play, deep nature connection, coyote mentoring, S.T.R.E.A.M learning and more.
She believes fundamentally that we learn best when we are happy, safe, and welcomed for who we are, and what we bring to the group. She aims to honour each child’s uniqueness and invite them into a shared experience in the ways that work for them whether working with children, youth or with adults!
A mother, mentor and alternative education consultant, Belinda brings story-telling and a wealth of creative ideas to her mentoring. Learning along side her son and all the other children she has had the privilege to work with, she has found that heart-centered, non-coercive approach that centres on trust, honouring natural rhythms of season and age work best. Each of us has an incredible gift, our own unique way of processing, expressing and attaching. When allowed to freely learn and offer up that gift, we shine!
Experience and Education:
7 Years offering forest school, Tinker-Arts, Story-Arts, Embodied-Play and Adventure-play outdoor, alternative learning pods.
16 years caring for children of all ages, 20 years teaching ESL, 16 Early Childhood, tutoring, 10 home learning tutoring, and 7 years offering workshops at Firemaker Traditional Skills Gathering. 2 Years of 8 Shields Monthly Nature Connection Mentoring with Wisdom of the Earth, 2 Art of Mentorings, Ring 1 and 2, and the Intro to Coyote Mentoring Training at Thriving Roots wilderness School. 25 years as a Photographer and Storyteller Neufeld Conference, and several NVC classes. Read and practiced extensively in the areas of Un-schooling, Waldorf, Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and many alternatives to Public Education, as well as compassionate, attached parenting, Non Violent Communication, and RDI.

Guide
Isa is a wandering soul with roots in Spain and Portugal, now blooming on Salt Spring Island. She has spent the past years weaving her love for nature, movement, craft, and language into playful, nourishing spaces for children to learn and grow.
Isa teaches Spanish through creative, hands-on experiences, blending language with music, art, and games to help children connect with new words in joyful ways. Her approach invites kids to explore and express themselves freely, guided by curiosity and connection.
Her background is a colorful tapestry: yoga and children’s education in Spain, theatre studies in Ireland, herbalism with Rosemary Gladstar, and dance therapy training. She has supported local public school classrooms, led nature-based camps, and offered arts-infused Spanish classes here on the island.
Isa loves crafting with her hands—crochet, sewing, salve-making, and working with plants—and she delights in helping children discover the magic of creating things from scratch. Music and movement are always close by, with guitar, song, and dance as natural parts of her teaching rhythm.
Inspired by her travels through Peru and Chiapas, and grounded in a deep connection to Mother Earth, Isa brings warmth, creativity, and heart.

Guide
Daphne is so excited to be a part of the Wildhaven team again! As the the literacy teacher a few years ago she fell in love with the kids and the culture. Now she joins the team as the Monday afternoon kindergarten Guide. Nature crafts and using recycled materials is her jam. And working with kids is her peanut butter. You may know her from the library as Children’s librarian, or just around town with her two kids. She also has 13 goats, loves to ride her bicycle, and is obsessed with birds. Do you have a bird fact to share with her?

Wildhaven Guide
Theodore Lowry is a mentor and storyteller based on Salt Spring Island,. He's worked within the 8 Shields model through Fianna Wilderness School, with children aged 4 to 12. He supports children's learning through story, nature connection, personal attunement and encouragement, and creative expression. He cut his teaching teeth volunteering at a grassroots school for underprivileged children in Bengal, India, where he also guided student-led filmmaking projects.
Theodore is an oral storyteller influenced by both the Gaudiya school of bhakti-yoga in India, as well as European traditions. He draws guidance from mentors such as Martin Shaw, Dougie Mackay, Sharon Blackie, and Leah Lamb from the Sacred School for Storytelling. His facilitation is shaped by a commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the region now called British Columbia. Through story-making and nature-based practice, he helps young people discover their own sense of belonging and imagination.