On February 1, 2024, WWOOF Canada went through several important changes. Becky Young, WWOOF Canada’s longtime Executive Director retired, WWOOF Canada officially became a non-profit, and a Board of Directors was appointed.
For 14 years, Becky had run WWOOF Canada as a social enterprise, putting WWOOF’s mission and members above all. In her time leading the organization, Becky was responsible for the creation of WWOOF’s first-ever online platform, played an integral role in the creation and growth of the Federation of WWOOF Organizations (FoWO), and led the creation of the first Common WWOOF Platform (CWP). Moving WWOOF Canada to a non-profit is Becky’s final accomplishment. For more information about Becky’s retirement, click here.
Guiding WWOOF Canada into the future is a new Board of Directors, selected after a broad search of WWOOF Canada’s members last spring. The Board is: Mary Garden, a host in BC; Mateja Henigman, a former WWOOFer and current host in BC; Louise Hanavan, a former WWOOFer in Nova Scotia; Shore Charnoe, a host in Ontario; and Laila Zaeleck Heroux, a WWOOFer in Quebec.
Reporting to the Board and taking care of the day-to-day operations of the organization are Robin Young (no familial relation to Becky) and Catherine Dallaire. WWOOF Canada’s new Executive Director, Robin, is a former WWOOFer and host who has worked with WWOOF Canada for four years, most recently as the organization’s Coordinator. Catherine is a former WWOOFer and organic farmer who began working with WWOOF in January 2024. For more information about WWOOF Canada’s staff team, Click here.
How will these changes affect you, our members? In short, not a great deal. Having a leadership team that is even more representative of the WWOOF community is something we feel proud to boast about, and there may be opportunities for our members to participate in the future. Being a non-profit allows WWOOF Canada to take donations and seek grants that will allow us to create new programs and initiatives, which we plan to do in the coming years.
Otherwise, you can trust that WWOOF Canada is in good hands. This new group is committed to supporting a healthy and positive community of WWOOFers and hosts, connecting, exchanging, and learning from one another. And in that way, along with other WWOOF groups around the world, we hope to build a global community conscious of ecological farming and sustainability practices.
Click here to learn more about Becky’s accomplishments as WWOOF Canada’s Executive Director. Click here to read Becky’s Farewell Letter to WWOOF Canada’s members.
