Beginning in 1998, based in Victoria and Vancouver, Power To Be is a non-profit organization that believes everyone belongs in nature.

They believe finances shouldn’t prevent anyone from accessing nature and work hard to remove cognitive, physical, and social barriers to the outdoors, supporting participants to explore who they are and what they are capable of with the support of their staff, volunteers, and each other.

Power To Be serves more than 1,300 participants annually. Their 78-acre Prospect Lake site provides lake access, forested areas, open green space and built-up infrastructure for program facilitation, gear, and equipment storage.

Programs at Prospect Lake include, support, and complement Power To Be’s offerings of kayaking, hiking, canoeing, rock climbing and other outdoor wilderness activities for youth and families living with a physical, cognitive, social or financial barriers.

Programs Include

Power To Be programs focus on play, learning and building connections, and are categorized into three unique streams:

• Inclusive Adventures: The inclusive adventure programs create new possibilities in nature for those who face a barrier. Through a variety of different programs, there is a focus on skill and community building through activities like hiking, paddle sports, rock climbing, camping and more. 
• Wilderness Wellness: These programs provide experiences that nurture wellbeing and focus on personal growth in safe spaces to connect, with yourself, with others and with nature.
• Catalyst For Good: This program aims to drive impact forward. Staff work to assess ongoing needs in the community and find solutions through compassion, collaboration and connection.

First up, HeroWork will transform an old dairy barn original to the property into a multi-use, indoor programming space with facilities specifically designed to support Power To Be’s outdoor wilderness programs. Simultaneously, we will re-erect a re-purposed raw timber log structure to create a sheltered and fully accessible pavilion to increase Power To Be’s versatility in delivering programs.

The Old Barn

• Bold new, fully accessible interior space design and finishes with new lighting.
• Addition of new fully ADA compliant washroom with shower, amenities and change areas to serve persons with living with disabilities, their personal support workers and others participating in on-site programs.
• Addition of a large, open, versatile multi-use space to facilitate programming that requires or would benefit from an indoor setting.
• Greenhouse addition for additional program offerings.
• Extended building roof (12 ft.) to create covered building entry and gathering space.
• Install modern building envelope assembly to protect the barn’s new interior including new siding, doors, windows and “out-sulation”.

The Raw Timber Pavilion

• Sort, prepare, modify and re-stand raw timber pavilion with new foundation and custom designed structural/seismic elements to support the old structure in its new location.
• Addition of retaining wall to support hillside.
• Creation of new custom masonry, rock, and wood feature surround that will include a built-in wood burning fireplace, wood fired pizza oven, firewood storage spaces and wood benches.
• New standing seam metal roofing with skylights.
• New lighting, hose bib, and concrete slab.