Instructor Vanessa Eyen
Vanessa received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Masters in Outdoor Education while working every summer through college as a camp counselor leading to her thesis work focusing on the importance of connecting children to nature. Her heart led her to California at the age of 22 to pursue her passion for exploring the wilderness and sharing it with others. She went on to work for several outdoor education companies in 25 different sites in California with dozens of schools and hundreds of children over eight years. Giving her gifts as a naturalist, kayak, canoe, snorkeling, rock climbing and backpacking instructor led to program directing and training new staff members in these skills. She carried all this to Outward Bound where she worked for 5 years. An avid traveler, she has been employed by the Outdoor Education Group of Melbourne, Australia and her journeys have included Europe, Africa, Thailand, and India where she received a certification as a yoga teacher. She moved to Sebastopol four years ago where she co-founded the Earth Camp Collective while living at Laguna Farm and earning her masters degree in Community Counseling at Sonoma State. She directed the Sebastopol Community Center Day Camp for two summers while also doing internships as a counselor in five schools in Santa Rosa and West Sonoma County. She also guides wilderness vision quests for the organizations, Wilderness Reflections, Rites of Passage, and Earth Ways. She loves to hula hoop, play guitar and drums, wander in the woods, and celebrate life with her community of friends and family.


Ages: Teens & Adults
