WAV is open to the public and aims to unite and create long-term sustainable outdoor experiential learning networks for organizations, schools, youth programs, and the broader citizenry of Vancouver. WAV is organized by a collective of volunteers passionate about improving children’s lives, being outdoors, and building supportive communities. WAV is totally de-centralized. Events must be educational, experiential, outdoors, and free. Anyone can put an event into WAV.

WAV’s Outdoor Education Festival addresses children’s increasingly limited time outdoors through outdoor experiential learning (OEL). OEL is a proven approach for opposing widespread negative impacts facing children today as a result of decreased physical engagement in the outdoor and natural world. Negative impacts include rises in childhood obesity and sedentary behaviour, reduction in creative and critical thinking and play, and increases in childhood illness (ADHD, etc), among others.