The Rideau Trail Association's primary mandate is to provide free outdoor experiences to the community, fostering connection through shared values of health, nature, and being outdoors. Hikers are sometimes accompanied by educational guides who give informal plant and rock identification lessons. Sharen Yaworski, President of the Rideau Trail Association, describes how walking groups create friendships and strengthen participants' sense of belonging to a place and community.
The benefits to hikers' physical and mental health are reflected in the care that the Association demonstrates towards the physical environment. Gaining a deeper appreciation for its aesthetic and ecological value through their engagement with nature, participants frequently clean up the trails as a group and individually. Not only do hikers become more aware of the physical environment, but they also become more aware of the happenings of the social and artistic communities through conversation.
The benefits to hikers' physical and mental health are reflected in the care that the Association demonstrates towards the physical environment. Gaining a deeper appreciation for its aesthetic and ecological value through their engagement with nature, participants frequently clean up the trails as a group and individually. Not only do hikers become more aware of the physical environment, but they also become more aware of the happenings of the social and artistic communities through conversation.
