Canadian International Expeditions

Louise Melville

Louise has been teaching and organizing off-site activities for the last 17 years in Canada and the UK. She is a qualified teacher with a degree in geography, and currently works at an independent school in Toronto, where she teaches geography and is Coordinator of Experiential Education and Round Square. Louise also has a very close association with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which she has been involved with since she began teaching.

Louise has travelled extensively, covering five continents and over twenty countries. She has organized many expeditions for students in the UK and Canada. The expeditions range from local overnight trips to month-long international expeditions. Most recently, she assisted in organizing and running an expedition to Kenya for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Canadian's Challenge.

Louise’s area of interest is risk management. She has a Masters degree in Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management, specializing in safety and risk management in off-site activities. Louise has consulted with several Toronto schools regarding risk management policies, and worked with the Canadian Educational Standards Institute to write standards for international excursions.

Louise has recently been appointed to the Standards Council of Canada where she is a part of the International Organization for Standardization sitting on the Technical Committee 228, developing the international standard in adventure travel and tourism. This gives her a unique perspective on a global stage of current practices in risk management. Louise has also presented at a number of conferences for SEAL and CIS and is looking forward to presenting at the SEAL Leadership Institute and at OISE.

Louise is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

David Melville

David is an experienced traveller, mountaineer and medic. While living in Scotland David served for 3 years with the Royal Army Medical Corp (Reserves) as a Combat Medic and also spent 11 years as an Emergency Medical Technician with two mountain Rescue teams. He has an honors degree in Leisure and Outdoor Education and a Post-Secondary Education Teaching Qualification. For the 6 years before coming to Canada David taught pre-hospital care at a maritime College where he started his Masters degree in Education. After completing his 2-year diploma in paramedicine here in Ontario, David managed to find time to write his thesis on contextualized learning and complete his Masters.

David has travelled widely, with a special interest in East Africa. He has climbed Mont Blanc, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elgon and Mount Kenya. He has led many overseas expeditions, including one to Kenya for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Canadian's Challenge.

David completed his Masters degree in Education, specializing in technology-enhanced learning. He currently works as a paramedic with Toronto Emergency Medical Services, the largest service in the country. His extensive practical and classroom experience provide him with a unique perspective, which is evident in his teaching of the first aid and wilderness/expeditions courses.

David is a member of the Wilderness Medical Society and the Royal College of Surgeons Faculty of Pre-hospital Care.

Contact:

1-905-239-8150