MEET YOUR MENTORS
The WorldStrides Canada Teacher to Teacher (T2T) mentorship program is designed to connect new Program Leaders with experienced educators who share a passion for inspiring students through travel.
Aspiring Program Leaders can become part of a dynamic community where you connect with educators from across Canada who believe in the transformative power of travel.
Our T2T mentors are more than just advisors—they’re fellow teachers who understand the ins and outs of organizing student travel.
Beyond personalized support, our T2T mentors offer valuable resources for new travellers. They've been there and done that, so they can provide you with the guidance needed for success.
Why Choose a T2T?
Personalized Support
Learn how to handle everything from recruitment to school board approvals with one-on-one guidance.
Practical Expertise
Get tips on hosting parent meetings, fundraising, and navigating trip logistics from experienced Program Leaders.
Diverse Backgrounds
Engage with mentors from a variety of teaching and travel backgrounds.
Browse our team by region and discover the inspiring stories behind each mentor below.
Our T2T mentors are a remarkable group of educators, both current and retired, from across Canada. They are well-known and respected within their schools, boards, and local communities. Passionate about combining education with the transformative power of travel, they inspire curiosity and growth in every journey they lead.
With extensive experience travelling with student groups—many of them long-time partners of WorldStrides Canada—our mentors have a wide breadth of experience with our products, building itineraries, managing school board approvals, and more.
They are dedicated to supporting and guiding new leaders, sharing best practices, and forming meaningful connections. Above all, they love talking about travel, sharing their own adventures, and encouraging others to explore the world.
Click below and fill out our form to get connected with a mentor of your choice or let us pair you with the best match!
Marc-André LeBlanc
Location
Grand-Barachois, NB
Specialty
Europe
Travel Experience
France, Central Europe, Italy, Spain, Morocco
Marc-Andre's inspiration for leading trips comes from the opportunity to show students what lies beyond their daily realities, sparking their dreams and encouraging them to aim for bigger goals in life.
Anna Antolovich
Location
Hamilton/Wentworth, ON
Specialty
Québec City, language immersion
Travel Experience
Québec
A language and French immersion educator for 33 years, Anna is now retired and eager to assist others plan exciting and immersive student trips.
Jason Dale
Location
Port Dover, ON
Specialty
History, civics, art, architecture, English literature
Travel Experience
Southern Africa, Italy, Greece, France, Belgium, the Netherlands
“Even though I’ve always loved the daily job of teaching, going on these tours has probably been the most rewarding aspect of my career.”
Jeff Chard
Location
Waterloo, ON
Specialty
European History tours and large group travel
Travel Experience
Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium
Jeff is an expert at student recruitment and leading large groups—two full buses of travellers are the norm for him!
Jazz Mathon
Location
North Bay, ON
Specialty
Mathematics
Travel Experience
Italy, Greece, France, Spain, Thailand, Costa Rica, London, New Zealand, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cambodia, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines
Jazz attributes his passion for leading student tours to the experience he had travelling around Europe when he was a student, himself.
Karen DiCicco
Location
Elora, ON
Specialty
Europe, music tours, student and adult groups
Travel Experience
UK, France, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Morocco, NYC
An Art and English teacher for over 30 years, Karen has been leading student tours since the early days of her career and is eager to support others who want to do the same.
Lynne Di Stefano
Location
Brantford, ON
Specialty
International, student and adult groups
Travel Experience
UK, France, Central Europe, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Morocco, South America, China, Japan, South Pacific, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand
"It’s exciting to introduce students, or adults, to new experiences and destinations. For students, the opportunity to learn and grow more independent is always rewarding to see."
Mike Holland
Location
Bowmanville, ON
Specialty
History and geography
Travel Experience
Eastern seaboard; including Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Québec, Washington, NYC
"I am a huge believer that travel creates so much life experience and am truly excited to be able to help colleagues do the same for thousands of young people!"
Sherri Collins
Location
Mississauga, ON
Specialty
Music tours (piano, choral), international and North America
Travel Experience
Québec, Central Europe, Italy
Sherri once led a group of 100 students who performed at the Vatican in Rome!
Bruce Robertson
Location
Calgary, AB
Specialty
France, Italy, large group travel
Travel Experience
UK, France, Central Europe, Italy
Bruce’s inspiration for leading tours is getting to share his passion for “learning by being there."
Cloyd Barth
Location
Winnipeg, MB
Specialty
France, Italy, large group travel
Travel Experience
France, Italy
"Organizing is one of my strong suits and I’ve really come to enjoy and appreciate every aspect of trip preparation. One would agree that it’s a significant investment of time and energy, but there is no greater payoff in the world!"
Connie Haugen
Location
La Ronge, SK
Specialty
North America, international, rural community groups, fundraising
Travel Experience
South America, NYC
An expert fundraiser, Connie has helped her students raise half the costs of their tours to make travel a reality for her northern community.
Ken Stanski
Location
Edmonton, AB
Specialty
European Military History
Travel Experience
The Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Germany, London, France
One of Ken’s most memorable student trip experiences was visiting Vimy Ridge on its 100th anniversary.
Ron Labrie
Location
Ponoka, AB
Specialty
Overseas Canadian History
Travel Experience
UK, Italy
“There is no better way to knock down societal barriers than to visit our neighbours and experience the multiple perspectives of our global community.”
Ryan Johannson
Location
Markerville, AB
Specialty
Europe
Travel Experience
France, Central Europe, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Morocco, China, Japan
One of the main reasons Ryan leads tours is to help students overcome their fears and become more comfortable travelling.
Tom Wendell
Location
Medicine Hat, AB
Specialty
Adult and community tours
Travel Experience
Australia, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Belgrade, Scotland, England, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Morocco, NYC
To have students walk on the ground where history was made is what inspires Tom to organize educational trips.
Wayne Tourneur
Location
Drayton Valley, AB
Specialty
International, student and adult groups
Travel Experience
Europe, Spain, Morocco, South America, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe
Wayne’s love of travel began when he visited France for the first time in high school with his French class.
Chris Reilly
Location
Chilliwack, BC
Specialty
Latin America, South America Canadian History
Travel Experience
UK, France, Central Europe, Italy, South America, China, Japan
Chris’ inspiration for leading tours is “sharing with students that there is so much more to the world than our little piece of it."
Doug Corbett
Location
Port Coquitlam, BC
Specialty
Music tours
Travel Experience
UK, South America, South Pacific, NYC
One of Doug’s favourite WorldStrides Canada trips was visiting Lima, Peru, where they helped the underrepresented and built a house for a family.
Ready to Get Started?
Your journey to becoming a confident Program Leader begins here! Connect with one of our T2T mentors to get tailored advice, explore trip planning strategies, and feel supported throughout the process.
Simply fill out the form below to connect with the mentor of your choice. If you’re unsure which mentor is the right fit, we’re here to help!
Looking for more tips? Visit our blog for insider advice and first-time planning tips.
