September 18, 2026

“I hope everyone will experience a renewed sense of connection and responsibility:” Why Dr. Bryn and others at Mount Allison University are joining the Hike for Hope

“Like Jane Goodall, I spent every moment I could outside — I talked to birds, climbed trees, rescued spiders, walked barefoot on soft, green moss, and pulled carrots from the damp earth and befriended the wriggling earthworms. I quickly developed the ‘sense of wonder, of awe’ that Jane describes in her memoir Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey.”

That was what Dr. Shoshannah Bryn Jones Square — an Assistant Professor in Literature, the Environment, and Climate Change at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick — told our team when we spoke about the Jane Goodall Hike for Hope.

In Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey, Jane “recalls her love of reading and of writing stories and poetry, ‘mostly about nature and the joy of being alive.’ Jane was in a constant state of awe in the face of the natural world, and she continued to remind us that we should be, too.”

Now, Dr. Bryn incorporates Jane into her work whenever she has the opportunity. “Her work connects beautifully with what I explore with my students,” she says. “Empathy, ecological stewardship, animal rights, hope, and the importance of youth activism, particularly in response to the climate crisis,” are all areas that they focus on.

On top of that, Dr. Bryn says that “the Hike for Hope is integrated into my third-year Literature and the Natural World course as an Experiential Learning component. One of the central questions I ask my students is: How does literature shape our relationship to the natural world? We read poetry and other environmental writing, and I encourage students to slow down, go outside, and pay attention to something they might ordinarily walk past.”

Indeed, some students — both past and present — seem to be interested in such an opportunity. Faculty and community members are also coming together and joining Dr. Bryn for the Mount Allison Hike for Hope on October 3rd. Together, they plan to walk through Sackville’s Tantramar Wetlands.

Dr. Molly Labenski says that she joined the Hike for Hope “to celebrate the environment and the life of an amazing contributor to it! It’s a great chance to connect with like-minded students and colleagues to ensure Jane Goodall’s legacy of kindness and advocacy lives on.”

For Cali Celeste, “hope is one of the strongest and most human things that we, as a species, are capable of.” She has stepped forward to take part in the hike because, “as the world becomes more uncertain with each passing day, remaining hopeful and willing to help is a way we can show our gratitude to the place we call home.”

Second-year student Delphine Reid “wanted to get involved because I believe that change starts locally” — something Jane also believed — “and when we appreciate the nature in our own backyard, we become better caretakers of the planet.”

Another student, fourth-year student Kyle Zinck, spoke about how he “wants to see tangible action in my community for a cause I care about. It feels important to not only take individual action for conservation efforts, but to get other people involved on a local, community level!”

For the Mount Allison community, the Hike for Hope is part of an inspiring community-engaged weekend — with the “Hope and the Humanities: Empathy, Ecological Consciousness, and Environmental Justice” symposium set for October 2nd.

This student-centred interdisciplinary symposium includes students, faculty, artists, community organizations, and invited speakers who are slated to explore how literature, music, visual culture, Indigenous knowledge systems, and storytelling can cultivate empathy, ecological consciousness, environmental responsibility, and hope.

They are also partnering with Open Sky Co-operative, an organization that combines ecological sustainability, community, employment, life-skills development, care, and inclusion. Participants from Open Sky are set to take part in both the Hike for Hope and the symposium.

“I hope everyone will experience a renewed sense of connection and responsibility from the hike,” Dr. Bryn says.

Feeling inspired to connect with nature and advance Jane’s legacy and mission? People across Canada are invited to take part in the Jane Goodall Hike for Hope on October 3rd and 4th, 2026. You can sign up for free at HikeForHope.ca.