Going the Extra Mile for the Recreation Program

How Chris Poirier pedalled his passion into a decades long career

It’s said if you follow your passion, you’ll never work a day in your life. 

And for Chris Poirier, even though he’s been with Hull for over 35 years, following his passion of the outdoors and sports has seen him lead and transform Hull’s Recreation program, and along the way, share his passion of recreation with countless children Hull has supported.  

Originally, Chris started out at River Lodge as a Child and Youth care Counsellor, and was in that role for seven years, but along the way, was going above and beyond his regular duties organizing camping trips, designing recreation programs for River Lodge, and taking workshops focused on sports and the outdoors.

At the same time, Hull wanted to bring on a full-time role for a Recreation program.  

“Hull identified the need for and importance of Recreation, both on campus and in the community, got some donations, created a new position, and the rest they say, is history,” Chris says.

Enter Chris, who’s been in the Recreation program for 29 years. 

Growing up, Chris was highly active and involved in competitive sports, such as the Saskatchewan Cycling team, while also venturing on canoe trips, hiking, running, hockey, XC skiing and biking.

Being in his role for 29 years, Chris has been able to see how much the Recreation program means to the youth on campus. “Being outdoors and involved in recreation is one of those things that everybody needs,” he says.

When you think of recreation, it’s a process of recreating ourselves.

“We’re starting to see more and more evidence of how important recreation is for mental health. For people who have been through trauma and difficulties, when you look at the ways we can find healing and regulation from that, recreation is a significant ally and provides an opportunity to heal, change, and grow,” Chris adds.

Over the years, the Recreation program at Hull has become more focused on how recreation enhances the development of the brain and its neural connections, so the young people are able to better regulate themselves. These regulation skills also help them move through the developmental stage where previously they may have been roadblocked due to past trauma.

These regulation skills are also teaching the young people how to engage in healthy relationships, since so much of what Hull and Recreation do is to build relationships with the young people we support.

Over the years, Chris’ role has taught him a lot about maturity and the importance of setting goals for yourself, and that you can’t expect perfection, but you can find enjoyment in the process. While his role has evolved over the years, Chris has learned to take those changes in stride and do everything he can to learn from the changes.

“You have to be nimble and able to adapt, and also be good at reading what people need in a certain situation – I think that’s also one of the challenges, but challenges also keep us sharp and growing,” he says.

Being so passionate about fitness and recreation, Chris believes recreation is vital to the youth on campus, as it’s one thing that’s available to everyone, and something that has been proven to be effective at improving the quality of life for people. Seeing those positive outcomes day in and day out on campus for all these years is what brings Chris to work every day.

The beauty of recreation, sports, and the outdoors is that it gives people an outlet and tools to help them move forward. Recreation can be an emotional and psychological release for people and helps adapt and heal.

Recreation and movement are the most natural things we do as humans, and engages us on so many levels. Chris has recognized this and it’s a reason he’s so inspired to educate on recreation and its benefits.

With an eye towards the future, Chris talks of retirement, but also helping the Recreation program to continue developing as the Agency grows.

Much of that work will evolve with the work being done at Pathways to Prevention, but also helping the program increase its profile and presence in the Hull community. The hope is to increase the trajectory of the program, as the importance of recreation and education around its benefits are ever-present and top of mind.

“I’m excited for the future of the program as we continue seeing more and more benefits of recreation and how it can have such a tremendous impact on people,” Chris says.