The name Ainsley Munro isn’t the only Scottish thing about Ainsley Munro – she attests her resilience and strong family values to her Scottish Highlander roots. Growing up in Haliburton with a 27-acre backyard of thick forests and vast meadows, she always had a keen love for nature. Her parents encouraged this passion with summers spent camping, bear watching, and learning how to build shelters in case her infamous skill of getting lost left her stranded in the woods. Her interest in the natural world led her to start an environmental action group in high school after noticing that the school buses idled while waiting for students to board after classes. This group worked on various campaigns to make its school a more socially aware and environmentally sustainable community for students and teachers alike.
Her interest in nature and the environment led her to enter academia at the University of Waterloo, majoring in Environment and Resource Studies. She took advantage of the university’s co-op program to participate in Katimavik, a youth leadership and service program that brings 11 youth together for six months to take part in projects that help change Canadian communities. She volunteered in Quesnel, BC at a rural school, and in Montreal, QC with ATD Quart Monde and Santropol Roulant.
During her undergrad, she became heavily involved in The Otesha Project, a youth-led organization that uses bike touring to deliver theatre plays and interactive workshops for environmental advocacy. Her experiences with Katimavik and Otesha solidified her passion for community engagement and the intentional community lifestyle.
At all times, she strives to enjoy everything life has to offer and continues to engage in life with youthful wonder. Her passions and distractions include listening to folk music, painting, reading fiction, cycling, singing to songbirds and all things outdoorsy.