After the Flotilla, after this rite of passage, I knew where I wanted to go with my life, and I had a new group of people that I felt I could do that with. I felt I had the ability to live out my dreams, to discover the world around me and to really forge my place in it.”
- Lili Okuyama, LIFE program participantm participant

Jeff Gibbs initiated the LIFE program in Vancouver in 1995 after a trip to Haida Gwaii piqued his interest in environmental and social issues. LIFE’s programs inspire, educate and train youth aged 13 to 24 to be proactive, critically thinking citizens helping to build a society in balance with the Earth's life support systems. Its programs explore global sustainability, ecological diversity and Native culture through expeditions, mentoring, leadership development programs and internships.

Over the past decade, more than 1400 young people have been influenced by LIFE programs:

• LIFEboat Flotilla. This five-year program saw up to 200 youth and 50 educators at a time board some 15 ships for a week of discovery and learning about ecological sustainability on Canada’s Pacific coast. During the voyages, youth participated in workshops on topics ranging from marine conservation to building design, as well as plenary sessions with role models such as Jane Goodall and Jean-Michel Cousteau. The LIFEboat Flotillas were the largest marine-based educational program of their kind in the world and represented an extraordinary learning adventure for the 750 youth who participated.
  
• LIFEtrain. This program featured a train excursion from Vancouver along the canyons of the Fraser River and into the Interior of BC. Workshops and field trips held in towns along the route explored how to create sustainable communities.
  
• Biosphere Quest 2001. This week-long exploration of critical thinking, environmental sustainability and First Nations culture took place on Vancouver Island.
  
• LIFEquest. This program was a one-month expedition in the Clayoquot biosphere reserve where 12 youth from eight nations were exposed to First Nations issues, coastal ecosystems, and sustainable development. Participants were trained to produce and edit their own video documentaries.

LIFEquest participants work on video documentaries.