Who We Are

Ashley Dempster

Ashley is a 21-year-old hairstylist, musician, writer, singer, activist, food and wine lover, beagle enthusiast and cultural experience junkie.  Whether it's a day trip down a dirt road she's never explored or an overseas journey, Ashley's passion for travel has existed since she was old enough to walk.  Always independent and always working towards something, her itchy feet can't stay still for long.  Her enthusiastic and passionate nature is often a lot to handle when she gets fired up about something.

Social issues have a special corner in Ashley's heart.  The first time she saw a commercial for World Vision she was 4, and began bawling her eyes out, telling her parents that they needed to go to Africa RIGHT NOW to help all of those sad children.  After that, her parents helped her put together Christmas Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child every holiday season, and she rented out the scooter that she got for her 8th birthday to her friends to raise money for cancer when her Grandpa got diagnosed with the disease.  These small actions were the stepping stones to Ashley's passion for helping others, and later led her to join her High School's Social Justice Committee, coordinating and participating in events such as War Child Canada's Gulu Walk, Free the Children's WE Day, Donating her musical talents to The Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life and Walk for Multiple Sclerosis,  WaterCan's Walk for Water funding clean water projects in Ethiopia, beginning to sponsor a child at the age of 16, the Children's Hospital Make-A-Wish Foundation, volunteering at retirement homes, and many other things.  Seeing the difference she can make inspires her to no end.

Ashley was lucky enough to do a fair bit of traveling before she even turned 18.  With two parents in the tourism industry, she got to see lots of different parts of BC and Alberta, California, Maui, Honolulu, Mazatlan and Cuba.  In grade 10, she traveled to Baie-Comeau, Quebec, to participate in a french language exchange and home stay.  In grade 11, she traveled to Europe with her senior high school concert band, and in 10 days they toured through parts of Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.  In grade 12, she got her first taste of backpacking as she and 5 other students were guided through the Rocky Mountains between BC and Alberta in parts Yoho National Park and Lake O'Hara. Her adult life so far has been mostly focused on moving out on her own to Calgary, completing the Hairstyling Program at The Aveda Institute calgary and kickstarting her career in the Hairstyling industry.  This past April, Ashley and Sean traveled to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and got a huge taste of a different culture.

Sean Yorke

Sean is a 21-year-old jack of many trades; outdoorsman, wildlife enthusiast, amateur photographer, adventure and adrenaline junkie. Whether it's fishing in a mountain lake or stream, riding his motorcycle down the highway (safely kids...), finding places no one has ever been or rarely goes, taking dozens of pictures of the same thing just to pick the best one, or sleeping under the stars (sometimes without a tent), Sean’s passionate side truly shines when he finds something he believes in and cares about.

Sean’s adventurous spirit was sparked when he was young hiking and camping with his father in remote areas. When Sean was Nine they hiked the Mantario Trail together, by the time Sean turned Thirteen they had taken taken on the West Coast Trail in British Columbia and Cape Chignecto in Nova Scotia. In the summer before grade Ten, he hiked the historic Chilkoot Trail over the Alaskan/Yukon border, and finally Tongariro Crossing in his later travels. Eventually, when the travel bug finally got him in 2011, Sean’s love for the outdoors and seclusion took take him halfway around the world to Australia and New Zealand. What started as a journey to escape quickly turned into the biggest life changing event he has ever experienced to date. Being immersed in a different culture, living in the bush on a secluded Tasmanian island, jumping out of planes, climbing up glaciers, closing his eyes and leaping off of cliffs and swimming with wild dolphins were just a small part of the adrenaline and wildlife infused love affair that continues to grow with him every day.

Unlike Ashley, Sean had never been much of the “Humanitarian” type. Being a hands on kind of person, it was hard for him to grasp how he could be making a difference that he couldn't see first hand. His compassionate side started to grow when he experienced firsthand the wrath of Cyclone Yasi, a Category 5 Cyclone that destroyed a large part of the Australian East Coast. Just before landing in New Zealand, the historic city of Christchurch was largely levelled by a massive Earthquake. Travelling through these areas and witnessing the damage in front of him, seeing how everyone came to each other’s side even when they had nothing left to help clean up and rebuild was inspiring to him, and for a man who had never really seen anything like this, a small spark was produced.

This past April, while travelling to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Mexico with Ashley, he saw the conditions that some people live in every day in other parts of the world for the first time. This was not just a “Resort” vacation, they went out into the city, to the local markets and travelled through communities, seeing children so young they could barely walk in shops with mom and dad, and on many occasions, trying to sell trinkets to tourists to keep the family fed. For anyone, this is saddening to see. Between that sobering experience, being surrounded and inspired by Ashley’s extreme passion for helping others and remembering the images of past destruction, Sean decided it was time to do his part and make a difference.  As a volunteer teacher in Bali, this difference will be one that he will be able to see firsthand, be apart of physically and at the end be able to know without a doubt that he was an integral part of changing the lives of many children.

Ashley & Sean

Some of you may or may not know how Sean and Ashley met.  Although Ashley finally agreed to go on a date with Sean in February of 2012, it took about 10 years for her to do so.  The pair first connected when they were 11 years old, at middle school in Calgary, Alberta.  Sean was a chubby, freckle faced kid who enjoyed his grey sweatpants, running a black market soda trade out of his locker, and chasing Ashley around the band room with his eyelids flipped inside out just to watch her scream.  Ashley was busy growing out her mushroom cut from the previous year, learning to play the french horn, secretly still playing with toy ponies and plotting to avoid Sean at all costs when she would go out walking her dog near where he would be riding his bike.  The unlikely pair connected through MSN and Facebook in the following years, when Ashley had moved to Kelowna and Sean had continued his high school education in Calgary.  In September of 2011, when learning that Ashley had moved back to Calgary to go to hair school, Sean continued to ask Ashley out, while she politely declined and made up horrible excuses for 6 months.  It wasn't until he came into the pub she was working at (he warned her he was coming) that she realized he was no longer the chubby, creepy, annoying little brat that she had him made out to be.  The two connected instantly, bonding over mutual love for travel, passion for adventure, similar importance placed in family and friendship, and the general desire to live interesting lives.  And that's exactly what they've been doing together since that day.

As a couple, Ashley and Sean enjoy regular trips to the mountains, hiking, fishing, and are hoping to do more camping this summer as well.  They enjoy food, wine, and watching nerdy shows together such as Blue Planet and Departures.  Their travel companionship was first tested in the spring of 2013 when they spent a week in Ixtapa, Mexico.  Seeing all of the sights and the people of Ixtapa is what first inspired them to take a volunteer trip together.