For Children, Youth, Adults and Families
Wisdom of the Earth offers unique and exciting Nature immersion programs and camps for children, teens, adults and families, to develop a sense of wonder, appreciation, and partnership with the natural world. Jean-Claude Catry and Frank Doss combine adventures, exploration, active games, experiential activities, story telling, and ancient crafts and skills to create meaning out of our observations of humans, animals, plants, minerals, elements and their interactions.
Fun, adventure and joyful aliveness are only part of the story. Important skills like teamwork and communication, gratitude, awareness, self-confidence, respect for self, each other and nature, problem solving, and inner guidance, are woven invisibly into each day.
WILDERNESS AWARENESS & ANCIENT LIVING SKILLS are the focus of this program, specifically:
–extending the senses and developing our awareness: learn to use owl eyes, deer ears, bear nose, raccoon touch
–tracking: exploring the past and future by reading animal tracks
–shelter: building primitive shelter for survival
–exciting ancient and traditional skills and beautiful natural crafts
–fire-making: with one match and without matches
–understanding bird language and concentric rings
–learning and using wild edibles and medicinal plants
–storytelling, games and fun experiential activities
–gratitude circles: sharing appreciation for our experiences and the whole web of life
Our mentors:
Jean-Claude 
Frank 
Jean-Claude Catry and Frank Doss are inspired by the survival skills of ancient scouts of many cultures who were intimately connected to the interdependence of all beings. They have a combined experience of over 30 years of training and practicing these skills, and working with youth. Both have spent extended time in the wilderness, relying on their skills.
In addition, Frank has 17 years of extensive training in martial arts and the ancient survival skills of the Japanese Ninja. Jean-Claude spent 10 years as a mountain wilderness guide, by horse, ski, and foot. Jean-Claude is a homeschooling parent of three. He also has training in Compassionate Nonviolent Communication, and often brings this aspect into his work, to connect with children’s deeper feelings and needs.
Jean-Claude and Frank live and teach through the art of mentoring and “coyote teaching,” developed by naturalist and tracker Jon Young, which blend the art of questioning, the art of giving information and the “trickster/transformer”. Experiential practice and connection to the natural cycles of learning is integral to this approach, and evoke passions, hunger to discover, and true understanding.
Short or day-long workshops, week-long day camps, weekly programs and overnights for children, youth and adults. We will tailor to your needs.
To book a program or for additional information, call 250-653-9122 or email instinct@saltspring.com
