You are receiving this email because you signed up for our contact list or participated in an event with Twin Eagles Wilderness School. Thanks for continuing to be connected with us! To make sure you keep getting these emails, please add tim@twineagles.org to your address book or whitelist us.
Having trouble viewing this email? View it on the web here.
|
 |
Twin Eagles Wilderness School
eNewsletter - August 2020
Late summer greetings to all our friends near and far! We're proud to say that we successfully and safely ran a full season of summer camps. The camps were phenomenal (more below!), and we're incredibly proud of all of or staff for successfully navigating the changes brought about by Covid-19.
As summer begins to fade with ripening rose hips and final family nature forays, we're grateful to be here preparing for a full year of school year programs ahead. Take a look below!
- School Year Youth & Teen Programs - Registration Now Open, including new programs!!
- Covid-19 Updated Health Protocols
- Summer Camps 2020 Review
School Year Youth & Teen Programs
Homeschool Youth Nature Program
Twin Eagles Community School
Weekly on Wednesdays in Sandpoint, Idaho
Biweekly on Tuesdays in Spokane, Washington NEW!!
9:00 am - 3:00 pm · For kids ages 6 - 13
Autumn & Spring Seasonal Blocks
Due to increased demand this year, we're now offering this as a weekly program in Sandpoint AND a biweekly program in Spokane!!
Come join our original program for homeschool youth that explores deep nature connection and the wilderness arts through nature based mentoring. Students truly steep in a timeless experience of the natural world with teachings of the naturalist, the tracker, the wanderer, the herbalist, the ecologist, the survivalist and the scout. Now in its sixteenth year, Twin Eagles Community School is a tremendous opportunity for youth to experience knowledge of place and nature awareness all in a powerful atmosphere of cultural mentoring.
Click here to learn more about Twin Eagles Community School!
Twin Eagles Monthly Youth Programs
For kids ages 6 - 13 · Spokane, WA Now on Saturdays!
One Saturday per month · October - May
We are pleased to be bringing traditional ecological knowledge to the Spokane community on a monthly basis once again this year! Kids have a rare opportunity to slow down to nature's pace and experience themselves in a community of passionate nature based learners through activities such as fire by friction, local species interrelations, songs, animal tracking, group challenges, wild edible & medicinal plants, natural shelter building, storytelling, sensory awareness and much, much more.
Click here to learn more about Twin Eagles Monthly Youth Programs!
Weekend Teen Wilderness Programs
Twin Eagles Seasonal Teen Rendezvous
For teens ages 13 - 18 · Locations throughout the Inland Northwest
Weekends run Friday evening through Sunday Afternoon
Autumn, Winter, & Spring Sessions
Twin Eagles Seasonal Teen Rendezvous offers awesome experiences to teens throughout the Inland Northwest and beyond to sink deep roots to the earth through wilderness skills while soaring high through full-on group adventures. Teens learn leadership by working together as well as applying their sensitivities through ancient earth based skills and crafts. This is a powerful opportunity for teens to encounter the wild around them. As well, teens have a chance to touch their own inner wildness by giving unique voice to their inner selves amongst a community of peers and mentors.
Autumn Session: The Art and Craft of Survival
Winter Session: TBA
Spring Session: TBA
Click here to learn more about Twin Eagles Seasonal Teen Rendezvous!
Teen Mentor-In-Training Program
For teens ages 13 and older · Sandpoint, ID & Spokane, WA
Twin Eagles Mentor in Training (MIT) program is an incredible opportunity for teens to step forward into becoming authentic nature based mentors. Twin Eagles MITs receive guidance from Twin Eagles' seasoned adult staff to move into a mentoring role with Twin Eagles Youth Program students, thereby experiencing themselves as powerful role models and leaders. It is a rare opportunity to be mentored into their greater potential as they experience the joy of mentoring others into a deep relationship with the earth. The MIT Program runs alongside all of our Youth Programs, so teens are able to select which one(s) they wish to participate in.
Click here to learn more about Twin Eagles Mentor in Training Program!
Updated Covid-19 Health Protocols
Having successfully run a full season of summer camps, we've learned a lot about how to keep kids and adults safe at our 100% outside programs during the pandemic.
Take a look at our updated Covid-19 Health Protocols here.
Summer Camps 2020 Review
Twin Eagles Wilderness Adventure Summer Camps were a huge success this year, as we successfully and safely navigated the challenges of running them amidst the pandemic. We're proud to say that we did not have a single safety issue arise due to Covid-19. We learned a lot about how to adjust our programs, and are so grateful to have mentored so many youth through the deep nature connection journey. In the end, we had one of our biggest summers yet with 288 kids participating in 12 week long summer camps, supported by 24 staff! Wow!!
Nature Adventurers Day Camps were some of my favorite camps of the summer. We ran one of these day camps in both Sandpoint and Spokane each, and they were chock full of beautiful moments of nature connection. Think catching crayfish in the river, climbing trees, spotting hidden nests of quail, plovers, flycatchers, & robins, finding hidden fawns in the tall grasses, playing TONS of fun nature games (that secretly connect the kids even deeper to the land), and making real connections with plants and trees through natural crafts, foods, and medicines, just to name a few. This journey of exploring natural mysteries is in many ways the heart of what we do here at Twin Eagles, as we guide the kids (and ourselves) to experience the truth that we are nature.
Wilderness Survival Day Camps are always our most popular camps. This summer we ran five of these camps, two each in Sandpoint & Spokane, plus one is Coeur d'Alene! We just have SO MUCH Fun at these camps! I mean, who wouldn't love building warm and dry natural shelters, making fire by friction by flint and steel (yes, it really does work!), harvesting clean drinking water from wild places, digging & eating wild roots, berries, leaves, flowers, & bugs, as well as learning primitive hunting methods like rabbit sticks and simple traps and snares. These camps put us in direct relationship with our basic needs as humans, and are thus incredibly empowering and liberating.
Nature Ninjas Day Camps were a total blast! We ran three of these camps, as kids were covered from head to toe in mud, charcoal, and clay for just about the entire time. We spent lost of time learning the art of natural camouflage, then playing long games of capture the flag as ninjas. We taught the kids responsible and safe stick fighting, and brought out the old teachings that ninjas were actually peacemakers first, protectors of the tribe. Real skills, real fun, real life teachings.
Overnight Camps were, once again, some of our favorite weeks of the entire year. We ran two of them (both at reduced capacity for Covid-19 safety reasons), one for 10-13 year olds and another for teens. Talk about deep connection. When we all come together and actually live together full time for a week or more, something big shifts. We embrace village life, and thus embrace an embodied interconnected way of living. As far as activities, imagine all of the above, plus kids that are more capable, and NIGHTTIME! Campfire stalks, village craft nights making coal burned spoons and bowls, elderberry containers, rawhide parfleche containers, atl-atl spear throwers, gratitude circles, crazy fun games, tons of natural mysteries, timeless sit spots, sleeping in primitive shelters, morning runs, lots of animal encounters, extended survival trips out on the land, and, for the teens, all night scout games that brought them into profound sensory awareness and aliveness with the land and themselves. We reconnected with what it means to be fully human, and there were many tears when it was over, as it seemed that no one at all wanted to leave.
Our Staff of 24 amazing human beings were the engine behind all of these wildly successful camps! And I really do mean amazing! We had eight teen Mentors-In-Training support our camps this year, including Cooper Luce, Oscar Angell, Hayden Ainsworth, Owen Ainsworth, Keenan Caudill, Selah Keller, Ray Kletter, and Rennie Forbes. These teens went above and beyond the call of duty, as they stepped into genuine responsibility as they worked to inspire campers and bring big fun. We had one intern in our internship program, Calvin VanWert. Four adult assistant instructors joined us this summer, including Kayton Gomez, Kevin Button, Nick Thomas, and Todd Erler. These folks brought their big love for nature and people to our camps, providing huge support as they deepened in their capacity to mentor youth. Our six instructors and lead instructors were the strongbacks of our summer camp culture. Caelan Angell, Amiste Grace, David Kletter, Maya West, Colin Daly, and Nathen Peck each gave of themselves tremendously as they led group after group of kids hungry to connect with nature on a true journey of the heart and soul. Our overnight camps were blessed with delicious food prepared by Jason Freshly and Hannah Madrid. These two served amazing food as they tended the heart of our camp, our kitchen. Lastly, we'd like to honor Graham McLaren who joined Jeannine and I (Tim) as a camp director this summer. Indeed, leadership is one of the quickest paths to self-discovery. We are deeply grateful to all of these wonderful human beings who made our summer camps possible, and hope that you'll join us in appreciating them!
I'll wrap this section up by sharing a few messages we received from parents describing their kid's experience with us this summer:
"Our son got to have his first Summer day camp experience with Twin Eagles Wilderness School this year. It was such a great experience for all of us. What a wonderful opportunity for both character and skill building. He really enjoyed his time and activities. We loved hearing him share with us what he learned and practiced. The leaders and mentors show great enthusiasm and pride in the children's experiences. It was a treat for us to be able to be a part of the last day and hear and see first hand a little of what they had been doing that week. We will definitely be signing up for more adventures in the future." -Shannon Brown
"This past week was the second time my oldest daughter attended Nature Adventurer's camp and the first my young daughter attended. I love how they learn to appreciate their surroundings and discover our natural world. My oldest learned knife safety and then taught me. I love camping and I trust them to start a fire and teach me about the plants and birds that we see. They seem so grounded when they get back home, their natural senses heightened. I enjoy soaking up what they have learned each day." -Ana Trusty
"My son loved his first year at Twin Eagles Wilderness School and will be returning next year. What's better than being outdoors in nature all day long? My son enjoyed learning about edible plants, how to make a shelter, and how to handle a knife safely. The directors and their staff are clearly passionate about what they do and their passion is contagious. My son came home every day full of stories and excitement. The camp is also very professionally run and well-organized." -Nikole King
Wild Blessings,
Tim Corcoran
co-Director & co-Founder
Twin Eagles Wilderness School
Help Spread the Word!
Do you know a few people who should be receiving these articles and program updates? Let them know and encourage them to subscribe by sending them this link: www.TwinEagles.org/enewsletter.html
Twin Eagles Wilderness School Privacy Policy:
Twin Eagles Wilderness School respects both the privacy and time of our subscribers. We will not sell, rent or otherwise share your e-mail address or other personal information to any other person or company. This eNewsletter will be sent out approximately once per month, occasionally more. Our eNewsletters always contain an easy way to unsubscribe at the bottom of each email.
Track us down on Social Media!
We invite you to like, follow, comment, and share about us on these social media sites. This is a great way to stay connected and help forward the vision of deep nature connection mentoring. Thanks!
For adult & youth program information, free deep nature connection articles and more,
visit our website at: www.TwinEagles.org
|
 |
|