Teen Programs

Teen Experience (prerequisite course for all other week-long programs)
This is a week-long adventure in learning about nature and the art of survival. You’ll experience the wonder of making fire without matches, creating a shelter that’s warm and safe, moving through the woods and silently approaching an animal.  This is an amazing experience in which you’ll connect with nature in a new and powerful way. All skills are taught entirely through hands-on and experiential learning techniques. This transformative experience is something treasured by the whole family.

  • June 28-July 3      New Jersey                 Ages 4-17 and Family
  • July 5-10                New Jersey                  Ages 4-17 and Family
  • July 19-24              California                     Ages 7-17 and Family
  • August 2-7             British Columbia        Ages 7-17 and Family
  • August 9-14           New Jersey                 Ages 4-17 and Family
  • September 13-18 New Jersey                 Ages 7-17 and Family
  • September 13-18 California                     Ages 7-17 and Family

Philosophy- Jedi Training  (Family, Youth , Teen Experience Prerequisite)                                 

In this class we will be bringing some of the philosophy skills Tom teaches at his adult Tracker classes to parents, youth, and teens. We will spend the week learning about Grandfather’s worlds, and our ability to walk within them. We will explore the Sacred Silence, uncover methods for increasing awareness and learn techniques for becoming one with the Earth. Tom has tailored these teachings to the way Grandfather taught him as a child. This will be a very hands-on course with many games to cultivate awareness and imagination.

  • July 12-17              New Jersey      Ages 7-17 and Family
  • July 26-31              California          Ages 7-17 and Family

Quest       (Family, Youth , Teen Philosophy Prerequisite)                                                                  

For the first time we are offering a unique quest experience for teens. This quest, designed for the entire family, will offer a profound rites of passage experience for teens. We begin as a group and then journey alone for 2 to 4 days in nature. After, we will gather together and celebrate this passage and share how we will integrate this experience into our everyday lives.

  • July 12-17              New Jersey      Ages 10-17 and Family

Way of the Woods     (Family, Youth , Teen Experience Prerequisite)                                                    

This ten day course helps you delve deeper into the survival skills and craft work that were introduced in the Family, Youth and Teen Experience. We will teach advanced shelter, flint knapping, quickie bow making, bark baskets, advanced fire making, brain-tanning hides, advanced stalking and movement, coal burning bowls, pottery and much more. As we create from nature we build our relationship with it and really start to experience living as one with the Earth.

  • July 19-28              New Jersey      Ages 10-17 and Family
  • September 13-18   New Jersey      Ages 7-17 and Family (week-long homeschool program)

Way of the Hunter (Family, Youth , Teen Experience and Way of the Woods Prerequisite)            

Ten days totally devoted to learning the ways of the Hunter as a true caretaker of the land. During this 10 day class students will study and experience all the steps in making a self-bow from tree selection and harvesting to design layout, shaping, tillering and shooting. The students will also learn to make their own bow strings. Each individual will be making a bow from a raw stave and will also create a complete arrow, from the shaft to knapping the point. We will also cover hunting techniques, philosophy, and the arts of camouflage and invisibility. It is important that you have practiced your skills from the Way of the Woods as this will be an intense course.
July 19-28                    New Jersey      Ages 10-17

Teen Scout    (Family, Youth , Teen Experience Prerequisite)                                                    

Are you ready to dive into the world of the Scout? This advanced week long course for teens focuses on the lives of the Apache Scouts. Here, we begin to understand what it means to become the eyes and ears of the people as Grandfather and his people taught. This encompasses learning more advanced shelter and fire techniques, animal forms, martial arts study, tracking, invisibility, physical and spiritual workouts, group dynamics, and most importantly, awareness.
  • August 2-7             New Jersey                  Ages 13-17
Advanced Scout   (Family, Youth , Teen Experience and Teen Scout Prerequisite)                                                    
There is so much to learn and experience living as a scout. We build on the skills learned in Scout class. This course will be an intense week long adventure in scout living and training. It is important that you have practiced your scout skills and are in good physical shape. We will be moving as a scout tribe, learning nature’s laws of concentric rings, counter tracking, and the art of invisibility, among many other skills.
  • August 2-7             New Jersey                  Ages 14-17

Tracking and Awareness Adventure  (Family, Youth , Teen Experience Prerequisite)           

This class dives into Tracking and Nature Awareness. We will be doing wisdom of the marks and learning more of the ancient Lipan Apache “pressure release” studies in a fun and exciting way. Many tracking adventures await young trackers, learning how to read the “oldest” language that is written on the ground. Spending days on lost person scenarios, trailing animals, mapping projects, concentric ring studies, bird language, sign tracking, scat analysis, journaling, and many tracking and awareness games. Join us in preserving and learning these most valuable skills of survival.
  • July 5-10                New Jersey      Ages 10-17 and Family

Teen Wilderness Survival programs:

          St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

          Pine Barrens, New Jersey

          British Columbia, Canada

Intern Program

All new seven week Intern mentoring program! This year’s Intern program involves one on one     mentoring, skills workshops and evaluations, journaling projects, a Vision Quest and survival challenge. We’re very excited about this unique opportunity to take the internship program to the next level. The program will be overseen by Octavio Laranio, a long time Instructor who has tons of experience with teens and teaching survival skills. Limited to 8 Interns. Applications will be available December 19th.  Interns will still assist in camp operations and a fee of $995 will be charged for instruction and program activities. Please note regular interns will still be accepted for a limited two week engagement and their experience will not include the instruction or mentoring offered through this program. Join us this summer and take your skills and teaching ability to the next level.

Prepare for the ultimate Children of the Earth Adventure in 2010!

Every few years we offer the ultimate COTEF experience–the Teen Survival Quest. This program is for teens age 15-17 and requires the Teen Experience, Way of the Woods and Scout.  Plan ahead so you’re prepared for this once in a lifetime experience!

 

 
 
Copyright 2008 Children of the Earth Foundation