Wildheart School Scholarship Fund
Donation protected
Wildheart Nature School offers transformational outdoor experiences in the beautiful wild lands of Central Oregon. We teach a variety of classes and camps year-round for children ages 2 – 13. Kids who are destined to be nature wizards, dragon riders, hobbit and faerie hunters, and stone age sculptors come from a variety of backgrounds. Our goal in this scholarship drive is to open the door of deep nature connection to families who cannot afford to send their child to camp.
At Wildheart, we believe that every adventure into the woods is an exercise in imagination and opens the door for a compelling story to be woven. Our students learn how to speak the language of nature that is innate to their ancestral heritage, giving them access to a world of mystery, adventure, and discovery. We transform the experience of being outdoors into an opportunity for learning through observation, artistic expression, and active imagination. By asking the right questions at the right moments, we teach our students how to engage Mother Nature and to go deeply into her mysteries. Our programs encourage children to open to their own understanding of nature, directly leading to increased self-confidence, empowerment, and deep connection with the natural world. Although we teach factual information about the environment in our school, we also emphasize the importance of simply feeling the aliveness in nature. We support transpersonal growth through physical, emotional, and spiritual activities. Topics discussed include nature arts & crafts, sensory awareness, primitive skills, survival skills, tracking, ecology, community building, plant identification, nature alchemy.
Scholarship 1: A scholarship for a First Nations / Indigenous child
Scholarship 2: A scholarship for a Latino child
Scholarship 3: A scholarship for a low-income diversity candidate
Scholarship 4: A scholarship for a child with a single working mom
Scholarship 5: A scholarship for a low-income family who is investing in alternative education for their children despite their economic circumstances
Scholarship 6: A scholarship for a low-income family with 4 or more children
We would be so extraordinarily grateful for a donation of any amount toward our scholarship fund. Thank you for your consideration and generosity!
Here are some things that make us unique:
Transformational Experiences
Our goal is for children to undergo a profound transformation during their time with us. By combining outdoor experiences with mindfulness exercises we amplify the powerful benefits of both. Children come away with tools for managing stress, an ability to successfully move through dynamic challenges, and inspiration to be kind to the earth, the people around them, and to themselves.
Low Student to Instructor Ratio
We believe it is important to connect individually with each student that we work with. Having a 7:1 student to instructor ratio gives us the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with our participants.
Deep Nature Connection
There are many camps that focus on outdoor recreation, but our primary focus is deep nature connection. We offer students a chance to explore their natural childhood passions such as hiding and seeking, providing them with positive memorable experiences in the wild.
Useful Wilderness Skills
We teach many practical skills such as medicinal and edible plant identification, wilderness survival skills, mapping and navigation, primitive crafts, primitive and modern fire building practices, sound shelter building skills, and so much more. When children come to our classes and camps they will leave equipped with a brand new skill set that they can use for the rest of their lives.
Natural Rhythms
We base our curriculum on natural cycles. Whereas many camps structure their days completely (or keep their days completely unstructured), our classes honor all parts of the cycle including times for focus and times for rest. We start and end the day in a focused group circle where we can set the tone for the period of transformation that we move through during the class. Built into each day are times for reflection and integration so that the learning can continue at home.
Fun Factor
The overwhelming feedback we receive from children and parents is that children have a fantastic time in our camps. Above anything else, we want children to have fun so that they form positive associations with the outdoors. Because the activities we employ activate their natural childhood passions, kids almost always have a blast in our classes.
At Wildheart, we believe that every adventure into the woods is an exercise in imagination and opens the door for a compelling story to be woven. Our students learn how to speak the language of nature that is innate to their ancestral heritage, giving them access to a world of mystery, adventure, and discovery. We transform the experience of being outdoors into an opportunity for learning through observation, artistic expression, and active imagination. By asking the right questions at the right moments, we teach our students how to engage Mother Nature and to go deeply into her mysteries. Our programs encourage children to open to their own understanding of nature, directly leading to increased self-confidence, empowerment, and deep connection with the natural world. Although we teach factual information about the environment in our school, we also emphasize the importance of simply feeling the aliveness in nature. We support transpersonal growth through physical, emotional, and spiritual activities. Topics discussed include nature arts & crafts, sensory awareness, primitive skills, survival skills, tracking, ecology, community building, plant identification, nature alchemy.
Scholarship 1: A scholarship for a First Nations / Indigenous child
Scholarship 2: A scholarship for a Latino child
Scholarship 3: A scholarship for a low-income diversity candidate
Scholarship 4: A scholarship for a child with a single working mom
Scholarship 5: A scholarship for a low-income family who is investing in alternative education for their children despite their economic circumstances
Scholarship 6: A scholarship for a low-income family with 4 or more children
We would be so extraordinarily grateful for a donation of any amount toward our scholarship fund. Thank you for your consideration and generosity!
Here are some things that make us unique:
Transformational Experiences
Our goal is for children to undergo a profound transformation during their time with us. By combining outdoor experiences with mindfulness exercises we amplify the powerful benefits of both. Children come away with tools for managing stress, an ability to successfully move through dynamic challenges, and inspiration to be kind to the earth, the people around them, and to themselves.
Low Student to Instructor Ratio
We believe it is important to connect individually with each student that we work with. Having a 7:1 student to instructor ratio gives us the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with our participants.
Deep Nature Connection
There are many camps that focus on outdoor recreation, but our primary focus is deep nature connection. We offer students a chance to explore their natural childhood passions such as hiding and seeking, providing them with positive memorable experiences in the wild.
Useful Wilderness Skills
We teach many practical skills such as medicinal and edible plant identification, wilderness survival skills, mapping and navigation, primitive crafts, primitive and modern fire building practices, sound shelter building skills, and so much more. When children come to our classes and camps they will leave equipped with a brand new skill set that they can use for the rest of their lives.
Natural Rhythms
We base our curriculum on natural cycles. Whereas many camps structure their days completely (or keep their days completely unstructured), our classes honor all parts of the cycle including times for focus and times for rest. We start and end the day in a focused group circle where we can set the tone for the period of transformation that we move through during the class. Built into each day are times for reflection and integration so that the learning can continue at home.
Fun Factor
The overwhelming feedback we receive from children and parents is that children have a fantastic time in our camps. Above anything else, we want children to have fun so that they form positive associations with the outdoors. Because the activities we employ activate their natural childhood passions, kids almost always have a blast in our classes.
Organizer
Amara Dreamer
Organizer
Bend, OR