Wild & Alive

9 Month Adult Nature Connection Journey

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come truly alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come truly alive.”

–Howard Thurman

Wild and Alive is a cultural regeneration project rooted in the idea that our core identity and deepest belonging comes from actively fostering a web of connections – specifically our relationships with nature, self and community. This web of connections is the foundation for an eco-centric culture – a way of being in the world that centres around ecological interdependence and reciprocity. Now more than ever, our world needs mature, initiated, eco-centric adults who have come into their gifts. These adults will be the creative drivers to shift us from ego-centric culture towards eco-centric culture for the future generations. 

Come home to the Wild and discover what it means to be truly alive! Explore land-based ancestral skills in a deep and integrative way, learning to become part of the natural world, while receiving the inherent wisdom that nature is waiting to share. AND do so within a schedule that fits within your family and work life! 8 weekend overnight campouts include: naturalist training, wilderness skills, local Indigenous land & cultural knowledge, powerful connection practices, community building, music and lots of fun!

  • Do you crave a sense of belonging to the wild & animate world?

  • Are you curious to learn the skills of your ancestors, such as animal tracking, bird language, fire by friction and foraging for wild medicinal & edible plants ?

  • Perhaps you’re already at home in the forest but are wanting to share and deepen this experience with like-minded community? 

  • Do you know children in our programs and long to relate to their experience of wildness, vitality and joy?

  • Are you interested in learning and starting the deep healing work of decolonization and cultural repair? 

  • Curriculum

    Take a more in-depth look at our nature connection and wilderness awareness curriculum to see what skills and experiences your 9-month journey could involve.

    Learn more

  • Campus

    View our unique outdoor classroom. 50 acres of forest surrounded by park land. Seasonal creek, waterfall & yurt.

    Learn more

  • Mentors

    Get to know the team behind Thriving Roots Wilderness School and learn more about your program mentors.

    Learn more

  • David Segal, Wild + Alive Participant 2018-19. Co-founder of Human Nature Counseling and Co-Author of Nature-Based Therapy

    “In these challenging times of our collective human story, having respite and refuge from the industrial growth society is truly a gift. The Wild and Alive program is a powerful antidote to the disconnection so many people experience living in this world at this time. The gifted facilitators provide activities and practices that are sure to spark vitality and deepen your connection to the web of life. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to live in a more life-serving and nature connected manner.”

  • Scott, Wild + Alive participant 2022-23

    “The mentors were amazing, so passionate and dedicated to the work. I appreciated that they have a diverse set of skills, strengths, and approaches.

    This was a wonderful experience- my only issue is that it is only once per month!! I am so excited to find people with similar values and passions. I feel like I've found a community to explore this world of nature connection with. I am excited to continue to fill my life with people and experiences that help me feel connected and alive. Thank you for a live altering experience and I can not wait for September!”

  • Bettina, Wild & Alive participant 2020-24

    “I can't imagine my life without it. I need the community and connection, the weekends in nature, the learning of new skills and singing of songs around the fire and games played out in the fields. It is a monthly reminder for me of what truly matters and a great support on my nature connection as well as personal journey towards a more and more fulfilled and meaningful life.”

  • Cari Burdett, Nature Mentor/Mother, Wild & Alive participant 2021-22

    “During my weekends in the Wild and Alive adult program, I feel a renewed sense of aliveness. What a gift to share these experiences with others. It it is no small task to show up for these weekends, with our gear and no small task to show up for ourselves and others in the circles, and activities. What we get out of the weekend is what we put in, how open we are, how willing we are, how curious we are. These are all ways of helping ourselves to Remember that we indeed ALL BELONG. That belonging is in fact our birth rite, as is singing, dancing, eating etc. And yet, we humans often struggle with feeling that we belong.

    Attending such a weekend focused on Deep Nature Connection is a true gift to oneself in so many ways. It is also such a profound gift to find ourselves in quiet reflective moments or rousing village laughter when we suddenly sense our selves open to a shared experience of being a village, even for a short time, and feeling that we do indeed BELONG and that everyone is important and needed for us to live in a good way.“

  • Robin Fagnan, Wild + Alive Participant 2018-19, Thriving Roots Mentor since 2019

    “Wild and Alive was an amazing program! So rich in diverse experience, including experiential nature connection, bush craft, naturalist mentoring, and for me most importantly, community building. A very well rounded program. I HIGHLY recommend this program!”

  • Conan Webb, Wild & Alive Participant 2018-19, Thriving Roots Mentor since 2019

    “In Wild and Alive I made life long friends and found a community of people who I really belong to. A highlight was definitely creating time to simply play in the woods like children. Not as an aspect of doing something to learn a skill or practice, just letting go and playing for the fun of it with other adults. Not being into sports, this isn’t something I have experienced in a long time and I really enjoyed playing as an adult.”

  • Anonymous, Wild + Alive Participant

    “A powerful antidote to disconnection”

Place Based & Experiential

Drawing on many years of experience and generations of cherished teachers and teachings, we have designed an experiential program that can awaken and transform one’s sense of self and belonging through connection to the animate earth: lighting fires, building forest shelters, weaving baskets with plants, quieting our minds until we can hear the birds and feel stillness again, building and tending relationships with the plants, animals, birds, bugs and fungi that make up our local ecosystem, engaging in play, reaching back into our personal ancestry to heal wounds and harvest strength, deepening into self reflection and peer sharing to release, inspire and renew.

Eco-centric Adults

For our children to grow up and become the adults the world desperately needs, they need mature, eco-centric adults in their lives to guide them. Part of this maturing process includes reconnecting to our own inner child, which not only wakes up personal joy and aliveness but also results in greater understanding and connection with the children in our lives. Wild and Alive is designed to awaken our inner child and offer them a chance to catch up on connective experiences in nature and culture that they may have never had. It will engage the parts of us that long to feel inspiration, meaning and purpose, and weave them back into our daily lives and into the communities (human & more than human) where we live..

Regenerative Culture

Our exploration in restoring regenerative culture is a kind of work that is old, new and continually emergent. We’re looking back toward connective lifeways and practices of our ancestors from around the world, and attuning to practices that creative ecological thinkers are just birthing today. We’re continually examining the complexities and opportunities alive in the work of decolonizing ourselves and our dominant systems. And we’re collaborating with our local Indigenous WSANEC community and following their lead, to build real relationships, mend wounds and uplift nature-connected culture in this place we now call home together. We look toward a future where all people are at home in their animal bodies, are rooted to place and community, and honor the responsibilities they have in their life-long relationship to all beings that support their life.

  • September 2024 – June 2025.

    One weekend per month (except December): Saturday 9am – Sunday 4pm.

    Sept 28-29, Oct 26-27, Nov 23-24, Jan 25-26, Feb 22-23, Mar 15-16, Apr 26-27, May 24-25

  • First Year Participant: $2995 (includes $300 deposit & registration fee) + GST.

    Returning Participant: $2295 (includes $300 deposit & registration fee) + GST.

    TRWS Acorn: $1995 (includes $300 deposit & registration fee) + GST.

    Includes meals and camping. Course fee covers all gatherings, course materials and monthly assignments.

    Payment Options:

    • Credit Card: Deposit + 9 monthly instalments

    Sign up with a buddy and get our “Buddy Rate” of $200 off each for 2 first year students! Contact info@thrivingroots.org with names of both participants to qualify for the buddy coupon code.

    Cancellation & Refund Policy: Please note that your registration commitment is for the full 9-month term. Please familiarise yourself with our Registration Policies before registering.

  • Alaina and Chris + guests will be your Wild + Alive mentors.

    Read more about the Thriving Roots team here.

  • We are committed to offering needs-based Equity Fund Discounts to those who would not otherwise be able to attend our programs due to experiencing systemic barriers to wealth accumulation. Read more and apply here.

    • Food: All meals provided (Saturday: lunch & dinner. Sunday: breakfast & lunch). Delicious, homemade meals using local + organic ingredients as much as possible. We will do our best to accommodate all dietary requests.

    • If we're unsure, we'll connect with you personally.

    • Download our recommended gear list here.

    • We will send out a program contact list to support with carpooling before the program start date.

Program Details

More information:

  • 9 Months of Deep Nature Connection and Cultural Repair

    In Class: 8 weekend-long overnight gatherings

    • Saturday 9am – Sunday 4pm.

    • Saturday night fire & overnight campout (personal all-season camping gear required)

    • Hot and delicious meals included: Sat lunch – Sun lunch.

    At Home: 9 months of at-home studies and practices

    • Daily nature connection practices to incorporate into everyday life

    • Monthly assignments and mentoring questions

    • Monthly buddy sharing with other program participants

  • This is a time-tested mentoring model developed by Jon Young, founder of the Wilderness Awareness School. The model is based on powerful teachings passed on from indigenous elders from all over the world and has been applied for over 40 years in modern settings. It is a skilfully crafted holistic recipe of cultural elements and connective practices that enhance health, happiness and well-being in a deep embodied way. Join thousands of people in this international movement towards cultural repair and reconnection to nature.

  • The journey of nature connection and cultural repair is endless. And honestly, most of our students find that after the first year, they simply don’t want it to end. Our goal is to offer a program that nurtures an ongoing community of nature connection practitioners beyond their first year with us. Returning participants continue to deepen their knowledge of local flora and fauna, improve their wilderness skills, focus on longer term projects or engage in sharing their knowledge with others.

    Year 1: Awakening Nature. First year students are together in a “Ring 1” cohort.

    • Ring 1 is about experiencing powerful foundations of nature connection, ancestral connection and self awareness. You will tap into the power of nature-based myth and story as tools for understanding meaning, purpose and context in your personal life journey. You will rediscover land-based skills like shelter building, foraging, fire lighting and handcrafts, and you will engage in a personal tracking journey called “Renewal of Creative Path” (ROCP). This tracking journey will deepen your knowledge of self and awaken your unique gifts and creativity to return to your life more inspired, aware and joyful. The year will conclude with a co-designed ritual experience to mark your cohort’s completion.

    Year 2+: Deepening the Journey. Returning students are together in a “Ring 2” cohort.

    • Freshly redesigned, Ring 2 participants will go deeper into naturalist knowledge, personal passions and eco-centric maturity. You will have the opportunity to self-design parts of your experience to explore new ancestral skills, embark on collective projects and hone in on personal passions. Together you will deepen your relationships with land, community and personal knowing. You’ll engage in more advanced quiet mind and invisibility practices that bring you deeper into your bodies and belonging on the land, building up to a powerful overnight experience in the Spring. In the winter you’ll dive into a personal soul discovery framework to access deeper layers of your mythopoetic gifts and identity through a “Wild Mind” journey. Developed through Animas Valley Institute, the “Wild Mind” framework explores the journey of human wholeness through a 4 directional map, nature wanders, council, movement practices and deep imagination. There will be times when all 3 rings are together and times when they’re following separate ring-specific curriculum. The year will conclude with a co-designed ritual experience to mark your cohort’s completion.

    Year 3+: Stepping into Service. Returning students can apply to be a part of our design and facilitation team called “ the Acorn” (Ring 3).

    • Ring 3 participants will engage in most of the Ring 2 program, while also holding service and mentoring roles for others on the path. This group consciously creates the cultural field of connection, including upright mind, compassionate communication, trauma awareness and inclusion. Together you’ll look for programmatic opportunities and participate in the ongoing process of regenerating nature-based culture and community. You’ll meet as a team of 8 before and after each weekend program to hold the larger program framework. All Ring 3 members will also be a part of the Ring 2 cohort. When the whole group is together they will be simultaneously taking part and helping hold the Ring 1 container. When the group splits between Ring 1 and 2, they will take turns participating in Ring 2 and occasionally supporting Ring 1.

  • These teachings have the potential to be life changing, but like anything, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. As mentors we will meet you where you’re at and guide you to your edge. We will not call you regularly to make sure you’re “doing your homework.” To be successful with this program you must be self-motivated and have an open mind. The weekend gatherings will provide an enriching embodied experience, and the monthly assignments will provide the practical integration into your everyday life. As mentors, we practice what we preach. All the core routines we teach are an integral part of our own lives. We have been practicing them for many years and consistently find that having a supportive and like-minded community to share them with, is the key for our continued deep connection.