If you’ve been looking for Bushcraft and outdoor programs for youth, you’ve probably seen the term “immersion” thrown around here and there. While it’s great to see more young people spending long periods of time in the outdoors, a lot of these programs don’t truly meet the standard we think of as an “immersion”.

” they also meet their daily needs by interacting with the landscape they are participating in “

Our programs, (Like the Teen Wilderness Immersion) however, aim to do just that. Students not only spend an extended period of time living on the land, but they also meet their daily needs by interacting with the landscape they are participating in. They learn about the ecology of plants and animals in it, and how to interact responsibly with them.

The immersion doesn’t end when students leave our courses either. They walk away with a set of systems to replicate that experience wherever they are. This is what we believe really sets our programming apart from other self-styled immersion programs. While can and often do immerse a student in an outdoor lifestyle, they often focus on the skills and knowledge-based specifics of the environment and ecosystem in which they occur.

Our students, however, are taught a “process, not product” approach, and there is a strong focus on using methods of field and academic research that the groundwork is laid to apply their processes and skills to any environment by researching it. This creates an understanding of the principles of outdoor living an applying them, no matter the ecosystem.

An immersive program shouldn’t end when students finish it. It should stick with them for years, and do so in a tangible way that benefits them for the rest of their lives. That’s what the programs at School Of The Forest aim to achieve.