Nature educator Mark Morey to speak on cultural mentoring and creating nature connection at RBG June 25

Mark Morey
Mark Morey is a creative artist, visionary educator, cultural engineer, and consultant who designs regenerative holistic communities with timeless native principles. He founded or co-founded two transformational organizations in the last 12 years: The Vermont Wilderness School, and The Institute for Natural Learning, sparking a nature and community awareness movement in the Northeast impacting 5,000 adults and children today. He has facilitated wilderness survival and spiritual passages for teens and adults since 1997, including over 35 week-long Art of Mentoring passages for adults, and 5 years of Sacred Fire rites of passage for boys. Mark feels inspired by the hero’s journey model and the oral history of his ancestors and native people around the world. Mark’s passion for environmental healing and consciousness has gained him wide recognition as a leader in earth centered learning.

Workshop Series: Creating a Culture of Nature Connection

Along with the RBG talk, Morey will lead two intensive workshops for adults who want to learn how to foster nature connection in children:

 

Presentation and storytelling. Cost: PWYC ($10 suggested donation)
June 25 7-10pm, Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, ON

A three hour event with Mark Morey and the Ontario Art of Mentoring Team, providing inspired examples of different cultural perceptions of nature connection, and stories of indigenous cultural tools and skill sets used to connect people with nature. Mark will be sharing insights on how these are proving highly successful in connecting people with nature in our modern world. You’ll also learn more about what Mark refers to as “Cultural Mentoring” and how it can be used to create healthier environments, relationships, and communities.

1 Day Workshop: 8 Tools for connecting people and nature.
June 26 9:30am-4:30pm, Norval Outdoor School, Georgetown, ON.

This workshop is for all ages, and kids under 13 are free! We’ll have concurrent adult and childrens programs, in a day long workshop providing a taste of what the Cultural Mentoring is all about. Through experiential learning, we’ll touch on 8 essential tools to connect with nature, including:

Telling stories that inspire and teach Expanding sensory awareness in self and others Facilitating games that motivate learning Growing your naturalist knowledge

Creating unstructured play by design Lesson plan structure for nature connection Incorporating visiting elders Safely identifying edible plants and eating them

A copy of the Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature is a part of the workshop, regularly valued at $35 US. If you already have a copy, you can pay a reduced rate of $55 for the day. Please bring your own lunch, and a pot luck dinner dish if you wish to stay for dinner.

With Coyote’s Guide Book ($75 plus GST)
Without Coyote’s Guide ($55 plus GST)

Overnight Workshop: Creating adolescent rites of passage programs.
June 26-27/2010 7pm -11am, Norval Outdoor School, Georgetown, ON.

A program for adults focused on experiencing and creating rites of passage programs led by Mark Morey. He’ll be giving people an experiential evening of what a rite of passage program looks like and discussing tools to use to create these for youth in their own community. Cost is $50 for the night. Email info@pineproject.org, or call 647 991 7463 to get more information and apply to this program.

 

5 Day Art of Mentoring Course
August 25-29/2010, Norval Outdoor School, Georgetown, ON.

The five day Art of Mentoring Course is an experience for all ages.  This course is for nature enthusiasts of all kinds, teachers, outdoor educators, and parents looking for new tools to inspire greater connection to nature in their own lives, and the lives of those they work with. You’ll leave with increased naturalist knowledge as well as a greater capacity to create an inspiring context (culture) to inspire nature connection in people of all ages, and integrate this into their daily life. Staff provide mentorship, while teaching participants to mentor others. Themes and curriculum include:

• Models that inspire effective educational experiences based on the cycles of nature.

• Games, activities, and songs which draw people young and old into nature.

• The role of storytelling in nature education and how it is used in cultures that live close to the earth.

• Drawing out your own stories to use in mentoring relationships with youth.

• Profiling the journey toward increased awareness and appreciation of the natural world.

• Common pitfalls and “walls” mentors face.

• Creating safe environments for students to grow, experiment, and make mistakes.

• Immersion into some “core routines” to help build awareness of nature in yourself and your students.

• Enjoy a community of people learning, teaching, and experiencing increased connection to nature.

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