A weekend of events led by Mark Morey, the main facilitator of The Art of Mentoring program in Vermont , an innovative course connecting people of all ages with nature .

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 three transformational organizations in the last 12 years: Deep Wilds, 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

The upcoming weekend workshop series runs June 26-28, 2010 and includes three separate events:

 

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 the Mentor’s tool kit.
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 children’s programs, in a day long workshop providing a taste of what the Art of Mentoring is all about. Through experiential learning, we’ll touch on 8 different tools to incorporate into your tool kit as a Mentor, 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.

Learn about rites of passage programs through an experiential evening led by Mark Morey. He’ll be giving people a taste of what a rite of passage program looks like and giving them tools to create their own for the youth in their own community. 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 incredible experience for all ages. It is an program intentionally designed to create a village style atmosphere, steeped in nature connection on all levels. Concurrent programs for children and adults provide a high level of learning, while also connecting generations at times to learn together. This course is amazing for 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 help motivate people of all ages to learn more about the natural world, and integrate it into their everyday lives. The staff provide mentorship, while teaching participants to mentor others at the same time. Some of the themes and curriculum of the course 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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