12 young people will join 3 experienced guides for an unforgettable 5 night expedition into the Scottish Highlands, near the Bridge Of Orchy. The group will carry in all of their own food, cook over the fire, swim in pristine lochs, hike through stunning mountains and live together in the wild.
Activities will include creating land art, gentle scrambling, nature games, mindfulness training, check-in circles, journaling, telling stories and connection to nature practices. We explore a whole range of topics during the programme, including individual purpose, leadership, compassion, empathy, and sustainable leadership.
An invigorating balance of a real sense of adventure and basic survival skills mixed with personal enquiry will lay a foundation for the young people to prepare well for their ‘nature solo’. Interactive games that support our process will be played to create a sense of playfulness, bonding and pure fun.
At the heart of the programme is the ‘nature solo’ – an opportunity for each participant to camp alone in the wild for 24 hours. Inspired by the traditional Rites of Passage quest that many indigenous cultures have as a ritual to cross over the threshold into young adulthood, each participant will pick a spot in nature, typically 36 feet in diameter, and spend an overnight in solitude, normally without shelter and without food. This emptying out of modern distractions creates a valuable space for reflection and to simple ‘be’. Afterwards the group return to camp to share their stories, and support each other to begin to incorporate their experiences into life after the programme.