Ropes: Wilderness Program for Teens

A collaborative wilderness experience where teens build community, leadership, and self-discovery through shared adventure.

What is Ropes About?

The name “Ropes” is a recognition that every life on this planet is interwoven with every other. Indeed, ever since the first Ropes program, Ropes has prioritized the building and fostering of relationships: Our relationships with the more-than-human world support our relationships with one another, and those in turn support relationships outside of Wild Earth. At Ropes, two things are always true: (1). Every participant is welcomed in the group exactly as they are, and (2). Every participant has ample space and encouragement to surprise themself–perhaps by taking on increased levels of agency and responsibility, by accessing newfound forms of creativity, or just by daring to let loose and get silly.

What makes Ropes distinct from other Wild Earth programs is that the participants are an active part of the planning and facilitation of each session. We recognize that teenagers arrive at Ropes with a strong sense of who they are and what they want. We also know that many participants come having already been a Wild Earth Counselor-in-Training or having had jobs and significant responsibilities elsewhere. For this reason, we view the relationship between instructors and participants at Ropes as a collaboration: The teens offer their visions for the program, and instructors offer skilled support and guidance in making those visions possible. Ultimately, what emerges is a group experience that reflects the unique contributions of each participant.

The program also includes two overnight experiences—one single-night winter overnight and one two-night spring overnight. During these immersions, participants take on the responsibility of running group logistics, from cooking and fire tending to planning flow and decision-making, while developing a deeper understanding of themselves, their interests, and their role within a community.

Here is what we know: 

• We will gather in the woods for 7 Saturday nights and 2 overnights (one 1-night overnight in the winter; one 2-night overnight in the spring)
• There will be a fire, sometimes we will make a meal over that fire
• There will be earth living skills
• There will be games
• There will be conversation

What we don’t yet know and is for the participants to decide is*: 

• How often we’ll cook and what we’ll make
• What games we’ll play
• What we’ll discuss
• What else we’ll do (Will we take on long-form projects? Go on epic night hikes? Play running games for hours on end?)

*A note for participants: If the thought of having to make all these decisions feels intimidating, don’t fret! The first couple of sessions will be planned by Wild Earth staff so that you can ease into your decision making.

Testimonials:

“Ropes gives me a healthy escape from high school. I get to be around grounded people who are close to my age and who have a lot of wisdom to share. It’s nice to have a supportive community to go to each month throughout the school year.”

“For me, it was one of the most intense and meaningful experiences I have ever had. Ropes allowed me to look deeper and to escape my everyday high school life and figure out things I wouldn’t have been able to comprehend without the guidance of everyone around me. The skills I learned are incredibly valuable and will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Register now and reserve your space in Ropes: Wilderness Program for Teens today. Space is limited.

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