Wild Hearts Program
Course Description
Right now, our young people are feeling more stressed and anxious than ever. The world can feel pretty overwhelming, but being part of a community can help. We're here to light a fire within them - to help them find their purpose, walk with resilience and love, and rise up together.
Wild Hearts is a community of teens, young adults, and parents who are all about living and leading with love. We guide them in finding their authentic selves, building confidence, and having honest conversations. We call it Fire Talk, and it's all about giving young people the essential life skills they need to make choices that truly serve them.
With Wild Hearts, they'll learn to:
Speak their truth with confidence
Set healthy boundaries
Take care of themselves
Be leaders in their own lives
Express themselves authentically
Stand up for justice and integrity
Build healthy relationships
Explore their identity
Take appropriate risks
Spend quality time with friends in nature
Honor their bodies and natural cycles
Connect with the earth
And when they graduate from Wild Hearts, they'll do it with a secure sense of self, knowing they're worthy of love and respect. Our mission is to connect young people with their inner nature, the natural world, and the nature of life - and to build a world where we're all devoted allies to each other and to the earth. So let's gather 'round this fire and be in this together!
Details, Session Dates, and Registration
Where: Felton, CA
Time: 4pm - 8pm
Ages: 13-18
Or when a youth begins showing signs of readiness to engage in this kind of program; this might include things like having begun puberty, being interested in internal reflection, questioning the systems/norms/social phenomenon of the world around them, testing boundaries, etc.
Price: $740 (9 sessions)
Instructors: Austin (Steen) Balfany and Kate Peters
INSTRUCTOR
Austin Balfany grew up in Minneapolis, MN and received a bachelor's degree in outdoor education from Northland College in Ashland Wisconsin. Before moving to the bay area he has spent time working with outdoor science schools in southern California and Colorado. He has worked with wilderness therapy programs catering to teens and adults, and led multi day teen backpacking programs in Minnesota, Wisconsin, California, Oregon, and Alaska. He has been working with the Riekes center nature department for the last two years. He believes in the healing power of nature and community.