Parents often ask instructors at Two Coyotes Wilderness School, “How can I learn and experience all the things you teach my child?” 

The organization has responded by launching the new Heartwood Wilderness Skills Apprenticeship Program running from September through June. For 10 months, “Oakhearts” will be mentored in wilderness skills in order to foster a deep relationship to the landscape and local ecosystem. Apprentices learn to walk into the forest and find materials to make primitive tools and crafts and build a fire or a shelter. They’ll also forge personal connections to the animals, plants and trees that share their local habitat.

Heartwood is designed and led by Andy Dobos, although there will be additional guest instructors to share their gifts with students. Dobos is an artist and educator specializing in nature connection mentoring, woodcrafts and wilderness skills. He is highly respected in his field, having earned a BFA in sculpture from Montserrat College of Art; a Wildlife Track and Sign Level Three Certificate from Cybertracker Conservation; an Advanced Completion Certificate from White Pine Programs Wildlife Tracking Apprenticeship; training in the art of mentoring and the Boys Sacred Fire Initiation; and more than a decade of experience in mentoring.

The program, which costs $2500 per person, meets one weekend a month culminating in a three-night, four-day adventure in June. Scholarships are available; please request one when you register. Apprentices must be 18 years or older.

To learn more about the schedule, locations, and topics covered in the course or to register, visit TwoCoyotes.org/programs/adult-programs/heartwood-wilderness-skills/. To learn more about Dobos’s art and mentoring, visit TheForestWolf.com.

Two Coyotes Wilderness School - Monroe, CT

Two Coyotes Wilderness School is a non-profit nature organization dedicated to creating a healthier, more connected future by connecting people to nature, community, and their personal em... Read More »