Teen Program “Honoring Cayuga” Feedback Request
Dear Primitive Pursuits Teen (and beyond) Parents,
I am proposing a new Primitive Pursuits program for older teens, ages 15-18+ and am looking for feedback from current and former PP teen families (see below). What follows is the likely description we would post as well as a more detailed write-up of hoped for activities and goals and a few questions. Thank you for any feedback you can offer us!
After a year of remote learning, physical distancing and sedentary isolation move forward into Spring 2021 with us! Join our new long distance hiking and exploration program.
Honoring Cayuga: Hiking and Exploring the Land, Nature and Human Connection of the Cayuga Watershed
We will:
- Join together in a community of shared in-person learning (observing COVID protocols)
- Hike 4-6 miles each week on the Finger Lakes Trail (and other) crossing from west to east across the Cayuga Watershed
- Delve into the geology, natural history, biology and ecology of our beloved landscape and learn and practice reading the landscape, identifying trees, plants and animal signs
- Learn and practice mindfulness and awareness activities
- Learn about human relations to the land and it’s beings – of the Haudenasaunee and the Cayuga Nation relation based on respect and reciprocity, and of settler/colonial through to current western relations based on ownership and resource use. How does how we see the land affect future health of the land and its inhabitants, including us.
Program specifics include:
- Target ages – 15-18+; ~12-15 participants
- 9-12 weekly or bi-weekly meetings of 4-6 hours
- Overnight backpacking trip
- Hiking 4-6 miles per meeting; overnight trip ~9-12 miles
- Regular weekly rhythms of the program to include: gratitude practice, hiking, solo reflection, barefoot walking, other awareness exercises, sharing of natural and human history, discussions and peer teaching, individual research, etc.
- Potential timeline for topics:
– First month: intro to program; weekly rhythm; focus on local geology, biology, ecology, natural history.
– Second month: human relationship to the land and life; local human land use history; Haudenosaunee vs western mentality/practice.
– Third month: tying it together and bringing it beyond the program; inviting public interest, media coverage, youth voice in public media and fundraising efforts.
Please use the form below to provide your feedback for this program!
Email [email protected] with questions.