Wake up and village gathering

Villagers are awoken with song each morning, just after 7am.  Following breakfast at your camp, we’ll gather together at the Village Green at 8.30am.

Morning circle and games will be held at the Village Green. Villagers gather in their mixed age clans – groups of families, adults and crew – where we meet new folks, check in with each other, play games, do activities together and generally look out for one another.

Clans

This is your extended family for the week. There may be people that you know and some that you don’t in your clans, we try for a mix of ages in the clans. We ask us all to take up the opportunity of practising village and community repair here. Practice asking for help, welcoming new folk, supporting families with younger kids, elders, folks who need any extra support (all of us). We encourage you to check in and catch each other’s stories, ask for an extra blanket, etc…

Morning program

At around 9am, the village breaks into age groups – the kids and teens head off into the bush with mentors to explore, while the adults and roo and joeys will be invited on their own personal journey of learning and discovery.

Kids’ Program

Each morning, kids and young people (aged 4+) will head off with their own backpack, packed with a drink bottle, wet weather clothing and snacks for a morning of wild adventures with their incredible mentors. 
Into the bush they’ll go, to experience a free-flowing exploration of the surrounding bush. The mentors will guide the children’s play in a safe way and enable each child to connect with the natural world around them. We aim to create a safe space in which the children can listen to their own creativity. We will play games, immerse ourselves in story and song, wonder at the nature that surrounds us, find animal tracks, and learn wild skills such as fire, shelter and craft. 
Through this play and exploration, the kids will drop into a new awareness of the wild world around them, connecting more deeply with the plants, the earth, the animals, and with each other. The kids program is as diverse as the kids and mentors themselves, and we can’t wait to see what they get up to this camp.

Mentors all have Working with Children Checks, and bring along their love of nature, diverse skills, passion for village culture and supporting young folks. You will get to meet them after you arrive and in the evening after dinner.

Roo & Joey Program (paused)

We are sensitive to the fact that the practicalities of camping with a toddler or younger child will probably mean that parents can’t participate fully in the adult program, as parents with older kids can. We want to support these parents to come to camp, immerse themselves in the magic of earth and community and be a valued part of the village. Should you need extra support from the village we’re here to help! We have in the past offered a program specifically to meet the needs of this stage and age of life of our villagers. Perhaps in future as our exciting new community-led approach plants its roots deep in the earth the Roo and Joey program will return – will you be the one to bring your gifts into this space?! 

Teen Program

We respect and value our village teens and endeavour to continue to build and provide a teen program that celebrates our soon-to-be emerging adults. As our Rekindled village finds its feet our teens will be invited to co-create their program and bring along any passions that they would like to extend. We will focus on skill development, apprentice mentoring, as well as connection to self, other, community and nature. In previous camps our teens have journeyed off together on an overnight hike with experienced mentors to return to the village to share their stories and discoveries. As a community we will continue our work towards creating and holding space for rites of passage for the young people that we are growing in our village. 

Participation in all activities is optional – we encourage individuals to listen to their own needs and follow their own curiosities.

Adult Program

While the kids adventure out into the wilds, the adults will be invited on their own personal journey of learning and discovery. There will be plenty of space in the day for sit spots and solo bush adventures or you might find yourself dipping into spontaneous earth-based skills sharing with new friends and old. The archetypal ‘wild child’ will come alive through games, nature play and connective activities.  Some folks might opt for deeply connective adult-sharing circles where parents and adults alike are held in a safer space to share how folks are really travelling. 

Afternoons

When the kids return to the village green with their mentors and are handed over to the care of their adults. We ask parents or carers to be there at this time so that a smooth handover to their adults and fresh story catching can happen. We’re all bound to have wild appetites and will then break for lunch. 
The afternoons are for unwinding with unstructured time to connect with new friends, lend a hand, share your gifts or rest and replenish in the beautiful bushy surrounds. Follow where your body is guiding you and let your afternoon unfold!
Some days throughout the week, generally in the early afternoon, your clan group will help with the smooth running of our village by doing village service together for an hour. Village service is a practice in reciprocity that is at the heart of village life. A village service roster will be posted in the shared space and we will remind you of your clan’s responsibilities each morning. These clan jobs are divided into the elements Earth (supporting the chef and serving dinner), Air (clean bathrooms, tidying and prettying camp), Fire (chopping wood, keeping wood dry, tidying fire areas, lighting the evening fires), Water (dishwashing stations set up/refresh, assist with kitchen dishes), and Heart (keeping watch over afternoon play and tending to members of camp who need support).

Dinner and evening program

Pots will be bubbling away all afternoon and dinner will be served at 5:30. We generally eat our evening meal together under the Willum or on the Village green. Evenings are a special time for gathering around the fire to share our meal, songs and stories. We have many fine storytellers and musicians among us to make the evenings a lively and imaginative affair!
Depending on the gifts and offerings of the villagers, perhaps some evening a night walk or extra challenge might be offered for older kids, teens and adults to join if they wish. Other evenings may evolve with a song circle, chatting around the fire or early to bed.
All of our program offerings and activities are optional. We welcome your participation and engagement, and we honour the wisdom of each villager to know what is right for them.

A few village offerings…

We welcome any spontaneous nature art offerings or installations throughout the course of our time together. Be they villages for the wee folk or any other nature-inspired offering!
You can expect music and songs to fill the air at various times, so please bring your instruments and singing voices to share some melodies and beats throughout the week.