ABCD 9-month Immersion

Not currently enrolling
see past program photos

Central Texas is a unique place, located on the Balcones fault line where canyonlands meet blackland prairie.  This diverse ecosystem has countless species of wild beings ready for attention and connection with you. Come spend nine months with us deepening your relationship with the wonderful wild world, a group of hilarious humans, and your bad self.

This intensive is for ABCD (All But Cis Dudes) ages 16 and older.  Hearing, Deaf, and DeafBlind folks are welcome. Interpreters will be present and culture will be inclusive! 

We will meet one weekend per month. Most of these weekends we will be together all day Saturday and Sunday, gathering in parks here in Central Texas. We will additionally have two Friday night potlucks (September & January) and two weekend-long camping trips (Big Bend in November & the Texas Coast in April). Do not worry about spending money on expensive camping gear! We have stuff to share 🙂

Topics covered through the 9 weekends will include but not be limited to:

  • Carving & Knife Safety
  • Fire making 
  • Edible and medicinal plants
  • Animal tracking
  • Bird language
  • Shelter building
  • Natural cycles as models for building community
  • Navigation
  • Natural movement
  • Camouflage 

Each class you can expect to move, sit, study, listen, and play with other humans and the more-than-human world, creating a sense of community among our cohort and the forest. There is an abundance of friends and neighbors accessible simply by dropping into your senses, material and otherworldly. After these last few years, it’s time we come together outside. 

“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting – over and over announcing your place in the family of things.” Mary Oliver

Jessica and Nichole face away from the camera towards the full moon glowing in the blue sky. Jessica is wearing a camo tshirt and Nichole is wearing a pink and blue tank top. They each have their hair in a bun and they each have a hand outstretched towards the moon. They’re standing on flat limestone rocks and there is a small pond and green tree line in the distance.

Meet Your Facilitators

Nichole and Jess met while teaching at Earth Native Wilderness School in 2014. They spent years hiding from each other in the woods, crushing each other in mud fights, and playing games of Werewolf around the fire with preteens. They are excited to create space for an inclusive learning environment and spend time doing cool shit with rad folks in the woods.

Jessica and Nichole sit in the snow with a line of snow-covered pine trees in the distant background. They’re all bundled up with backpacks on and orange and black snow shoes stretched out in front of them. Jessica’s arm is around Nichole and Nichole’s head is on Jessica’s shoulder.
Two people are crouching down among weeds and rocky dirt. They are looking at the plants inside a square made out of 4 bamboo stalks whose corners are tied together with twine. The square is pushed up against a green chain link fence, and beyond the fence is a paved road with a red stripe along the shoulder. One person is wearing a black t-shirt and gray capri pants, has their long dark hair pulled back in a high bun, and is holding a packet of papers in their left hand. The other person is wearing a tank top and soft pants with a purple geometric pattern, and their long dark hair is pulled back into a low pony with a scrunchie.

dates

October 15-16, 2022 (All day Sat & Sun)

November 4-6, 2022 (Overnight Campout @ Big Bend National Park)

December 3-4, 2022 (All day Sat & Sun)

January 20-22, 2023 (Fri evening, Sat & Sun)

February 25-26, 2023 (All day Sat & Sun)

March 25-26, 2023 (All day Sat & Sun)

April 21-23, 2023 (Overnight campout @ Gulf Coast)

May 13-14, 2023 (All day Sat & Sun)

money and things

sliding scale $1000 (~$50 per class day) to $1500 (~$75 per class day)

Consider paying more on the scale if you…
-have full sight and hearing privilege –own the home you live in
-have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money
-travel for recreation
-have access to family money and resources in times of need
-work part time or are unemployed by choice, including unemployment due to full-time school in a degree-earning program
-have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education, gender and racial privilege, class background, etc. Even if you are not currently exercising your earning power, I ask you to recognize this as a choice

Consider paying less on the scale if you…
-have significant debt
-have medical expenses not covered by insurance
-are eligible for public assistance
-have immigration-related expenses
-are an elder with limited financial support
-are an unpaid community organizer
-are a returning citizen who has been denied work due to incarceration history
-experience discrimination in hiring or pay level
-will be receiving information through an interpreter
-are descended from enslaved people or Native American Indians (I recognize that much of my privilege has come at the expense of these communities) -are supporting children or have other dependents

$350 deposit due by July 15. Early bird special! Pay deposit by June 1 to get a free knife and free single-walled, steel canteen for water purification!

Full tuition due by September 23 (first day of class). Partial trade, payment plans, and scholarships available. Just reach out!

Paypal: wildthingsatx@gmail.com (select “individual” not “seller”)

REFUND POLICY:

We know that things change!  Refunds are workable.  We will refund everything, including the deposit, up until August 1.  From August 1 – September 23, we will keep the deposit and can refund any additional payment.  From September 23 on, we will keep the deposit and are willing to discuss refunds with you on a case by case basis.  It would most likely look like a refund of any future classes that haven’t happened yet.  

This is a 9 – month program and we cannot accept enrollment for just some of the weekends.  This is a package deal!  If you end up not being able to make it one weekend, we will not be able to refund those classes.  However, if you need to leave the program as a whole and not attend at all moving forward, that is when we would discuss refund options.  We love communication!   Keep us posted if you suspect things are changing and we will work with you 🙂

Not currently enrolling