ignite the delight in waking your wild ways 

be.wilder is an experiential workshop designed to playfully awaken our primal joy, naturalist sense-abilities, and our wilder selves to enliven and enhance our relationship with earth.

be.wilder comprises activities that awaken our awareness and curiousity about the wild world around us.  We watch, we listen, we move, we play, and we share. When we do this together in nature – as a model foraging community – we begin to rediscover the authentic joy innate to living and thriving in close relationship to the land and each other.

We begin with an overview of the underpinning philosophy and practices and then we get experiential as engage with rewilding practices such as attentive observation, introductory tracking, bird language and games that awaken our inner child.

This feel-good program is designed to improve our personal connection with wilder ways within us.  However, it is equally potent for parents, teacher and facilitators who are looking for ideas and insights to improve the human-nature relationship.

Facilitator:

Matthew Zylstra, PhD is a systems ecologist and nature connection practitioner passionate about meaningful experience and rewilding our relationship with earth – for the health of people and planet.  

Matthew’s PhD research through Stellenbosch University (2014) explored the role of meaningful experiences and nature connectedness in transformative learning and pro-environmental behaviour. Matthew has led international undergraduate conservation field-study programs for over 10 years primal practices that enhance our awareness, belonging and connectedness with place.

Matthew’s be.wilder experiences weave in training he has had over the past 15 years with Kamana Naturalist, Living Connection 1st (formerly 8Shields), and Coyote Mentoring.

Matthew is currently Programme Director for the Kwendalo Institute, Scientific Advisor for NatureFix and Research Associate with CST-Stellenbosch University.