It’s hard for me to find words for the kind of impact Wilderness Awareness School has had on our child. Like the program itself, the changes we have seen in him are deep and far-reaching. This is his fourth year with WAS and we can’t imagine his life without this adventure or these people. He has found his place and thereby found himself.
We are profoundly grateful. We went to WAS after our son was being bullied by an older sibling and shamed by his public school teacher. He was withdrawing into himself, retreating from the world. I was afraid that he would fall through the cracks both at school and at home. He has two siblings with special needs, so I felt that he needed something special that was just his. Wilderness Awareness School has literally saved him. He is now calm, confident, competent, and cheerful. He is better at holding his own boundaries and more likely to take chances. (He’s also stealthier and great at building fires!)
The staff of Foxes and Coyotes has been universally amazing. I’ve never seen a group of people who understand children like they do. Everything is done with total respect. Self-sufficiency is encouraged, yet the teachers make sure that each child has adequate support. I love that individuals are encouraged to develop their bodies, minds, senses, emotions, and spirits. I appreciate the thoughtful rituals that mark milestones or maturity. All of it is genuine. These beautiful people have changed our son’s life, and by extension, had a positive influence on our family and greater community.
We’ve been blessed to be involved in the WAS community, but it wouldn’t be possible for us without a partial scholarship. Even with scholarship funds, we struggle to come up with the money, but we want to pay as much as we can so that other children have the same incredible opportunity. We value Wilderness Awareness School so much! Please donate what you can to WAS because it makes a huge difference. Our son has opened up to the world and himself. I can see that his path in life has been altered by his experience at Wilderness Awareness School, but it doesn’t matter where he goes because he will know how to be himself. I can’t think of a better gift.