For some, graduating The Immersion is just the start. Year 2 will support students in looking toward what is next in their work and life after completing The Immersion.
Year 2 will be comprised of:
- Class days and field trips specifically designed for Immersion Year 2 students will deepen core routines and skills through three primary curriculum areas (see below)
- Second year students will participate in some class days and field trips with the first-year Immersion students, fostering a strong and dynamic community.
- Community “dirt time” – designed and structured to cultivate an embodied practice
Year 2 Core Curriculum Areas
Natural & Cultural History of the Pacific Northwest
Students will step further into learning about the ecological landscapes and culturescapes of our region. This area of curriculum will study ecology, ornithology, bird language, wildlife tracking, botany, and cultural studies.
Potential class days: Marine and Island Ecology, Pacific Northwest Geology, Snow Tracking, etc.
Bushcraft & Outdoor Skills
This area will take students much further into bushcraft, survival, and other outdoor living and traveling skill sets. It will include advanced work with fire, shelter, campcraft, navigation, food and water procurement, and wildcrafting.
Potential class days: Bow Crafting, Large Animal Processing, Stone Tools, etc.
Leadership, Awareness, & Self Discovery
Students will continue their practices of core routines, self-awareness, embodiment, justice awareness, and communication and group process work. This component aims to leave second-year graduates more connected to who they are and how they may maximize their potential in this world.
Potential class days: Continued Leadership, Embodiment Work, Exploration of Equity in Nature Connection.
Program Logistics
- The Immersion Year 2 will begin in early September and end in late May/early June
- This cohort will have a maximum of 12 students, with an average student/teacher ratio of 6:1
- Class will typically be held Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with occasional Fridays as well
- The year will include several day trips and overnights to various Puget Sound and greater Northwest locations of interest
- Home study assignments will be given out throughout the year. Examples include personal projects, self-directed trips, volunteer opportunities, and citizen science projects
- Tuition for this program is $8,950 with a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 due upon enrollment
Meet Your Instructors
Kyle Schultheis (He/Him)
Kyle grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, where he spent much of his time exploring the oak savanna landscape. He earned a BS in Geology from Chico state university before spending four years in the military, serving overseas and in snowy upstate New York. Upon exiting the Army, he spent several years living off-grid in a canvas wall tent in the Pacific Northwest and began a new path exploring nature-connected and holistic ways of living.
A graduate of Wilderness Awareness School’s Immersion program and multiple other year-long and seasonal wilderness skills programs, Kyle has been practicing bushcraft and naturalist skills intensively since arriving in Washington in 2016. He enjoys spending all hours of the day and night in every season living outside and helping others find what brings them alive in the natural world.
Brooke Nelson (She/Her)
Brooke grew up exploring the woodlands, valley farms, and salty shores of the Pacific Northwest where she first became aware of the mysterious sentience she feels in wild spaces. She spent years working in marine conservation adoring the orcas and spiny lumpsuckers of the Salish Sea, until her attention shifted to life on land. She attended Alderleaf Wilderness College where she earned a Level III Track & Sign Certification, a Permaculture Design Certificate, became a Wilderness First Responder, and coordinated the yearlong Advanced Wilderness Skills Program. Brooke recently attended the Nature Connected Coaching program at Earth Based Institute, and apprenticed at The Immersion at Wilderness Awareness School where she learned to listen harder. She now serves as Admissions Coordinator for The Immersion where she’s able to connect with current and prospective students across the globe.
Most of all she loves wandering the wilds with people who marvel at the same things she does – animal tracks, native plants, bird calls – and sharing curiosity about all we find.
Ready to Join?
If you’re a graduate of The Immersion and interested in participating in The Immersion Year 2, apply here. Enrollment is open on a rolling basis until the program is filled.
To view more information, click here. To schedule a call, email Marcus Reynerson at [email protected]