Teen Immersion Experience Week #1 - "The Hearth" (July 14-19)

Description:

The Teen Immersive Wilderness Program is a transformative outdoor experience designed to reconnect young participants with nature, instill essential survival skills, and promote personal growth. In an age dominated by digital tools, this program recognizes the importance of forging a strong connection with the natural world for the holistic development of young adults. The unit expands on ancestral skills learned through other A.K. programs and will help prepare young adults to navigate the modern world with a sense of community engagement.

The program spans three weeks, each focusing on a specific theme: "Hearth," "Self-Sufficiency," and "Navigation." While best experienced as a unit, it is not required for participation. Through a series of hands-on activities, participants engage in a variety of immersive experiences that range from basic survival skills to advanced outdoor techniques.

Camp Location: Harpers Ferry WV
Ages: 13- 17
Arrive at Camp: 3-4 pm Monday
Depart from Camp: 11 am Saturday
Registration Fee: $795

We have several discounts available (Only one coupon code can be used at a time. Discounts will not apply if you register without codes)

10% Family Discount* With two or more siblings attending the same camp, use Coupon Code; family
10% Multiple Overnight Camp Discount* When you register for two or more camps use the code: multi
5% Returning Camper Discount* When you have previously attended our camps use the code: return

Register for Week 1

Alice Craig - Instructor

Many know Alice from her role as the Head Chef at the Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Gathering.  What people don't know is that she is an amazing teacher, great with kids, and has an amazing skill set.  Alice is dedicated to connecting kids to nature through many avenues.  Alice and her Husband Rich had a Nature Music camp for several years in WNC where kids would come and learn how to play the guitar while weaving into the activities wilderness skills.  Everyone loves Alice!

Josh Roberts - Field Instructor

Josh Roberts discovered his passion for wilderness survival skills in Vermont in 1998. Through Tom Brown Jr's books he was inspired to practice survival skills which lead him to pursue these skills as a vocation. For over 15 years he has gained experience in this field with various summer camps, organizations and schools in over ten states. These include The Vermont Wilderness School, The Wild Earth Programs, The Roots School, The Institute of Natural Learning, The Fairview Lake YMCA, The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, and The Student Conservation Corp among others. Josh's goal in life is to share his passion for the benefits of wilderness survival skills. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Adventure Education and Environmental Studies from Prescott College in Arizona.

Josh has been working with Ancestral Knowledge in the DC area since the spring of 2012. Before moving to the DC area he taught similar survival programs in the Swanguak Mountains of New York. He is currently involved in instructing and developing Ancestral Knowledge’s home school programs, it’s summer camps and his own survival skills workshops. Josh has been actively involved with Mid Atlantic Primitive Skills youth programs and plans on continuing that involvement. He enjoys flintknapping as well as pursuing his interests in permaculture, primitive archery, wild edible foraging, guitar playing and snowboarding.He is best known for his warm personality, fire making skills, his mentoring and teen rites of passage programs, as well as his dedication to teaching wilderness survival skills.

Keith Grenoble - Lead Instructor

Keith Grenoble has been a product of the Back to the Land movement and developed close ties to Native communities from an early age. Keith started his journey by making stone tools represented in the rich archaeological record of Tidewater, Virginia and has been teaching earth skills since 1987. Over time, Keith has become skilled in a variety of earth skills.  He is very passionate about making simulations of prehistoric cookpots, and enjoys working with people of all experience levels and interests. He can often be seen catching a knap here and there.

Matt Hansen - Instructor

Matt is a man of many skills.  He is best know for his adventures in immersion.  Matt likes to follow the seasons up and down the coast learning how to live the life of a true hunter gatherer.  Matt brings an amazing skill set and experience to the camps that you won't find anywhere else.  Matt has a gentle and kind nature to his teaching that the kids gravitate towards.  If you like adventure, this is the guy you want to roam with.

Bill Kaczor - Co-Founder/ CEO 2007-Present

Bill is the CEO and co-founder of Ancestral Knowledge. Bill has worked and studied intensively with the masters in the fields of; youth mentoring, naturalist studies, primitive technology and tracking. He has been teaching children and adults in these subjects since 1998 — Bill was a lead instructor at Children of the Earth Foundations- Coyote Tracks summer camps for 5 years, and two years as the assistant director. He has instructed students at the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, Rivercane & Falling Leaves Rendezvous, Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Gathering (MAPS Meet), Bill can often be found instructing at Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School teaching primitive traps, bow making, flint knapping, pottery and hide tanning. In 1999 after 11 years, Bill chose to leave his skateboard/snowboard business and dedicate his life to helping people connect with the Earth through ancient skills. Shortly afterwards, Bill designed and was granted an after school and summer program for the 21st Century Learning Community in Public School District 150 of Peoria, Illinois. This program was successful in that it led the children to a respect for nature, respect for themselves and others, self-discipline and adventure. Bill is a specialist in bow making, stone tool technologies, hide tanning, fire by friction and hunting and experienced in many more skills.

A letter from Tom Brown Jr

Start Date: July 14, 2025
End Date: July 19, 2025

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