Foundations of Survival Skills & Wilderness Awareness

When systems break, nature will have your back – if you know how to work with her. Procure shelter, water, fire, and food. Sharpen awareness, navigation skills, and hazard identification. Joshua and Melina bring you their experience as survival instructors, nature connection mentors, and permaculture farmers.

Kids 5+ are welcome (see below). Lunch will be provided.

This is for

• Individuals seeking skills for self-reliance & survival taught through a lens of deep nature connection mentoring and relationship with the earth.

• Kids 5+ are welcome to join under the responsibility of their parents & guardians. While we often host child and family-focused programs, this program is primarily intended for adults seeking to develop their skills. If children are present, we will take care of their safety and include them.

Skills & Topics Covered

1. Shelter - Principles of primitive shelters and minimal modern shelters

2. Fire - Primitive and modern fire making technologies and techniques (depending on location as June is fire ban season in Portugal)

3. Water - Primitive harvesting, filtration and purification

4. Food - Foraging wild edible and medicinal plants & primitive cooking techniques 

5. Awareness - Techniques for knowing your environment, building relationship to place and sourcing what you need 

   
   

Location

Sintra mountain. Precise address will be shared after registration.

About your guides

Joshua Glass is a deep nature connection mentor for adults, youth and families. His training in Portugal and the USA specializes in wilderness survival and the 8-Shields cultural mentoring model for nature connection. He guides students to build inspired, lasting relationships with the Earth through hands-on survival and naturalist skills such as fire making, shelter building, primitive cooking, wild foraging, awareness, animal tracking, and storytelling. He facilitates a variety of program types including adult, family and youth wilderness programs, earth-based Rites of Passage for boys, and Father-Son wilderness programs. He has also served as the Land Steward for Traditional Dream Factory in Portugal. Joshua serves to create conditions for modern people to experience deep and direct personal relationships with the natural world and to thrive by surviving within the nature of constant change.

Melina Feuvrier-Etevenard, a regenerative farmer and permaculture enthusiast, thrives in crafting, cooking, and the art of wilderness awareness. She's cultivated her skills in communities and regenerative farms throughout Europe. Driven by a passion for nurturing both healthy ecosystems and flourishing cultures, Melina has worked with youth and adults in pedagogical farms and nature camps. She guides herself and others in aligning the human lifestyle with life’s natural cycles. Melina uses wild-foraged edible plants to create vitality-rich, nutritionally balanced and exceptionally delicious meals. Her love for nature, crafting, and togetherness enriches her unique approach as a chef and nature connection guide.