"Going Forth"- Teva's
Wilderness Adventure Program
8th Grade to Adult
In Joy shall you go out, and in peace shall you be led. The mountains
shall burst before you into song, and all the trees of the field
shall clap their hands.
-Isaiah 55:12
Outdoor Adventure
Multi-day backpacking
programs, base camping, and travel adventures provide exciting
challenges and opportunities for personal empowerment. Participants
hike, backpack, rock climb, canoe, whitewater river raft, learn
wilderness and survival skills, prepare their own meals, and share
responsibility for all aspects of outdoor communal living. Throughout,
they explore personal strengths and boundaries, and emerge more
confident and self-aware.
In the wilderness your possessions cannot surround you. Your preconceptions
cannot protect you . . . You see the world as if for the first
time.
- Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, Honey From the
Rock
Communal Life
Each group creates
a close and interdependent community, working together to meet
group challenges and celebrating the gifts and opportunities of
each day. Participants learn how a community can multiply the
value of individuals' strengths. This experience is used to discuss
Jewish visions of community and interpersonal relations. As well,
the skills acquired will inform future work in the group's more
permanent, local communities.
We thank You.for your miracles that are with us each day, and
for Your wonders and goodness which are with us every moment evening,
morning, and noon.
- Siddur, Amidah Prayer
Jewish
Life and Thought
Yitziah programs strive to enable participants to expand their
conceptions of "Jewish," and to help renew the ecological wisdom
inherent in Judaism. The outdoor setting sheds new light on tefila
(prayer), meditation and text study. Spirituality infuses all
of the activities to create a rich and meaningful program.
Prayer and Shabbat practices are determined by the needs and
customs of the group. When participants' religious backgrounds
or customs vary, the diversity of the participants' practice provides
an opportunity to celebrate the richness of our Jewish heritage.
Exploration and Care of Nature
Backpacking provides wonderful opportunities to explore the wonders
of Creation and realize moments of radical amazement. Courses
include activities which sensitize participants to the rhythms
of the natural world. Tree and flower identification, bird watching,
animal tracking, wild edibles, and astronomy are just a few of
the possibilities. Innovative education tools such as music, story
telling, drama, or creative writing facilitate the learning. The
daily decisions of outdoor life and immersion in the beauty of
Creation also confronts participants with questions of our responsibility
to the environment.
Logistics
The length of the program can be tailored to each groups' needs,
anywhere from a weekend to three weeks. The standard course is
five days.
Programs take place in National Parks and Forests. Please call
to find the closest site to your area.
All food is kosher, vegetarian and we can accommodate most other
dietary needs. We strive to buy food with the least environmental
impact.
At least one member of the staff on each course will be a certified
Wilderness First Responder, trained to handle medical emergencies
in remote locations.
An average level of fitness is sufficient to participate, and
no prior experience is required.
|