Episode 133 - Tracking with Aboriginal Elders, Healing the World with John Stokes

Episode 133 - Tracking with Aboriginal Elders, Healing the World with John Stokes

Author: Ricardo Sierra September 12, 2024 Duration: 1:07:35
It was through Tom Brown Jr and his Tracker School that I came to meet John.  It was 1984, on a farm in western New Jersey, and he was an instructor at the school, and spending seven days with him and the rest of the staff and Tom changed the direction of my life in a radical way. John was pulled to New Mexico in 1986, where he founded The Tracking Project, and began running rites of passage camps for boys and girls, as well as adult trainings and retreats. I was incredibly fortunate to spend time in his Nurturing the Roots Mentoring Program, where he had gathered elders from Australia, Sweden, Hawaii, Mexico, Brazil, and across North America.   Learning and connecting with those elders and John and his staff was a revelation that blew my mind, because they held a mentoring space that was unlike anything I had experienced before.    This experience changed the way I tracked animals, connected to nature, taught and led my camps, trainings and programs. It even affected my personal and community relationships   In this first of a series of conversations, we dive into what learning tracking does to us and for us as human beings, and John describes his apprenticeship with some of the best trackers in the world.    Please enjoy Episode #133. Website:   https://thetrackingproject.org/ Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/thetrackingproject/ Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/TheTrackingProject/ YouTube:    https://www.youtube.com/@thetrackingproject Forest Educator Bonus Content Page: http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent Join the Forest Educator Patreon! https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast Connect with Ricardo: https://www.foresteducator.com/ https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/ https://www.hawkcircle.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra

Ricardo Sierra has spent over three decades working in wilderness education, and that depth of experience shapes every conversation in Forest Educator with Ricardo Sierra. This isn't a lecture series; it's a collection of genuine dialogues with educators and practitioners around the world who are actively reimagining how we learn in and with the natural world. You'll hear from people integrating nature into schoolyards, running innovative forest camps, and applying outdoor principles in surprising business and leadership contexts. The discussions are grounded in the practical realities of the field-think less about abstract theory and more about tangible tools, adaptable strategies, and the honest challenges these pioneers face. Released twice weekly, each episode feels like pulling up a stump in the woods to listen in on a candid exchange between colleagues. Whether you're directly involved in outdoor programming, curious about the intersection of wilderness and professional development, or simply believe in the transformative power of a hands-on education, this podcast offers a steady source of inspiration and actionable insight drawn directly from the front lines of nature-based learning.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Forest Educator with Ricardo Sierra | A Podcast for Revolutionary Conversations about Nature-Based Education
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