I'm Jay.
Projects like this are needed more than any other time in our history and are rooted in the belief that we act to protect the things that we deeply care about.
My journey has taken me from being a wild child of the 70s to pursuing a career in children's nursing. My outdoor life has involved developing bushcraft and canoeing skills to instructor level, caretaking a woodland for wildlife and raising my own 'wild' children in a modern world context. Over a decade ago, I was inspired to spend even more time outside so I could connect more deeply with the nature of where I lived. I learned so much on this 're-wilding' journey & it changed how I perceive nature and the part I play in it. My legacy is now to pass on what nature has taught me and to inspire future generations to embrace a nature-first & slightly wilder lifestyle.
To support this aim I have developed a virtual 'Wilding' rucksack & filled it with hundreds of nature awareness & outdoor living activity guides. The activity guides include details of how to do the activity, any resources needed to do it & learning aims.
The activity guides will be available for free digitally and made affordable in other formats to cover printing costs. Each activity guide has a QR code which will take the learner to a video of the activity.
The activities aim to expand our senses, to notice natures patterns & to reflect on our experiences outside. Some bushcraft type activities support us to feel comfortable outside and other naturalist activities encourage us to delve deeper into natures mystery. The activities, of which include games, can be attempted on their own or they can be connected together to build learning programmes for individuals, families, school children or other groups including Scouting & Guiding. To support the programme planning process the activities have been mapped onto an adapted nature connection model called the Wilding Model.
I retired from a 26 year NHS career so I could dedicate my time to this & other re-wilding projects. This particular project has taken more than 2 years to date and is now at a point where funding is required to ensure the activity guides become widely available.
This crowdfunder will raise funds for:
• The hardware necessary to record & edit the activity guide films
• The publication & marketing of the activity guides
Live, learn & play naturally... everyday!
With gratitude💚
Jay the Jay