Nature-Based Mentoring & Leadership Training

A Call to Rebuild the Village

Are you a parent, aunty, uncle, carer, youth worker, therapist, teacher, mentor, or simply a human who feels the quiet but powerful responsibility to help raise the next generation well?

Have you seen what’s happening to our young ones?
The pull into screens and online worlds that promise connection but deliver emptiness.
The rise in anxiety, depression, and loneliness.
The loss of belonging that comes from being cut off from the wild, from the Earth that grounds and grows us.

And maybe you have also seen something else…

The small but growing return.
Children discovering joy in muddy hands and bare feet.
A spark in their eyes when they build a fire, climb a tree, or track an animal.
Families rediscovering the ways of the village, where every child is held by many and every adult plays their part.

If you feel called to be part of this return, to help weave belonging, purpose, and Earth wisdom into the lives of young people, this training is for you.

We have tended these fires for years. Now we want to pass you the “fire kit” so you can help light them where you are.


What You’ll Learn and Live

Over four days, we will immerse you in the art of nature-based mentoring and leadership. You will leave with the skills, confidence, and cultural tools to guide young people in ways that honour both their wild hearts and wise minds.

You will:

  • Learn how to create cultures of connection and empowerment in nature-based settings.

  • Bring games, songs, stories, and survival skills to life with different age groups.

  • Explore rites of passage, Indigenous wisdom, and regenerative culture.

  • Practise bushcraft including fire-making, shelter, tracking, carving, and bush foods.

  • Deepen your own resilience, emotional awareness, and sense of belonging.

Reconnect with your own wild child, because the best mentors are alive to the wonder they wish to awaken in others.

How It Works

This program combines three powerful elements:

  1. In-Person Immersion (4 Days)
     📅 12th–16th November 2025
    📍 Tanamon, Pillar Valley, NSW

    -     Daily workshops, bushcraft, tracking, storytelling, and cultural exploration.
    - Living and learning in a village-style community, guided by Mahli Hawke and experienced mentors.

  2. Wild Village Mentoring Experience (Optional)

    • Join the Wild Village Spring Camp (April 13–18, 2026) as a mentor.

    • Practise your skills in a live, vibrant, multi-generational setting.

    • Learn from seasoned mentors while contributing your own gifts.

  3. Online Calls and Guidebook

    • Opening and integration calls to prepare, reflect, and consolidate learning.

    • A digital guidebook packed with games, activities, and mentoring concepts.

Who’s Guiding You

Hi, I’m Mahli Hawke

Co-Founder and Core Leader of the Nature Philosophy Wild Village, where I’ve had the privilege of guiding the mentor team since its inception in 2017.

For the past 8 years, I’ve led nature-based programs for children and teens — from bush schools and homeschool groups to school camps and rites of passage adventures for boys.

As a group facilitator, storyteller, and fireside MC, my work is grounded in meaningful, connected growth for young people.

With 17 years’ experience as a teacher, mentor, and childcare worker, I’ve witnessed the deep transformation that happens when learning is rooted in nature.

’m a devoted student of ancestral and connected culture, with a special interest in men’s work, and have learned from mentors including Nature Philosophy, Lee Trew, Simon Thakur, Tom Brown Jnr, Jon Young, and Bill Plotkin.

I’m also a proud father to my son, Ochre, and partner to Nele-Mae.

I'm excited to share the magic of working with children and teens with you on this.

Your Investment

Full Price: $1,499

Early Bird: $1,199 (until 12th October)

Existing Wild Village Mentors: Use your Mentor Coupon

Scholarships: 2 x 50% scholarships for First Nations participants and those from financially disadvantaged or minority backgrounds

Helper Exchange: Limited spots for returning mentors

Payment Plans: Available, reach out to arrange

If you’re ready to step in

This is not just a training. It is a doorway.
Into a way of living and leading that our children and the Earth are quietly asking us to remember.

Your place in the circle is waiting.

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