501C3 Pending EIN: 41-2957577
Walker School of the Wild Foundation
Teen Wilderness Rites of Passage
Our Youth Rites of Passage program guides youth 13-18 from the Bay Area and Los Angeles through intentional, nature-based experiences that mark the transition from childhood toward adulthood.
Through wilderness immersion, mentorship, skill-building, reflection, and ceremony, participants learn responsibility, self-trust, emotional resilience, and a sense of belonging to something larger than themselves. These rites provide what many modern adolescents are missing: meaningful challenge, clear thresholds, and supportive elders who help them step forward with purpose.
The 5-Day Threshold: Sierra Nevada, July 12-18 2026
Through challenge, mentorship, wilderness skills, and time on the land, boys 13-18 cross an intentional threshold toward responsibility, self-trust, and adulthood.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we gather on Onavi, the ancestral homeland of the Nüümü (Northern Paiute), with long-standing relationships also held by the Wašíiw (Washoe) and Kutzadika’a (Mono Lake Paiute) peoples. Onavi—its valleys, rivers, mountains, and wildlife—has been lived with, known, and cared for through Indigenous languages, laws, and responsibilities since time immemorial.
We honor the enduring presence and resilience of Indigenous peoples and recognize the histories of displacement carried on this land. As we work and gather on Onavi, we commit to humility, gratitude, and responsibility—to act in ways that respect the land and the peoples who have always belonged to it.