About
White Pine Wilderness Academy Outdoor Education Programs include activities such as fire-making, wood splitting, plant identification, foraging, crafting, scouting, tracking, storytelling, free play, and bird language. The programs also include social and emotional learning, resilience, self-empowerment, martial arts, movement, meditation, wilderness skills, and naturalist training. The curriculum centers on aboriginal technology and the knowledge of hunter gatherer ancestors, and uses wilderness survival skills and aboriginal technologies to foster a connection with nature and each other.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: September 2026–May 2027
White Pine Wilderness Academy is a nature connection and survival skills school whose programs center on aboriginal technologies and ancient skills for ages 3 to 99+. The organization uses a custom curriculum that combines several nature connection models, including Indigenous cultures from around the world, the Coyote Mentoring philosophy, the 8 Shields Nature Connection model, and core routines outlined in the book Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature. The school is closely linked to the Shikari lineage of trackers from the jungles of northern India, is greatly indebted to the Primitive Skills movement, and is influenced by the Peacemaker lineage from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
White Pine Wilderness Academy, a non-profit organization founded in 2014, was founded by Matt Shull in 2014. The mission is to address the effects of nature deficit disorder through reconnection to place, community, ancestry, traditional cultures, and skills. The organization is a secular organization with students and staff from many cultural and religious backgrounds and has an ethical core based on 5 Agreements: Respect Life, Respect Each Other, Respect Ourselves, Respect The Circle, Be a Caretaker. Instructors are described as masters at their craft and driven by a passion for knowledge.
The academy has instructional programs for youth (ages 3–12), teens (ages 13–17), and adults (ages 18+), and offers popular summer camps for ages 4–17. The Protector Club (7–Adult) weaves together martial arts, movement, and meditation, and After-School Teen Sessions focus on teens unplugging, immersing in nature, and training in wilderness skills. Shikari is described as a community operating system structured around wilderness skills, naturalist training, seasonal rhythms, and self empowerment. The organization has a strong volunteer program for ages 13+ and offers financial aid to help as many kids get outside as possible.
White Pine Wilderness Academy is described as a premier leader in outdoor education in Central Indiana and hosts Elders from Native American, African, Asian, and European traditions. Many children in Indianapolis are described as eager to explore nature, and the organization states that for a small donation, a child in the local community can receive access to its programs.
Last updated May 12, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: September 2026–May 2027
White Pine Wilderness Academy is a nature connection and survival skills school whose programs center on aboriginal technologies and ancient skills for ages 3 to 99+. The organization uses a custom curriculum that combines several nature connection models, including Indigenous cultures from around the world, the Coyote Mentoring philosophy, the 8 Shields Nature Connection model, and core routines outlined in the book Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature. The school is closely linked to the Shikari lineage of trackers from the jungles of northern India, is greatly indebted to the Primitive Skills movement, and is influenced by the Peacemaker lineage from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
White Pine Wilderness Academy, a non-profit organization founded in 2014, was founded by Matt Shull in 2014. The mission is to address the effects of nature deficit disorder through reconnection to place, community, ancestry, traditional cultures, and skills. The organization is a secular organization with students and staff from many cultural and religious backgrounds and has an ethical core based on 5 Agreements: Respect Life, Respect Each Other, Respect Ourselves, Respect The Circle, Be a Caretaker. Instructors are described as masters at their craft and driven by a passion for knowledge.
The academy has instructional programs for youth (ages 3–12), teens (ages 13–17), and adults (ages 18+), and offers popular summer camps for ages 4–17. The Protector Club (7–Adult) weaves together martial arts, movement, and meditation, and After-School Teen Sessions focus on teens unplugging, immersing in nature, and training in wilderness skills. Shikari is described as a community operating system structured around wilderness skills, naturalist training, seasonal rhythms, and self empowerment. The organization has a strong volunteer program for ages 13+ and offers financial aid to help as many kids get outside as possible.
White Pine Wilderness Academy is described as a premier leader in outdoor education in Central Indiana and hosts Elders from Native American, African, Asian, and European traditions. Many children in Indianapolis are described as eager to explore nature, and the organization states that for a small donation, a child in the local community can receive access to its programs.
Last updated May 12, 2026.
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