Firestarters is a wholesome and holistic nature-based program for boys ages 9-16 that combines mentorship, nature immersion, and hands-on skills.
Young people in our society need mentorship to guide them through the transition from youth to adulthood. Firestarters began in 2022 as the North Fork Mentoring Project, an effort to provide meaningful adult relationships, holistic nature immersion, and time away from screens for boys in Paonia, Hotchkiss, and Crawford. Our vision is to create a touchstone for boys in our community and to offer experiences that anchor young people in values of connection to the Earth, heartfelt communication, and service to something greater than themselves. Our activities are designed to be fun and to get our participants into their bodies and senses: nature observation, hands-on crafts and skills, and seasonal processes like willow harvesting, foraging, and tracking.
Summer Offerings
Adventure, Skills and Nature Connection Summer Camp
When: 9am-3pm, July 8th-11th, 2024
Where: Meeting at Paonia River Park (traveling to other locations)
Ages: 9-12
Tuition: Sliding Scale — $300-$500 (scholarships available)
This summer day-camp program is an adventure and skills-based camp for boys age 9-12. Each day we will focus on different skills tailored to the group’s interest, including archery, atlatl, fire making, knife/axe skills, shelter building, etc. Included are multiple local adventures including a day of wilderness excursion, a stand-up paddlebaord (SUP) river float day on the Gunnison River and more. Throughout each day, we weave in our best nature connection games and fun activities!
Members of our staff are certified Wilderness First Responders.
Rite of Passage Backpacking Trip
When: July 18th-21st, 2024 (overnight)
Where: West Elk Wilderness, Colorado
Ages: 12-16
Tuition: $550 suggested, with an ability-to-pay-based sliding scale of $400-$700 (No scholarships this round, hopefully in future.)
Meals: Meals and snacks will be provided.
Personal Equipment: Some equipment is available for borrowing & rental.
Group Equipment: Group equipment rental is included in tuition.
Rites of passage has been a foundational part of healthy human culture and development throughout human history. In this 4 day/3 night wilderness immersion, we will weave together adventure, backpacking/wilderness skills, ceremony, sharing circles and tons of fun to welcome our boys into their teenage years and the life stage of adolescence.
Our group will journey into the depths of the West Elk Wilderness to an alpine lake, a 5 mile hike in. At the lake, we will set up a basecamp for multiple days of adventure. The West Elk Mountains have the potential for great fishing, wildlife encounters (baby moose, anyone?), and lots of beautiful terrain to explore on day trips. Activities could include constructing and sleeping in a shelter made of natural materials; catching, processing, and cooking fish on the campfire; fire-by-friction and fire building; playing nature connection games in mountain meadows; daily hikes; and threshold crossings. Throughout the trip, we’ll focus on foundational backcountry camping skills including water filtration, backcountry cooking, knots, and tarp setup.
Depending on the age and experience level of those who join us, we will alter and shift activities to meet the needs of the participants. A multi-day trip into the wilderness can be a big leap, and we work hard to create an enriching and wild experience for all. Our hope is that this journey will both test, strengthen, and fuel the hearts, minds, and bodies of our young men to become their most wholesome selves.
Members of our staff are certified Wilderness First Responders.
After-School Program
Firestarters After School Program
Spring Dates: 3-5pm, March 15th – May 15th, 2024
Fall Dates: Fall dates will be announced in July or early August.
Where: Meeting at Paonia River Park (traveling to other locations)
Ages: 9-12
Tuition: Sliding Scale — $300-$500 (scholarships available)
The spring session is under way. To join the session late, please send us an email.
Meet The Facilitators
Forrest Gillies
Forrest was fortunate to be raised at one of the oldest intentional communities, nestled into the red sandstone foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Being surrounded by wilderness, sustainable agriculture and abundant community shaped him into a human inspired to share these gifts with a world starving for land based connection. Guided by the question of how to create and sustain real, viable culture, Forrest found answers in the seeds. After studying Ecological Agriculture: Seeds, Bees & Soil at the Evergreen State College, he discovered the ways in which seed, subsistence agricultural systems and traditional life-ways create the foundational framework for real culture to emerge. Forrest has managed multiple regenerative farm and education projects including Siskiyou Seeds and White Oak Farm, offers nature connection programs for youth and is apprenticing in natural building. Rooted in reverence for the human & more-than-human world, Forrest walks in service to a more beautiful world we all know is possible.
Pieter Van Winkle
Pieter is a father, husband, hobby rancher and youth mentor. He has worked in the business world as an executive coach, sales manager and real estate investor. Pieter believes passionately in the power of youth mentorship — in particular nature-connected, community-supported rites of passage. He is committed to helping foster experiences for our valley youth that helps prepare them for the rapidly changing world they will soon inhabit, lead and transform. Pieter is also a potter who uses clay he gathers from the Earth and processes himself. He lives in Paonia with his wife Emma and their son Wendell.