Teaching Philosophy

Teaching Philosophy

Shelter, Water, Fire, Food; the Sacred order of “Survival”

We teach about the 4 Elements of Survival: Shelter, Water, Fire and Food, and how they sustain us.

We believe that ALL peoples are entitled to these 4 needs of human life, as we are ALL indigenous to Mother Earth.

The skills of making shelter, finding pure water, creating fire and procuring food are tools that we share to ensure that our youth do not have to “survive” Mother Earth – but rather gain confidence that She loves us and the importance of cultivating relationship with Her. In pursuing this knowledge, we build one of our most important relations with our greatest teacher – Mother Earth.

4EEE’s Youth, Adult and Family Programs are designed for all students: home-schooled, public schooled or charter schooled, all adults and all families. Participants gain hands-on instruction in the ancient arts of wilderness survival, animal tracking and nature awareness.

Led by founder Rick Berry and the 4EEE Instructor crew, our programs expose children and adults to the stories and teachings of Stalking Wolf, a Lipan Apache, who wandered the western hemisphere for 60 years and handed down his teachings to the well-known author and teacher Tom Brown, Jr.

The staff and Instructors have a high moral and ethical code, one that mimics nature, as we are only guides to point them to nature's teachings. We are constantly "role-modeling" respect with the natural world and with each other. A huge part of 4EEE is that the inspiration and knowledge gained in nature encourages youth to give back, not only to the land, but to their respective communities as well.

Our Program is grateful to the Tracker School for passing down the Skills of Wilderness Survival and Coyote Teaching methods that use the art of questioning, and tapping into the ways of our ancestors.

Our curriculum engages students organically, through building relationship with self and Mother Earth.

Additional benefits include:

  • STRENGTHENS:

    *Concentration

    *Observation

    *Endurance

  • ACCESSES:

    *Deep reservoirs of self-confidence

    *Self-knowing

  • CULTIVATES:

    *Intimate, respectful relationships between students, the Earth and all who dwell upon her

  • EMPOWERS, INSPIRES and PREPARES:

    *Students to become active, responsible caretakers of the Earth

As a result, Youth experience a different type of education. Encouraged to sit and read nature like an open book, they are rewarded by the magic of the natural world.

At Pata Panaka Village in Nevada City California, they learn how to care-take a home – where the bedroom is the bark hut and the living room is outside. They refer to going up and down the hill as “upstairs” and “downstairs”. They begin to have a deep understanding that the Earth is our home, that our home is much bigger than they once thought, and that care-taking this home is a great honor and responsibility.