Wild Nights Out provides diverse South African school-leavers (Matrics) a transformative wilderness passage as they finish school - a pivotal time of life transition.

Wild Nights Out consists of a 7 day 6 night facilitated wilderness immersion, where at the end of their Matric year 18 participants walk into the mountains as a living metaphor for walking into the next unknown phase of their lives. 

Facilitated by a team of experienced Rites of Passage guides, we work within a 'strength-in-diversity', non-competitive framework for self-development. After the impactful mountain time, a year-long Supportive Transition process ensures that the life lessons seeded in the Cederberg mountains help grow purposeful, heartfull, empowered and connected young people, capable of directing their own lives and effecting positive change as citizens within their communities.

In the fallout from COVID-19, we also recognise the immense strain that many youth are continuing to face. So we increasingly provide tools that can help youth in addressing mental health challenges and build personal resilience.  

JOIN US: become part of the community of adults creating nature-based rites of passage for youth by helping us provide scholarships to Matrics from a range of demographics so they can be a valued part of the full Wild Nights Out program. You can chose to support everything from a full scholarship (R5000 per person) to healthy meals in the mountains (R100 pp/day), or your own amount - whatever makes your heart sing!

Click here to donate with credit card via GivenGain 

or 

EFT direct to our host institution (Reg: 230-712 NPO)

Account: Org. Noetic Ecology NPC
Bank: First National Bank (FNB)
Branch: 250655
Acc. Number: 62815892147
Reference: WNO Donation
For overseas transfers:
SWIFT: FIRNZAJJ

(With every EFT donation, we reduce our GivenGain target accordingly. So far, we have raised R58,000 to help us reach our 2022 fundraising target of R122,000. Big thanks to the Tamboo Women for their recent generous donation!) 

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A bit more info about Wild Nights Out:

Phase 1: Wilderness Passage
Wild Nights Out invites school-leavers to join a team of experienced facilitators for a wilderness journey into the Cape Cederberg Mountains for 7-days (6-nights). We urge participants to embrace this walk into the relative unknown of the mountains as a living metaphor - a passage - in preparation for the next stage of their lives. 

In bringing together participants from very different social, cultural and demographic backgrounds, we help foster an authentic appreciation of ‘the other’ - through shared values and common ground - cultivating a newfound personal sense of intrinsic worth.

Wild Nights Out is specifically designed to give participating youth maximum contact with diversity, particularly for youth who have had little or no exposure to others from very different backgrounds. This is necessary so school-leavers can better thrive in a functionally diverse South Africa. 

Our facilitation team also reflects that - consisting of four facilitators of different ethnicities, languages and gender. Over the past 5 years, this has proven to be a highly effective combination, with each facilitator having particular insights to offer the participants, as well as being able to highlight specific cultural complexities from their own ethnic groups.
 
In addition to the above, the natural diversity of the wild spaces we sink into equally provide a transformative setting for powerful personal stories and important group dialogues to be openly shared. Meaningful experiences in these spaces catalyse a newfound appreciation for nature and sense of connection with - and belonging to - the world.  The programme encourages an ethic of care, custodianship and responsibility toward this “more-than-human” community. 

Phase 2: Supportive Transition

The follow-up Supportive Transition programme creates a solid support structure to deepen the learning and impact that the participants gained through the Wilderness Passage. 

The year-long programme consists of a number of facilitated single-day and overnight nature excursions -  such as rock climbing, surfing, hiking, camping - during the year following participants' wilderness passage. Additional support is offered through 11 online call sessions (one group call per month), social media engagement (throughout), and a monthly inspirational or instructional message (on a platform chosen by the group, e.g. WhatsApp) inviting a simple self-facilitated (learning) process at home.

The programme also offers diverse networking opportunities, an invitation to complete a Silver Level of the The President's Award, and sometimes internship opportunities at progressive opportunities may be available.

Join us in positively shaping the values and lives of our future leaders in fostering greater tolerance and connection within a rapidly changing South African society.