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Rewilding weekend – 6 to 8th of August 2023
23 June 2023 @ 17:00 - 25 June 2023 @ 16:00
Rewilding the forest together
In recent years, we have been hearing more often how our forests in Belgium are slowly disappearing. Beside deforestation, persistent summer droughts, numerous tree diseases and soil acidification are not making things better.
Yet we feel it is possible as a community to rewild our forests in a meaningful way, to make our contribution to a future with lots of nature for the next generations and to be able to give them these beautiful values too.
Sophie’s ancestors had forests in the Ardennes for generations. Step by step, we would like to rewild our forests with the community and take you all on this journey. We like to share our knowledge about the forests, get practical during the weekends and find the most beautiful connection there: with the forest and with each other.
Every Rewilding weekend is an opportunity to dive deeper into your connection with nature through the seasons, to contribute to a meaningful project that will benefit many more children and young people in the near future. Also to learn, step by step, in a concrete way, how you might re-wild your own garden, forest or meadow or start a community project. You will learn how to set up windbreaks, about native trees and plants and their properties, ecological and sustainable forest management. You can be introduced to some or all phases, ranging from study, observation, preparation, planting and maintenance.
Specifically, we start by rewilding a spruce forest that had to be cut down due to a beetle infestation. We are turning it into a cosy, natural grove, a Sacred Grove for the community, where we can do nature observation, hold sharing circles with groups and nature ceremonies. Furthermore, we are also rewilding other forests. This runs in phases, with different projects in different places.
Accommodation & stay
During the weekends, you will stay overnight with Chamai, in the Old Presbytery of the small village of Hodister, in the Ardennes. You will stay in a spacious room with 2 or 3 people. Staying in the tent in the beautiful garden is also possible. During the day, we are out in the forest most of the time. We also prepare delicious vegetarian meals with herbs and greens from our own garden.
All meals are provided during the weekend. If you like regular snacks in between meals, be sure to bring what you need for yourself, or possibly to share with the group. Tea, coffee and water are provided at all times.
Programme of each day
Friday
5 pm: arrival and installation
Dinner
Intro to the weekend and intention circle
Evening walk or cosy time at the fire place
Saturday
Morning: open space for meditation and yoga in the temple hall
Breakfast
Briefing and theoretical input
3h of service to the forest
Lunch in the forest with fire
Afternoon: free, hike with the group, or optional extra input around plants and herbs
Dinner
Observation & part circle
Evening walk or socialising
Sunday
Morning: open space for meditation and yoga in the temple hall
Breakfast
Briefing and theoretical input
3h of service to the forest
Lunch in the forest with fire
Afternoon: tree blessing ceremony
Final observation & part circle and farewell at 4pm
Dates of the Rewilding weekends
18 to 21th of May – weekend for fathers or mothers and sons 8+ (with Gert) – Building a forsest camp with natural materials & making fire – element: Fire – FULL
23 to 25th of June – Tracks, paths & clearings for nature observation – element: Earth (you can also join the Wild Awareness forest week that starts 3 days earlier and your participation to the Rewilding weekend will be covered). More info on our Retreat page!
6 to 8th of August – Building bridges and water basin repair – element: water (you can also join the Wild Awareness forest week that starts 3 days earlier and your participation to the Rewilding weekend will be covered). More info on our Retreat page!
13 to 15th of October – weekend for fathers and sons (with Gert) – Building forest camp & making fire – element: Fire
10 to 12th of November – The Big Tree Planting Weekend
Registration and prices
Standard price for a Rewilding weekend is 300 euro
If you want to participate with your family, the standard price is 300 euros per adult for the weekend and 50 euros per child (<12 year) or 100 euros per youth (<21 year). Are you coming with 2 adults and 2 or more children/young people? Then you get a discount of 25 euros per family member.
Supporter-Businness price: 350 euro (if you want an invoice or support our Rewilding project – we will buy and plant additional trees with your participation)
Are you registering at least one month before the weekend? Then you get an early bird discount of 50 euros, if you transfer your full participation in one go (not valid for social pricing).
Your registration is complete as soon as you have sent an email to chamaicentre@gmail.com and transferred the full registration fee to the following account: BE12 7340 4886 7292 – Sophie Vandenkerchove, mentioning your name + Rewilding weekend and date.
If you cancel your participation, a part of your enrollment fee will be withheld to cover the administrative costs of your cancellation. Two months in advance 25% of your contribution will be retained, one month in advance 50% and 2 weeks in advance: 75% of your contribution. If the retreat has to be cancelled due to external organisational reasons, your registration will be fully refunded.
We are organizing a rewilding weekend several times this year: the next retreat dates are 6-8 August and 23-25 October. You can already enroll for these dates, simply send us an email and you will get an Early bird discount.
Facilitation team
Sophie Vandenkerchove
Sophie is a lover of the Wild – within and without. Sophie grew up in the forests of the Belgian Ardennes, where she nurtured a strong connection to the land of her ancestors as a child. After roaming wild places in the cities, she moved back to her village with a dedication to offer her life to the well-being and healing of her ancestral land. Out of this, Chamai came into existence: a nature-based learning centre, where she offers residential workshops and experiential journeys in and with Nature and collaborates with others. In her own work, she interweaves the power of ceremony and presenceness with her soulful love for her place, nature and people. She is passionate about pilgrimages, solo time in nature, silent retreats and all those experiences that bring together a good balance of adventure, presence and gentleness. Feeling and bringing each other home, is her life’s longing and service.
Felicitas Lang
Felicitas is a Green teacher at an MBO school in South Limburg in the Netherlands and followed extensive training in nature and environmental education, including Jon Young’s 8 Shields teaching method.
In 2018, she founded the training institute Natur-Erleben. Her mission with her work is to connect people, with themselves and with their natural environment. She does this mainly in a playful, accessible and active way.
She also offers herbal walks, conscious nature experiences, team-buildings in nature and also courses, where you learn how to make your own household and personal care products based on natural ingredients.
Natur-Erleben on Facebook
Gert Daniels
Gert is a gentle man, as a dance & yoga teacher he enjoys life. And invites everyone to live from heart and feeling. He is director and jack-of-all-trades of the non-profit organisation We See You (bringing dance, singing, martial-arts to vulnerable children, young people and schools). Thanks to many teachers worldwide, he brings countless inner treasures to those who can use them by being softly and listeningly present with what is. His specialities are the Sacred Sufi Dervish Dance and the Sword Dance (Tog Chöd Wisdom Sword). For years, he is co-organiser of men’s gatherings to guide men more in heart and feeling and inspire young and not so young men. Co-creator of the Tribe of the Heart, where every heart is desperately needed in this time of great change.