We see wilderness education as providing a catalyst mechanism for change. Wilderness-based experiential learning involves primal experiences, investigation, improvisation, teamwork and problem solving. Our approach in wilderness eco-travel emphasizes self-reliance, reflection, self-knowledge and cooperation. It influences how young people perceive their relationships with their world and they often come to see themselves as intimately connected to all life. Our genuine hope is that these experiences help young people see their lives and the world in new ways. We believe, as did Henry David Thoreau, that “In wilderness is the preservation of the world”.
VWP is committed to one very simple idea: if we can help people come to know and love wilderness they will be unwilling to simply let it disappear. Wilderness is something we’re still privileged to experience. Those of us who do come to know and love its wild, untamed beauty, need to serve as its guardians.
