Ages 12 - 15

• survival skills

• physical endurance

• independence

• courage

• self-confidence

This activity fosters resilience, self-reliance, cooperation, creativity, adaptability, environmental awareness, and experiential learning through hands-on engagement with real-life survival scenarios.

• Personal belongings, food.

From one day to several days (max. 5).

The leader divides the group into smaller groups, trios, pairs, and assigns the first task - building a shelter from natural materials. The shelter must withstand at least one night as it will be slept in. It is recommended to set a time limit for building the shelter (e.g., 1 hour). Participants themselves decide on the placement of the shelter, who will do what: gather materials, plan construction, construction process, size, etc. When everyone finishes, the leader assigns the second task, which is preparing material for starting a fire. Before that, the guide demonstrates fire starting with a striker, which participants later try themselves when they prepare the necessary natural material. Once the fire is lit, they prepare dinner themselves (e.g., roasted sausages), so they need longer sticks, which they shape at the end (point) with a knife themselves. After dinner, the whole group gathers for a day evaluation (what were their expectations? How were these expectations fulfilled? Where did they encounter difficulties? What surprised them about themselves? Would they do anything differently? etc.). They spend the night in the shelter, also tasked with maintaining the fire. 

If survival in nature lasts for several days, participants can learn water filtration, orientation, identification of plant species, animals, tracking animal footprints, etc.

After the survival challenge, gather the group in a calm setting (ideally outdoors) and invite them to reflect on their thoughts, actions, and emotions during the experience. Encourage them to consider what they learned about themselves, their group, and their relationship with nature.

The experience encourages mindfulness, appreciation of the natural world, and reflection on personal and collective strengths.

On the last day, before departure, each participant fills out a questionnaire for reflection: 

"When we were together..." 

The funniest thing was _________________________ 

What annoyed me the most was ____________________

I regret the most _________________________ 

I learned the most _________________________ 

I cherish the memory of _________________________ 

I will never forget _________________________ 

I didn't like that _________________________ 

I would most like to change _________________________ 

What I will remember most is _______________________ 

The friendliest person to me was____________________

I would like to add that _________________________