Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions – scroll down to find the responses to them below…
- I want to do an Art of Mentoring but can’t make this one, how do I find out about others?
- What exactly do you do on an Art of Mentoring course? Can I get a list of activities covered, and measurable learning outcomes so that my work will fund me to come?
- If there are lots of adult participants, couldn’t the overall course price be lower?
- If I am applying for a bursary and I don’t get offered one will I lose my place?
- If I live locally can I reduce my fee by not camping and returning home for the nights?
- Is there alternative accommodation to camping?
- I really want to do the Art of Mentoring but I have a commitment that means I’d have to arrive a day late – can I still come?
- I can’t afford the price of the course, can I offer work trade?
- I am experienced in this field, can I come as a volunteer or do some work trade?
- If I have done the adult ring 1 course, as well as the adult ring 2 nature immersion course can I apply to be staff?
- How do I apply to be staff?
- Can I send my child on Art of Mentoring if I am not a participant?
- If you teach that children should be at the centre of any healthy culture, why are children not more central to the Art of Mentoring course?
- Can I come with my toddler without accompanying anyone who is taking one of the adult programmes?
- What about your carbon footprint? Isn’t it contradictory to promote nature connection but then have staff travel from USA and Europe to deliver the course?
- If Art of Mentoring is for people already doing some kind of nature based work, do we run the risk of preaching to the converted?
1. I want to do an Art of Mentoring but can’t make this one, how do I find out about others?
The following locations also offer Art of Mentoring courses. Most of them don’t have the 2012 dates out yet. To keep updated on other future AoM events – please check their websites:
| Host | Location | Date in 2012 |
| Art of Mentoring at the P.I.N.E. Project | Ontario – Canada | 20-25 Aug |
| Art of Mentoring at 8 Shields | Santa Cruz, CA – US | Dates TBA |
| Art of Mentoring at the Wilderness Awareness School | Duvall, WA – US | Dates TBA |
| Art of Mentoring at Vermont Wilderness School | Vermont, VT – US | Dates TBA |
If you’re an affilliate organisation running an Art of Mentoring in 2012 please let us know so we can spread the word!
You can find other affiliates’ and prior participants’ websites here.
2. What exactly do you do on an Art of Mentoring course? Can I get a list of activities covered, and measurable learning outcomes so that my work will fund me to come?
Culture, relationships, connections to the natural world, and feelings are all hard things to measure, don’t you find?
Part of the magic of an AoM is that it is 1) a little mysterious 2) it is built on principles and tools, but is also created in the moment by the constellation of facilitators and participants present.
The week is an experiential journey into the 8 Shields cultural map. This is the best we have come up with to describe what is we do:
“Guided by an international team of experienced facilitators, each day includes personal and group activities. These are largely outside and include the art of questioning, inner & land based tracking, naturalist education, sensory awareness training, inspirational storytelling, singing, creative arts, ceremony and discussion. Topics touched upon are as varied as child’s passions, essential elements of effective nature education, gender and inter-generational healing, and grief tending in community. Throughout the week we will build a village rooted in nature, music and artful co-mentoring.”
Ultimately you need to use your own gut instinct around whether this course has something important to offer you at this time.
Some things you can say to your potential funders are:
- AoM has sold out every year, even in these tough economic times.
- You will get to meet many others in your field, build lasting relationships, and have access to an ongoing thriving support network.
- Art of Mentoring is held by an international team with over 30 years of experience designing and delivering this course.
- We have had many schools, charities and voluntary organisations fund previous participants.
- You will return with tangible tools you can pass on immediately to other staff members, and a whole lot more cooking within you that cannot be sliced and diced in a day’s training.
3. If there are lots of participants, couldn’t the course price be lower?
AoM UK does not make any profit. The course fees go into the event administration, insurance, venue hire, food, chef, speakers, staff travel & stipends, speakers fees, paying the food & Lodging cost of our large staff group, providing bursary places (all those applying for bursaries were granted them in 2010 and 2011), it supports the website, Ning, our staff training and also sustains a small wage of 80 pounds for one day per week for the national coordinator to tend the regional web with mentoring calls, develop the organisation and ensure a successful Art of Mentoring trainings .
Everyone within AoM UK administration team is paid at the same rate regardless of experience or responsibility held. We all do many more days work that are renumerated because we are nourished by living this adventure!
This is the price we need to charge to pull off the quality of training event that we do, and have made no profits from running this training.
4. If I am applying for a bursary and I don’t get offered one will I lose my place?
To apply for a bursary place, we require you to book on with our online booking page AND pay your deposit of £150 to hold your place. If we are unable to offer you a bursary place and this results in you being unable to attend the Art of Mentoring then your normally ‘non-refundable’ deposit would be fully refunded.
5. If I live locally can I reduce my fee by not camping and returning home for the nights?
No – sorry, but this doesn’t bring down our costs – we have a flat fee agreed for the week’s event. Also it is good to all be on site as some evening talks / stories / music and dancing go on late so you’d miss out! Our preference is that everyone stays on site to create the village atmosphere.
6. Is there alternative accommodation to camping?
It is likely that you can rent a bell tent from Hawthbush Farm. These will be dressed with mattress, bed linen – the works, to include you with the rest of us camping and give you the comfort you require / desire. This is an added cost to you arranged between you and Hawthbush Farm. These are limited so please do contact Toby at Hawthbush Farm sooner rather than later if you want to book one.
7. I really want to do the Art of Mentoring but I have a commitment that means I’d have to arrive a day late – can I still come?
No. Those who book onto the Art of Mentoring need to do the full course, it doesn’t work for us if you arrive late. You’d miss some important orientation and smaller group formations.
8. I can’t afford the price of the course, can I offer work trade?
In order to work within the Art of Mentoring you need to have first been a participant. There are some bursaries available.
9. I am experienced in this field, can I come as a volunteer or do some work trade?
If you want to attend an Art of Mentoring programme you need to be a full participant as it is an intensive week with each day building on the previous ones and it doesn’t work to do half and half.
If you haven’t experienced an Art of Mentoring and still want to come and check it out without participating in the programme you could apply to volunteer our kitchen nourishment crew for the week.
We do have limited volunteer positions for people who have already done the Ring 1 Art of Mentoring experience, if you are interested in this please go to our Staff page.
10. If I have done the adult ring 1 course, and the adult ring 2 nature immersion course can I apply to be staff?
Yes, absolutely. It is however worth knowing that most staff positions are voluntary, with a staff group of 60 just covering everyone’s cost of food, venue and some travel costs is big. This is a service role in which you will no doubt learn a lot, have a lot of fun and build lots of good relations.
You should also be aware that there are more people applying for staff than there are staff positions. This is why we have the regional network, so that there are other ways for people to stay connected than the annual Art of Mentoring training.
11. How do I apply to be staff?
Please write to artofmentoringuk@gmail.com, letting us know when and where you have attended an Art of Mentoring before, and you will be sent a password to apply online, where you will find all the info you need.
12. Can I send my child on Art of Mentoring if I am not a participant?
Generally not. The youth programmes are designed to enable whole families to attend. We want each adult participant to go home with as many allies for their nature connection work as possible, starting with their partners and children.
The one exception to this are the teens, we will accept teens without a parent if they have an adult on staff or participating who is willing to be an ‘anchor’ for them.
13. If you teach that children should be at the centre of any healthy culture, why are children not more central to the Art of Mentoring course?
Art of Mentoring is primarily an adult training programme within a real multi-generational village context, rather than a children summer camp or family camp – in which everything orientates around the children. Art of Mentoring is primarily a place for those people who may usually running family camps or similar activities to come and get some fresh inspiration and training.
The youth programmes run alongside the main adult training programme, and we share mealtimes and evenings together. The teens are off on their own adventure for most of the week! Although the youth programmes orbit around the adult training, each year we have more staff who have experienced the 8 shields flow learning map of transformation and the youth programmes are having so much fun, they don’t even think about what the adults are up to!
14. Can I come with my toddler without accompanying anyone who is taking one of the adult programmes?
No. The programme for Guardians and Elves (0-5 year olds) is there to enable participants with young children to attend, and to support their whole family. Our Guardian and youth programmes are usually the first to fill up, so we just don’t have capacity for others not connected to an adult participant to attend also.
15. What about your carbon footprint? Isn’t it contradictory to promote nature connection but then have staff travel from USA and Europe to deliver the course?
There have been and still are a lot of people travelling from the UK to America to seek this training. We felt it was better to invite select people from the States and Europe over here to train us, and support us to offer this training in longer term way. The amount of international travel will get less each year.
But yes, it is paradoxical to pollute the air in order to help people learn how to connect and therefore become a protector of nature. In smaller or larger ways we all faced with this dilemma in our every action, every day, now that we are living in a world based on non-sustainable consumption.
Through the Art of Mentoring event we are making an investment in long term community resiliency and there is a short term start up cost of energy input required. Only you can judge for yourself through your own inner feelings as to whether or not this is justified.
As AoM UK is an informal network there is wide variety of positions and personal choices made.
16. If Art of Mentoring is for people already doing some kind of nature-based work, do we run the risk of preaching to the converted?
Art of Mentoring is a ‘train the trainers’ course. Which means we are targeting people that are already ‘converted’ to the idea that humans need nature back at the centre of our culture in order for life on Earth to thrive, and we aim to equip, renew, nourish, hearten, build networks of support and empower those people to go out to the front lines of reaching others that may be more disconnected, and divorced from nature, and experiencing themselves as nature. It’s vital to maintain our own connections to the Earth and to each other, if we are to have any hope of facilitating that for others or building a regenerative culture. Each organisation and person has a different niche and gift to offer the whole. This is ours.