trailblazer youth

a Bushcraft skills program

Trailblazer is a youth programme that empowers young people through hands-on skills, personal growth, and connection with the natural world. Its core bushcraft syllabus teaches practical skills from firecraft and shelter-building to navigation and ancestral human living skills, while building confidence, resilience, and self-reliance.

Developed in Partnership with
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Every activity is designed to challenge and inspire, offering opportunities for achievement, teamwork, and reflection. Time spent in nature fosters awareness, responsibility, and calm, helping participants approach challenges with curiosity and courage.

Trailblazer also develops leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability, equipping young people to navigate both the outdoors and life.

Our goal is to create a space where learning is exciting, growth is celebrated, and every young person leaves with new skills and a stronger sense of themselves.

Trailblazer prepares them to step forward with confidence, resilience, and optimism: ready to blaze their own trail in life.

Provision options

  • Trailblazer After-School Club is an 8-week programme for 14–16-year-olds, meeting once a week for two hours. Participants learn essential bushcraft skills including campsite setup, shelter building, fire craft, cooking, knife work, cordage, and foraging while developing confidence, teamwork, and resilience. Each session combines hands-on learning with safety, problem-solving, and reflection. The programme culminates in a Bushcraft Challenge where participants showcase their skills, celebrate achievements, and leave equipped with practical knowledge, self-belief, and a strong connection to the outdoors.

    The “After-School Club” version is fully supported to run on the school’s outdoor space, with all equipment, materials, and a rain shelter provided for each session.

    Every participant receives a personal logbook to track their skills, reflections, and progress throughout the programme. The setup allows students to focus on learning, teamwork, and problem-solving in a safe, structured environment.

    Trailblazer ensures young people can fully engage with the activities, enjoy the outdoors, and celebrate their achievements while building confidence and resilience.

    Email us for the School Pack

  • Experience the great outdoors like never before at our 3 Night Bushcraft Summer Camp for 16-17 year olds! Nestled in the stunning natural beauty of our private woodland in Yorkshire, this immersive adventure is designed to equip young adventurers with essential bushcraft skills, while fostering a deep connection with nature.

    Here the Trailblazer program is delivered across 4 days, as the 8 modules are delivered in unison during an 3 night camp in the woods.

    Find the Summer camp details here

  • Trailblazer Youth is a unique 8-module bushcraft programme for young people aged 14–17 that builds practical outdoor skills, confidence, resilience, and independence through hands-on adventure.

    Perfect for home-educated learners, youth groups, community organisations, or private family groups, Trailblazer can be delivered at a suitable outdoor location with all equipment and materials provided. The programme concludes with a Bushcraft Challenge where participants put their skills to the test, celebrate their achievements, and leave with lasting memories, practical knowledge, and a deeper connection to the natural world.

    We can work with you to provide the modular program in a way that suits your setting and timescales, whether that’s a weekly workshop or an involved 3 day course.

    Get in touch with us for chat and we’ll look at how we can bring Trailblazer youth to you.

Making Outdoor Learning Easier to Deliver

Schools want to provide more outdoor learning, but limited funding, staffing, transport and specialist confidence can make regular provision difficult. The 2026 APPG for Outdoor Learning Access and Equity Report found that 67% of settings experienced demand beyond their current capacity, while 64% were delivering less outdoor learning than they would ideally like.

Trailblazer is designed to help schools overcome these practical barriers. Howl Bushcraft can provide experienced instructors, specialist equipment, programme planning and adaptable activities, delivering at school or close to school wherever suitable. This reduces the burden on teaching staff and helps make meaningful outdoor learning available to a wider range of pupils.

  • Choose from a focused three-day programme or eight progressive after-school sessions. Activities can be adapted for different ages, abilities and additional needs, with an emphasis on inclusion, achievable challenge and positive participation.

    Trailblazer can support pupils to develop:

    • Confidence, resilience and independence

    • Communication, teamwork and leadership

    • Practical problem-solving skills

    • Improved wellbeing and connection with nature

    • A stronger sense of belonging and achievement

    We can also train a member of your school team to continue leading an outdoor club, helping you build lasting skills and confidence within your own staff.

    Transport remains one of the greatest barriers to outdoor learning, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Where possible, we will work with you to explore delivery at your school or at an accessible local setting, keeping participation practical and costs transparent.

    To discuss the most suitable format for your pupils, contact Howl Bushcraft for an initial conversation and indicative proposal.

    Evidence: APPG for Outdoor Learning, Access and Equity Report, 2026.

Trailblazer Youth Modules

  • Kick off the Trailblazer journey by learning essential outdoor safety, campsite setup, and bushcraft fundamentals. Participants explore how to work safely with tools and fire, develop environmental awareness, and understand what makes a good campsite. Through teamwork and practical challenges, the group creates a functional base camp that will become the foundation for the weeks ahead.

  • Learn the skills needed to stay warm, dry, and protected in the outdoors. Participants explore the principles of shelter design, including location, weather protection, insulation, and campcraft decision-making. Alongside learning several essential knots and tarp configurations, they work together to construct practical shelters and develop confidence in their ability to adapt to changing conditions.

  • Discover the science and skill behind one of humanity’s most important survival tools. Participants learn the fire triangle, explore different natural tinder and fuel sources, and practise lighting fires using matches and fire steels. Emphasis is placed on safe fire management, preparation, and environmental responsibility, building the knowledge needed to create and maintain a fire confidently.

  • Put firecraft skills into action by preparing food over an open fire. Participants learn outdoor cooking methods using embers, pans, and simple campfire techniques while exploring food hygiene and safe food handling in a wilderness setting. The session combines practical skills with the enjoyment of sharing food outdoors and learning how to leave no trace when the cooking is complete.

  • Develop confidence and competence with one of bushcraft’s most valuable tools. Participants learn essential knife safety principles, correct grips, carving techniques, and basic woodworking skills. Using these new techniques, they create simple projects such as tent pegs, roasting sticks, or useful camp tools while gaining a deeper understanding of responsibility, focus, and craftsmanship.

  • Explore the traditional skills of ropework, knots, and natural cordage. Participants learn a range of practical knots used in shelter building, campcraft, and outdoor problem-solving, before discovering how natural materials can be transformed into usable cordage. These skills are then applied in practical challenges that demonstrate how simple materials can be used to create useful structures and equipment.

  • Develop a deeper connection with the natural world through the fundamentals of foraging and plant identification. Participants learn how to recognise common wild plants, understand safe and ethical foraging practices, and identify potentially harmful look-alikes. Through observation, discussion, and hands-on activities, they gain greater awareness of the natural resources that surround them.

  • The programme concludes with an exciting practical challenge that brings together the skills developed throughout the previous seven weeks. Working as a team, participants build shelters, light fires, complete campcraft tasks, and demonstrate their growing confidence and resilience. The final session also includes reflection, celebration, and certificates of completion, recognising each participant’s achievements and personal growth throughout the Trailblazer journey.

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Let’s Work Together

If you’re interested in seeing this program delivered in your setting, whether that’s a school, college, youth club or for something else, just in touch…