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The Bond That Transforms Lives

Youth Empowerment Programs

Wolf paw graphics

Power of the Pack

Howling wolf graphic

Howls That Heal

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Embodied Storytelling

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Connection to Earth

Wolf Therapy®

Through direct relationships with wolves, our revolutionary Wolf Therapy® programs invite humans to connect with their innate worth and gifts, capacity to be with what life brings, and inherent place in the pack. Our signature 8-week on-site Wolf Therapy® Youth Empowerment programs are the heart of Wolf Connection’s mission. They have been and remain our priority, even as we expand into virtual platforms. We are the only organization in existence that offers this unique non-traditional healing modality. Wolf Therapy® invites humans to witness their personal experiences reflected in the unjust journeys of the wolves, and to discover healing as they connect with the inherent resilience embodied by the wolves.

Answering the Howl

For the past 12 years, Wolf Connection’s multi-session Empowerment Programs have transformed the lives of young people in the Antelope Valley (Service Area 1) who collectively experience a disproportionate rate of poverty, foster care, teen pregnancy, gang activity, and incarceration. Our programs offer youth access to non-traditional healing modalities, as well as meaningful connections with peers and adult mentors. Participants connect with wolf teachers who have been misunderstood, mistreated and oppressed. In each other’s eyes, humans and wolves recognize themselves and embark on a collaborative journey of connection and healing.

Impact

Wolf Therapy® has gained local and national attention, resulting in service contracts with multiple school districts and county agencies, as well as local, national and international press coverage. Formal quantitative evaluation of our program has demonstrated that participants experience statistically significant growth in each of the following areas: Connection to Nature, Personal Growth Initiative, and Self Reflection and Insight. Furthermore, qualitative evaluation with our youth participants has revealed three primary themes contributing to the impact of the program: 1) physical and emotional stretch, It’s good being taken out of your comfort zone 2) sharing/expressing with others, I never would have thought talking to strangers…could be this helpful and 3) trading noise for nature, It’s magic out here.

VISIT HERE FOR MORE INFO AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Model & Magic

Power of the Pack:

  • At Wolf Connection, all programming centers around the concept of pack or community. Each day begins and ends with a community circle where each member’s presence and voice is acknowledged/recognized. These circles offer opportunities for participants to connect more deeply with their personal truths, witness themselves reflected in others’ experiences, and witness the unique journey of each member as well as a shared journey.

Connection to Earth:

  • All activities (weather permitting) occur in a beautiful landscape, on a 165-acre property nestled in the Angeles Forest with a running creek and wolves as comrades! As participants meditate and hike together, they experience the calming effects of the peaceful alive environment as well as their place within this larger ecosystem.

Embodied Storytelling:

  • As participants are exposed to the powerful stories of resilience modeled by the wolves, they begin to re-write and re-tell their own stories. Adult facilitators model storytelling grounded in authentic expression as a path to healing trauma.

Howls that Heal:

  • Participants identify and express the power of their unique howl while also holding the howls of their peers, demonstrating compassion and empathy. They choose somatic storytelling (walking and speaking their path at the medicine wheel), written poetry, and/or spoken word as expressive modalities. In addition to performing arts and storytelling, each cohort of participants chooses a pack focused project to represent their legacy, and to inspire future youth participants on their journey. Examples of legacy arts projects include murals, media productions, rock and sculpture formations, and beautification and cultivation of community spaces.
Pack Member of Wolf Connection
Woman and wolf interacting
Doing this program, it made me face my own problems head on. Before, I would try to avoid thinking about my feelings, but doing this program has helped me realize that it’s necessary to do so if I want to grow as a person. It definitely made me spiral a bit, but after I got a grip on myself and my emotions I’ve seen that I’ve had less problems when facing my emotions.
VivianProgram Participant
I was able to not only connect with myself and others, but I was able to connect with the world around me.
AnnetteProgram Participant
I would like you to know that I enjoyed my time here and I learned a lot of new things. My time here really influenced the way that I think about things, such as how I feel connected to those around me.
KayleeProgram Participant
I am really grateful for this experience. I felt very loved and respected. Amazing time here.
BeeProgram Participant
I learned things about myself that I never thought I would.
JesseProgram Participant
I really enjoyed that we focused on making beautiful relationships with everyone around us. I also loved that we spent most of our time outside. It gave us peace and we learned new things. I also enjoyed that we didn’t need our phones, it brought us to see the world in a better and peaceful way.
AlyssaProgram Participant
Before I went through this I was somewhat closed off, but now I can express my emotions. I feel like I can finally be a better me.
AnonymousProgram Participant
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This ten-week journey was transformative and deeply healing. I was searching for a space to be able to grieve some deep personal losses in my life, connect with fellow animal lovers, and make room in my heart for love and healing. I appreciated how Amanda and Micha were authentic in connecting with us. They were the perfect balance of gentle leaders of bringing us together while also being part of the pack. More Loves: The weekly meeting of the wolves. Loved hearing their stories but teaching us that their trauma is not the only part of their story, that MY trauma is not the only part of my story and that grief and gratitude can live in the same space. Learning the Way of Wolf. Mediation/grounding The gentle, quiet spaces between our shares Letting the magic unfold in its own time Creating a space for all to be seen and heard.
Lia,
2022, 4th cohort participant
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Women and Wolves has helped me gain a deeper understanding of what it truly means to accept myself and achieve both internal and external balance. Through the combination of getting to know the wolves and each other, I've developed the courage and confidence to step into new roles and move through deep blockages to finally move forward in my life. Wolf Medicine (that's totally what it is) has profoundly shifted my mindset, gifting me with practical tools to handle personal challenges with curiosity and grace. The structure of this program allowed for a truly magical journey of transformation to unfold. SO WORTH IT!!!" 
Elora,
2021 Participant
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In such an unprecedented, uncertain, and delicate time, this program gave me a core group of women to connect to on a consistent basis and a bond formed between us that is unlike any other I've experienced. With the in-person retreat serving as the culmination of our discussions, journaling prompts, grounding exercises and other self-reflection activities, the alignment I felt with these women and the re-emergence of our wild, wolf energy, along with our interactions with the wolves themselves was nothing short of life-changing. 
Angelica,
2021 Participant
🙶
I can’t fully articulate how profound this experience was for me. I have long had an inner sense that my life and destiny are in some way intertwined with wolves. This experience only served to solidify that feeling.  It has me wondering about the ways in which I can be more involved with wolves and wolf conservation. I was also deeply impacted by the connection between the women in the program, especially when we met in person at the ranch. After a long time of feeling like a lone wolf, I felt like I found my pack.  
Christina,
2021 Participant
🙶
The program was excellent. It went beyond my expectations. The care in the details was beautiful. I am going through so much withdrawals afterwards! LOL. My experience with this program was earth shattering for me. I feel it was life changing and at the very least (or most) energy raising. Truly transformative. I can not say enough. And that's really huge because all my life I have been a hardcore executive...ginormous experience.
Barbara,
2022 Participant
🙶
I want to say from the bottom of my heart that this program has touched my soul in many ways and was the medicine I did not even realize I needed. You have given me the sacred space to feel seen, feel heard, and feel valued. Through this process I have been able to turn my pain into power and my loss into lessons. The time I had with the wolves has given me the medicine to stand in my power and honor my voice. I will no longer stay quiet, but we let my wild soul out into the world at the rightful place she belongs!
Stephanie,
2022 Participant
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In a time of personal transition, gifting myself with Women and Wolves was a perfect choice. It's been a journey both grounding and re-wilding. Our weeks together as a supportive pack of women, intertwined with self-inquiry and wolf teachings took me beyond a noisy mind and weary body and back into my heart, my joy, closer to my nature. Our day at Wolf Heart Ranch was a celebration, and meeting the wolves-magical. I am so grateful to the women that thoughtfully created the program and generously shared their knowledge, tenderness, and respect for the wolves-and what they can teach us. My warmest, fullest howl of thanks!
Erika,
2022 Participant
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I sit here with tears in my eyes as I think about my experience in Women and Wolves. To say that this program is life-changing seems like an understatement.  I feel like I will never be the same person again, in a good way. This program woke me up to something that was sleeping in me, an embracing of parts of myself as reflected to me through the wolves. If you are a spiritual woman who feels a connection with wolves, this program is for you! The program is facilitated by amazing women who care deeply about what they do and what they have to offer. I appreciated how well organized both the zoom meetings and the in-person retreat were, and I have the utmost respect for the mission of Wolf Connection. Getting introduced to the wolves and learning what they had to teach me was powerful beyond words. This program brought with it so many levels of growth, depth, tenderness, love, joy, and awareness. I truly cannot recommend Women and Wolves enough. Howling with you in solidarity
Christina,
2021 Participant
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A Man looking to Wolf that Looking to Camera

Experiential Education & Empowerment Program

At Wolf Connection, we offer customizable programming to meet each organization’s needs. In addition to onsite and online programming, we also have opportunities for hybrid models:

  • Single-day Immersive Experiences for Youth or Adult Participants (2.5 – 5 hours)
  • Multi-week Immersive Empowerment Program for Youth (6-8 sessions, 4-5 hours/each)
  • Wolf Lessons for Human Lives 12-Module Online Program
  • Pack Leader Training and Trauma-Informed Practices for Partners and Youth Providers
  • Power of the Pack Corporate and Organizational Programming
CONTACT OUR TEAM HERE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN OUR LIFE-CHANGING PROGRAMS

Listen to Founder Teo Alfero and Executive Director Amanda Beer discuss the history and depths of our Youth Empowerment programs on the Wolf Connection podcast

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