The Resilient Skills Series is a once a month opportunity to explore different skills through a rewilding lens. It is intentionally accessible with no to low-cost options, and no previous experience is necessary to attend.
Our Resilient Skills Series has one core ethic behind it:
All people must have access to creating resilience in their lives.
Contemporary life finds us completely dependent on a very fragile network of global connections and technologies. We have become disassociated from the land where we live: our food comes from hundreds and thousands of miles away, we spend countless hours indoors, interacting with screens in human-created virtual worlds instead of the natural other-than-human reality that surrounds us. This has many negative effects on our physical and mental health, as well as making us less prepared for the inevitable failure of these systems. Yet access to learning any other way often comes with a high price.
The Resilient Skills Series ensures participants of all ages and levels of experience are introduced to various skills and knowledge. This is an inclusive space for people of all abilities and backgrounds to learn and share with each other. We are queer-friendly, straight-friendly, race-friendly, gender-friendly, age-friendly, family-friendly—just plain friendly! All of the skills we practice come with a set of ethical principles for environmental sustainability through reverence and regeneration.
2026 Resilient Skills Series Themes
**Themes Are subject to change**
Wilderness Navigation Saturday, October 24th Mt. Tabor Park 2–4pm
Human are well equipped for navigating unfamiliar terrain and mental mapping, but due to GPS and other technologies many of us are out of practice. In this class we will go over how to use a map and compass, how to orient yourself with the sun, how to find the North Star at night, and various other techniques for not getting lost in the woods. You will come out of this class confident and well equipped for practicing on your own.
Beginner English Ivy Basket Making Saturday, November 21st Location TBA 2–4pm
Invasive species get a bad rap, but there are many amazing qualities to these plants that we can benefit from. Rewild Portland is famous for our work in creating new relationships with invasives, with basketry in particular. Come pull some ivy and learn how to weave a quick little basket. No experience necessary! This is a great one to work on with children.
Bow-Drill Friction Fire Workshop Saturday, December 19 Location TBA 2–4pm
Humans began to utilize fire potentially over a million years ago. Friction fire is a common method of starting a fire by “rubbing two sticks together.” At this Free Skills Series we will demonstrate how this works, give attendees the opportunity to try it out, and help those who have some experience troubleshoot their own kits. We will also cover how to work with fire in a safe way. As the climate warms, fire is becoming an increasing concern. We’ll cover what you need to know before, after, and while tending fire.
Resilient Skills Series
The Resilient Skills Series is a once a month opportunity to explore different skills through a rewilding lens. It is intentionally accessible with no to low-cost options, and no previous experience is necessary to attend.
Our Resilient Skills Series has one core ethic behind it:
Contemporary life finds us completely dependent on a very fragile network of global connections and technologies. We have become disassociated from the land where we live: our food comes from hundreds and thousands of miles away, we spend countless hours indoors, interacting with screens in human-created virtual worlds instead of the natural other-than-human reality that surrounds us. This has many negative effects on our physical and mental health, as well as making us less prepared for the inevitable failure of these systems. Yet access to learning any other way often comes with a high price.
The Resilient Skills Series ensures participants of all ages and levels of experience are introduced to various skills and knowledge. This is an inclusive space for people of all abilities and backgrounds to learn and share with each other. We are queer-friendly, straight-friendly, race-friendly, gender-friendly, age-friendly, family-friendly—just plain friendly! All of the skills we practice come with a set of ethical principles for environmental sustainability through reverence and regeneration.
2026 Resilient Skills Series Themes
**Themes Are subject to change**
Wilderness Navigation
Saturday, October 24th
Mt. Tabor Park
2–4pm
Human are well equipped for navigating unfamiliar terrain and mental mapping, but due to GPS and other technologies many of us are out of practice. In this class we will go over how to use a map and compass, how to orient yourself with the sun, how to find the North Star at night, and various other techniques for not getting lost in the woods. You will come out of this class confident and well equipped for practicing on your own.
Beginner English Ivy Basket Making
Saturday, November 21st
Location TBA
2–4pm
Invasive species get a bad rap, but there are many amazing qualities to these plants that we can benefit from. Rewild Portland is famous for our work in creating new relationships with invasives, with basketry in particular. Come pull some ivy and learn how to weave a quick little basket. No experience necessary! This is a great one to work on with children.
Bow-Drill Friction Fire Workshop
Saturday, December 19
Location TBA
2–4pm
Humans began to utilize fire potentially over a million years ago. Friction fire is a common method of starting a fire by “rubbing two sticks together.” At this Free Skills Series we will demonstrate how this works, give attendees the opportunity to try it out, and help those who have some experience troubleshoot their own kits. We will also cover how to work with fire in a safe way. As the climate warms, fire is becoming an increasing concern. We’ll cover what you need to know before, after, and while tending fire.