Resilient Living

Foundations for Resilient Living - Kicking Off 2026 with a Weekend that Actually Makes a Difference

As the new year begins, a lot of us start talking about resolutions—get fitter, be more present, spend less time on screens, feel less stressed, be there more for our kids.

But real change doesn’t come from a dot point on a list. It comes from foundations: the skills, habits, and mindsets that help us stay steady when life gets noisy, fast, or downright challenging.

That’s exactly why we’re running our Foundations for Resilient Living weekend from Friday 9 January to Sunday 11 January 2026 at Clifford Park Activity Centre in Wonga Park, Victoria.

This course is built to do one thing really well:

Help everyday people—kids, parents, teachers, leaders—build real-world resilience using bushcraft skills you can actually use.

What is “Foundations for Resilient Living”?

Foundations for Resilient Living is a hands-on, highly engaging program that takes our core Everyday Bushcraft skills and blends them with practical resilience training.

Across the weekend, we explore six key modules:

• Situational Awareness – Noticing what’s going on around you and inside you, so you can stay “left of bang” instead of constantly reacting.

• Self-Aid – Looking after your body and mind: from minor injuries and fatigue to recognising when you need a break or help.

• Knots – Learning a few solid knots for camp life, and using them as a metaphor for problem-solving, connection, and staying the course when life feels tangled.

• Shelter – How to create physical shelter in the bush, and what it means to build emotional shelter: safe spaces, trusted people, and routines that protect you.

• Fire – Lighting and managing fire safely, and understanding “inner fire”: motivation, passion, and how to avoid burnout.

• Water – Finding, collecting and understanding water in the bush, and how to “filter” the noise, stress, and negativity in everyday life.

Each module includes:

• Practical skills you can use on any camp or hike

• Resilience-focused mindset tools you can use at home, at school, or at work

• Reflection and journaling prompts to turn experience into insight

• Real-world scenarios where you get to apply what you’ve learned, not just talk about it

Why January is the Perfect Time

January is a natural reset point. The rush of the school year is behind us, the inbox is (for once) a little quieter, and there’s a bit more mental space to ask:

• How do I want to show up in 2026?

• What kind of resilience do I want my kids (or students) to have?

• What foundations do we actually need as a family or team?

Instead of just writing goals on a whiteboard, this weekend gives you three days in nature to:

• Slow down

• Reconnect with what matters

• Learn skills that will keep paying off long after the course ends

It’s not about escaping life for a weekend. It’s about resetting how you live it.

Who is this course for?

Foundations for Resilient Living is designed for a mix of people who all share one thing: they care about growth—for themselves and for others.

It’s ideal for:

• Parents & carers who want to build stronger connections with their kids and model calm, capable behaviour under stress

• Teenagers & older kids who are ready to step up, take more responsibility, and build confidence in both bush and everyday situations

• Teachers, youth leaders & Scout leaders who want fresh, practical tools they can take back to their students or units

• Community members, veterans & helpers who love the outdoors and want to link bushcraft with meaning, mindset, and everyday life

You don’t need to be super fit, ultra-outdoorsy, or “hardcore bushcraft.”

You just need to be willing to:

• Get your hands dirty

• Try new things

• Reflect a little on your own patterns and habits

• Support others as they learn too

What the weekend will feel like

Over the three days at Clifford Park Activity Centre in Wonga Park, you can expect:

• Plenty of time outdoors – learning knots, building simple shelters, working with fire, exploring SA and movement in the bush

• Short, focused theory sessions – no boring lectures, just enough content to give context and tools

• Small group activities – for problem-solving, communication and teamwork

• Quiet reflection time – journaling, guided reflection, and simple conversations around the fire

• Practical scenarios – where you test your skills and thinking in safe, realistic situations

We keep the vibe encouraging, down-to-earth, and supportive. It’s not a competition. No one is being “tested.”

The aim is that you leave on Sunday afternoon feeling:

• Calmer, because you know what to do when things go wrong

• More confident, because you’ve actually practiced the skills, not just heard about them

• More connected, to nature, to your own values, and to the people you came with

Why link resilience to bushcraft?

Bushcraft is a brilliant teacher because the feedback is real and immediate:

• If your shelter leaks, you feel it.

• If your fire isn’t well prepared, it doesn’t light.

• If you stop paying attention to your surroundings, you miss important signs.

These outdoor experiences map directly onto everyday life:

• Situational Awareness: Am I paying attention to my environment, my stress levels, my habits?

• Self-Aid: Am I topping up my “resilience tank” or constantly running on empty?

• Knots: How do I handle complex problems—pull harder, or step back and untangle?

• Shelter: Who and what keeps me grounded when life gets rough?

• Fire: How do I manage my energy so I can burn bright without burning out?

• Water: What am I “drinking” every day—news, social media, conversations—and is it nourishing?

Foundations for Resilient Living makes these links explicit, so that every bushcraft skill becomes a reminder of a life skill.

Course details at a glance

• Course: Foundations for Resilient Living

• Dates: Friday 9 January – Sunday 11 January 2026

• Time: Starts 4:00 pm Friday, finishes 5:00 pm Sunday

• Location: Clifford Park Activity Centre, 5–7 Clifford Dr, Wonga Park VIC 3115

• Format: Residential-style weekend with a full program of practical skills, reflection activities, and resilience training

• Who can attend: Adults and young people (under-18s attend with a responsible adult)

Tickets are available in adult and child categories, making it accessible for families as well as individuals.

Join us and lay your foundations for 2026

If you’re ready for a different kind of “new year reset”—one that involves real skills, real conversations, and real growth—this weekend is for you.

Reserve your spot for the Foundations for Resilient Living weekend on 9–11 January 2026 at Clifford Park.

Head to the Events section on the Everyday Bushcraft website, find Foundations for Resilient Living, and grab your tickets before places fill.

Let’s make 2026 the year you don’t just survive the chaos—but build the foundations to live resiliently, every day.