Maitri House Northwest programs foster a sense of wonder, curiosity and passion for the natural world, our communities, and ourselves.  Our goal is to create healthy, informed and compassionate actors who engage locally, regionally and globally in the interest of wellness and healing for all beings and the environment.  

Joy, health and connection are part of life. And, so is dis-ease, disconnection and suffering. Our belief is that getting outdoors into nature together, moving our bodies and sharing conversation with our children, families, friends, students and colleagues about how we are really doing emotionally is crucial for healthy adjustment and resilience. Our children, teens and young adults in particular, will be living with the social-emotional and educational impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and, in the West, wildfire seasons for years to come.

Uniquely, MTHNW’s outdoor programs utilize nature’s innate resiliency as a wise teacher to guide our own emotions, grief and healing in order to sustain our engagement with life now and into the future. Our curriculum infuses outside ecological learning with inner awarenesses with creative activities to deepen meaning, memory and a sense of identity and place. Our nature-based programming offers students and adult group participants a unique chance to stop and connect with earth’s natural cycles. Nature offers a lens through which to witness the magic of interlinked webs and cycles of birth, energy flow, growth, transformation, adaptation, depletion, death and restoration.

“Creating a village where each person knows their worth and their welcome”- Francis Weller.

MTHNW’s philosophy is grounded in the belief that healthy ecological systems are diverse, balanced and resilient. We also value social-cultural systems that inclusive and equity-based, honoring all human experiences of nature and healing. Our lessons and programs are trauma-informed and designed to nurture confident individuals within their family and cultural systems. We encourage participants to develop strength-based capacities and ecological learning outdoors for connecting across cultural, racial and socio-economic groups.

Maitri House offers three service areas:

(1) Healing with nature through experiential outdoor education programs for middle and high school students;

(2) Healing through nature - professional trainings for teachers, administrators, staff, student leaders & residence assistants in schools, colleges and non-profits;

(3) Healing in nature - workshops and retreats for diverse youth and adults managing personal, cultural and life-cycle losses.

Maitri House Northwest is an educational 501c3 non-profit organization offering

ecological learning and grief healing programs in the Columbia Gorge as well as nation-wide educational consulting.