Leadership for a Living World
Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders in an Era of Change
The future demands a new kind of leadership—one that is deeply attuned to the living world. At the Kinfolk School of Life, we are creating programs for those who will guide others into a profound understanding of interconnection, resilience, and ecological intelligence. Whether you see yourself as a teacher, leader, or mentor, our programs equip you with the skills to foster a future where human communities thrive within the larger web of life.
To lead in uncertain times, we must learn from the world’s oldest and most adaptive systems—forests, rivers, and the mycelial networks beneath our feet. Through experiential and artistic methods, we engage with the land’s own stories, immersing ourselves in the intelligence of animals, plants, and fungi. This approach cultivates not only knowledge but also the deeper capacities of perception, presence, and relational thinking—skills vital for tomorrow’s leaders.
We place great emphasis on the qualitative aspects of being present in nature. How do we create spaces for wonder and presence in nature? How can we recognize land as teacher? How can we help the next generation develop a deep and lasting connection to this breathing Earth?
Rooted in both rigorous scholarship and hands-on learning, these programs bring together leading expertise from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), Ytre Hvaler National Park, and elsewhere. Pioneers in nature-based education highlight the urgent need for new experiential spaces where theory and practice meet in the service of leadership development. We answer this call by integrating cutting-edge research with direct experience in the field, ensuring that participants gain both intellectual depth and practical mastery.
What kind of world are we preparing young people for? Our programs center on the essential role of educators in shaping the next generation’s relationship with the living world. How do we create spaces of wonder and belonging? How do we support children and youth in developing the sensory and emotional literacy needed to care for their surroundings? How do we build thriving institutions based on non-anthropocentric ethics and systemic understandings of thriving in community? Mentors who hone these capacities in themselves, can cultivate future generations grounded in ecological awareness.
We weave together Norwegian outdoor traditions with deep ecology, Earth systems science, deep time, and the rich, animistic perspectives of indigenous and traditional cultures worldwide. Such traditions remind us that leadership is not about control but about deep listening, reciprocity, and a sense of place within a larger breathing whole. This perspective is not only a source of wisdom but a radical reorientation toward the future—one in which leadership means fostering conditions for all life to flourish.
Join us in shaping the future. Welcome to a program that prepares you to lead with clarity, creativity, and a profound sense of belonging in a more-than-human world.
Practical information
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