About The Tracking Project
Founded as a non-profit organization in 1986 by John Stokes, The Tracking Project ® in Corrales, New Mexico, has worked with community educators and Native elders from around the world to design a series of teachings which connect individuals directly to the natural world. Our programs of natural and cultural awareness include a wide range of skills—from traditional tracking and survival skills to music, storytelling, dance, peace- making and martial arts training. The name Arts of Life ® was chosen to describe these programs, which emphasize indigenous knowledge, the lessons of Nature and the power of art.
Since 1986 a team of artist/educators and traditional Native elders from TTP have shared this unique awareness program with more than 100,000 people of all ages. We provide: Arts of Life programs for schools and communities; wilderness camps for youth; tracking/awareness classes for adults; Tracking the Roots of Peace ® gatherings. Through Nurturing the Roots (NTR), a community mentor program, our work with the international community now includes partners/programs in Hawai‘i, Brazil, the Philippines, Colombia, Sweden, Spain, Japan and Australia.
Children, the preservation of wildlife, biodiversity and the integrity/vitality of Native cultures in the global indigenous network have been the focus of our work. Our programs actively support cultural survival and community revival.
As educators, we seek to:
– Enhance the awareness, self-reliance and self-confidence of our students.
– Provide training for youth in a wide range of life skills, including wilderness survival, tracking, and nature awareness, through school visits, camps and special programs.
– Offer an understanding of the importance of cultural survival/revival through music, storytelling, dance, painting and other arts.
– Offer an understanding of the importance of cultural survival/revival through music, storytelling, dance, painting and other arts.
– Encourage cultural respect and understanding by focusing on our shared human needs.
– Provide trainings and mentor programs for educators.
– Promote community education programs which bring together people of all ages, especially elders and youth.
– Encourage people to appreciate, understand and share in their responsibilities to the natural world.
– Work toward a future peaceful and sustainable society.