Our youth group project, Into the woods, was a year long project that facilitated group of young people on a journey of discovery in and through nature. The project was the result of a pilot scheme with year 7 secondary transition students. The projects offered young aged 12-14 years an opportunity to grow alongside experienced a qualified Forest School practitioner, to learn bush-craft skills, build confidence, develop a sense of self and discover the outdoors, whilst at the same time exploring interpersonal themes of self-reliance, group dynamics, and creativity. The project explored identifying plants and what their medicinal qualities are and bush craft skills (fire-craft, tracking, shelter-building, navigation by natural means, the use of tools such as knives and axes, foraging, water sourcing, hand-carving wood, container construction from natural materials, and rope and twine-making) camp craft, nature awareness skills and a ‘Rites of passage’ celebration. The project was offering young people to discover the world around them through their senses and how that resonates with their inner world and wellbeing. Through experiences in nature and spending time solo, in pairs and as a group the young people developed a stronger sense of an integrated relationship to life and build up courage that will lead to inner strength and a commitment to improving the lives of others.