“..but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its entire life believing it is stupid”
– Albert Einstein
We are inspired by the work of Jesus Christ among disadvantaged people when He walked the earth. His way of treating each person with utmost dignity is foundational to our approach. The academy is open to young people from any religious background.
The staff at Comeragh Wilderness Academy holds to the Christian faith and the Anabaptist traditions. We are part of the Dunmore East Christian Fellowship and for more information you can click here. Because of our faith, we want to share meaningfully with as many as we can, the beauty and joy of relationships and the outdoors. This doesn’t mean that we are aiming to proselytize but simply to live out our faith in a practical way.
Comeragh Wilderness Academy is a charity, and can offer this therapeutic academic programme only because of the generosity of many people.
Your donation makes it possible for young people, some of who are extremely disadvantaged, to have hope of a successful future.
The Revenue Commissioners have granted the camp charitable status, with a reference number of CHY18618.
We are grateful for the support received from Waterford Leader Partnership for outdoor gear.
In our local village of Rathgormack, Comeragh Stores raises funds for camp through their shop and bakery. They make the best scones in Co. Waterford so please come and try them! Their Facebook link is here.
Comeragh Wilderness Academy was founded on the foot of its predecessor Comeragh Wilderness Camp. Comeragh Wilderness Camp was developed by a Board of Directors and Mr. Wesley Sensening in 2008. The camp is situated in Rathgormack, County Waterford in the shadow of the inviting Comeragh Mountains.
For the first few years, the camp operated by providing outdoor activities for various youth projects in County Waterford. These activities included hiking, campfire cooking, orienteering, and shelter construction. This type of activity centre was well received and gave a large number of youth an opportunity to experience simple, yet engaging, activities in the outdoors. This time helped to build experience and connections with local youth projects.
The fundamental vision, however, was to start a programme using the Wilderness Road Therapeutic Camping (WRTC) model which was aimed at helping children who were having difficulties in their home and school lives. This phase began in November of 2012 and due to new registration requirements led to the establishment of Comeragh Wilderness Academy boarding school in early 2023.
In the establishment of Comeragh Wilderness Academy boarding school we are one of the first schools of its kind to use the Wilderness Road Therapeutic Camping model which has been in widespread use throughout the United States for over 70 years.
This innovative approach to education and care has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in guiding young men, who have faced challenges in conventional educational settings, back on the path to a fulfilling and successful life.
“By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” – Proverbs 24:4
Find out what makes Comeragh Wilderness Academy unique and what it looks like to enroll in one of our programmes.
Meet the staff that are currently running and supporting the every day activities of Comeragh Wilderness Academy.
We are always happy to answer whatever questions you may have. Please follow this link which will bring you to our ‘Contact us or make a donation’ page.
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