artemis pack
school year program
A queer sanctuary space for magical youth ages 6-16ish. We offer a unique mix of magical activism, social justice, and earth-based wisdom. In Artemis Pack, kids learn to listen to their intuition and celebrate their wild, authentic selves.
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Registration for our 2024-25 School Year Program is now closed.
Interested in joining late to our program? Email us at wildridecollective@gmail.com.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Through seasonal celebration, song, storytelling and exploration of powerful femme and gender expansive archetypes, Artemis Pack reminds kids that there are a million ways to stand clear in their truth! It's a place to celebrate and laugh, a place to bring heartache about life or the state of the world, a place to become comfortable with their changing bodies. It is a place where magic happens.
We understand that gender is an experience unique to each individual, and are open to all genders! At Artemis Pack, kids are encouraged on their gender journeys to feel empowered in their self-expression. We center marginalized genders (MAGES!) because we know that they face unique challenges in school and in life that can prevent them from building meaningful friendships, loving their bodies and taking leadership roles. Artemis Pack provides a sanctuary that nurtures and inspires, so that they are ready to build a more inclusive and expansive world.
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During the school year, we explore topics from puberty to politics, friendships to family, mythology to just getting through the day. No two chapters of Artemis Pack are exactly the same. And that’s a reflection of the unique, vibrant, creative and powerful kids who participate. Each “pack” is a small cohort of 6-8 kids that will stay together over the years, supporting the development of depth, intimacy and trust.
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PROGRAM SCHEDULE + FEES
Schedule
Each pack meets once a week from September through May. Gatherings for the 2024-25 school year begin the week of September 9, 2024.
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Monday: Cedar Pack (ages 9-11), 4-5:30pm (Germantown)
Cherry Pack (ages 13-15), 6-7:30pm (Germantown)
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Tuesday: Reishi Pack (ages 8-10), 4-5:30pm (West Philly)
Mushroom Pack (ages 11-13), 6-7:30pm (West Philly)
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Wednesday: Magnolia Pack (ages 6-8), 4-5:30pm (West Philly)
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Thursday: Hawthorn Pack (ages 9-11), 4-5:30pm (West Philly)
We additionally host three larger community gatherings as part of our school year program:​
Winter Solstice: December 21, 2024​
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Beltane: May 4, 2025
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GROM (aka "Gay Prom"): Friday June 5, 2025
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Fees
The cost of our school year program is $1500/year. Families can pay this as a one time fee or set up an automatic monthly payment of $170/month. We offer partial scholarships with priority to returning families and queer and trans families of color.
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FOUR BODIES FRAMEWORK
ELEMENTAL MAGIC
Throughout the school year, we offer various rituals, crafts, stories, and songs that reflect the power of the four elements (earth, air, fire, water), as well as the fifth sacred thing (magic) that weaves them all together. We tie these elements to the four different bodies we inhabit and segment the school year curriculum into the following areas:
Physical Body (Earth)
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Connected to pentacles in tarot
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Offers us gifts of growth, strength, healing
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Areas of magic like herbalism, potions, and money magic
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Areas of activism like the future of healthcare, climate change and liberating land, building solidarity economies, and reparations
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Heart Body (Water)
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Connected to cups in tarot
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Offers us gifts of emotions, visions/dreams, imagination
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Areas of magic like journeying, emotional boundaries, and cleansing spells
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Areas of activism like water pollution, water rights, and emotional intelligence
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Mind Body (Air)
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Connected to swords in tarot
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Offers us gifts of mental clarity, strategy, foresight
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Areas of magic like tarot, divination, meditation, and altered states of consciousness
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Areas of activism like air pollution, mental health awareness, and expanding collective consciousness
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Energy Body (Fire)
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Connected to wands in tarot
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Offers us gifts of intuition, creative energy, passion
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Areas of magic like aura readings, energetic boundaries and banishment spells
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Areas of activism like human rights, "artivism", animal rights, and fighting for equality
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MEET YOUR 2024 Pack Leaders
Skilled artists and magic makers with a passion for community care.
Head Witch, Pack Leader
emma fox
Emma Fox is the founder of Wild Ride Collective and Director of Artemis Pack and Camp. They are a portal doula, multidimensional artist, (maybe too) proud Greek-American, and queer witch with a deep love for contemplative education and community organizing. You will likely find them playing pretend, boarding a spaceship, or communicating with interdimensional beings in their rainbow cape.
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They currently are the *fearless* pack leader for Mushroom, Cherry, Reishi, and Baubo packs.
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Pack Leader
Steph Adams
Steph (she/her) is a queer witch, artist, full-time Horticultural Designer, part-time Lavender farm fairy, and plant mom to 70 houseplants. She is also a former public school Art Teacher, and taught in West Philly for 4 years. She is a lover of travel, and has lived in South Korea and Peru. She currently lives in Chestnut Hill and spends her free time studying herbalism, hosting park picnics with friends, painting, and reading books in the Wissahickon. Ask her to make you a magical herbal tea blend!
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She currently is the *fearless* pack leader for Cedar Pack!
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Pack Leader
tia brown
Tia Brown (they/she/ey/em) is a Scorpio sun, Aries moon, and Capricorn rising
educator, activist, actor, singer, model, and dancer from the ancestral land of the Lenni-
Lenape. They are a proud NJ Governor’s Educator of the Year recipient whose
qualifications include 10 years of elementary teaching experience, an M.Ed. in Special
Education, a B.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies from The College of New Jersey.
They are also a veteran theatrical performer who has performed with various theatrical
production companies throughout central New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
They recently appeared in the 50th anniversary revival of RAISIN executively produced
and consulted by Phylicia Rashad and starring Broadway’s own Fredi Walker-Browne
from RENT!
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They currently serve as the *fearless* pack leader for Hawthorn and Magnolia Packs!
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FAQ
what is artemis pack?
A simple way to describe artemis pack is "queer pagan girl scouts" but for all genders. Our cohort model invites kids to stick around and develop a long-term relationship with their pack. Artemis Pack gatherings are rooted in ritual, song, and led by group-interest.
can my child try out a pack before committing?
Yes! There are two options for this:
1) You can pay a fee for a drop-in day and decide after your visit. 2) If you register your child for a pack, you have a one month trial period, after which you can decide if you'd like to continue. In this scenario, you are eligible to receive a partial refund if you choose to discontinue participation within the trial month.
where is it located?
Most of our packs meet in a private home in West Philly. Beginning in the school year of 2024-25, we will offer packs in Germantown and South Philly as well.
Who is considered a Marginalized Gender?
We recognize cisheteropatriarchy as a system under which cisgender(meaning identifying with gender assigned at birth), often times white, males are granted unearned power and privileges, while all other genders hold some level of marginalization. Within this framework, marginalized genders include any gender expression not granted these privileges under cisheteropatriarchy. This includes, but is not limited to, trans kids, cis girls, nonbinary kids, gender fluid, gender expansive, and genderqueer kids, and kids questioning their gender identity.