Women’s Wilderness Weekend of RI, a non-profit organization formed to provide weekend getaway opportunities for women to enhance self-development through shared workshops, recreation and fellowship, has scheduled its upcoming weekend for Oct. 18.

The first of these weekends was held 36 years ago at a time when there were few satisfying opportunities for women to get together to explore like interests and develop their confidence and creative skills. 

The mission of Women’s Wilderness Weekend of RI (WWWRI) is to provide safe, non-competitive programs to adult women in a pristine setting to afford them the opportunity to learn about and reflect upon their connections with themselves, their environment and society. Each year, WWWRI conducts three weekend retreats that begin Friday evening and end Sunday afternoon. The retreats take place at the 2,300-acre W. Alton Jones Campus of the University of Rhode Island. The upcoming weekend, October 18-20, will offer a wide variety of classes, such as hikes, tai chi, mask making (two sessions), canoeing, decorative cupcakes, past life regression, dreamcatchers, letterboxing, hike with bento box lunch, archery, fall foliage jewelry and the outdoor wild women challenge. As with all of the weekends, there will be a service project. For the October weekend, the service project will be the Lend-a-Hand Therapeutic Riding Foundation in Cranston. The riding foundation wish list includes coloring books (animals, horses, farms), crayons, markers, squeaky squeeze toys, packets of tissues, paper towels, toilet paper, Pine Sol cleaner, hand sanitizer (pump style), sponges, dark-colored face cloths and hand towels. See their website, www.lendahandri.org, for further information.

Private holistic services, such as massage, reflexology, tarot/intuitive readings and facials, are available from certified practitioners for a fee. On Friday night there will be a night hike. On Saturday, a raffle will be held to raise funds for the scholarship program. WWWRI logo items will be sold throughout the weekend. The profit from the sale of these items is used for scholarships. Saturday evening’s entertainment will be hilarious improvisational comedy with the Speed of Thought Players. Prior to the raffle and entertainment, join Adam Lowe for a dusk hike. On Sunday morning, there will be a dawn hike with Adam Lowe before breakfast. Wear proper hiking attire and use bug spray.

Participants in the weekend retreats are charged $239, which includes all meals, lodging and workshops. A $10 discount is available if your registration is postmarked by Oct. 4. RI PBS members who provide their membership number are entitled to a $15 discount. A $15 discount off each registration is offered for a group of 12 or more whose registration forms are sent together. The group rate at this time would be $224 per person.

Should you like additional information about the organization or the upcoming weekend call Cherie (203) 284-0481, Lynda (617) 547-8163 or Leslie (401) 826-7401. For scholarship-specific questions or to apply, contact Linda (401) 294-4948 or Teresa at (508) 558-3919. You may access www.womenswildernessri.com for further details or to download a registration form.