Sam Thorne

Wellbeing, Nature & Experiential Learning

Designing, delivering, and managing research‑informed programs, workshops, and resources from start to finish

About

I develop and lead research-based, experiential, nature‑aligned educational materials that support wellbeing, reflective learning, and community engagement.
I design and lead these resources for use in schools, youth programmes, and nonprofit initiatives, helping facilitators and organisations create meaningful experiences that connect people with themselves, with others, and with the world around them.

Approach

I have a background in experiential learning, evidence-based wellbeing practices, community and youth educational programme design and project management, working with small businesses, schools and NGOs. With the exception of university-based research projects, I have typically been the sole founder and project lead, responsible for research, programme design, delivery, and facilitation. I have experience in qualitative and quantitative research approaches, data collection and analysis, and am currently a part-time PhD researcher at Bangor University.
I create experiential, research-informed resources that support learning, wellbeing, nature-connection and community engagement. My work bridges creative writing, applied research, and practical implementation, and I create materials that are ready to use in schools, youth programs, and NGO initiatives.

Projects

I have more than 15 years’ experience founding, leading, and delivering bespoke programmes and educational materials with over 40 schools, expat groups, NGOs, and small businesses. These materials combine experiential learning, creative writing, and reflective practice, and can be adapted for schools, youth programs, and NGO workshopsSelected projects:• Seasons’ Change – Experiential Learning Booklet: Nature-based activities and reflective exercises for learners (author and project Lead)
• Yogic meditation and sense-of-place related wellbeing: Original research project at the University of Cumbria
• Beyond Adventure Magazine: (founder, editor and project lead; bilingual magazine with distribution of 10,000 per issue
• Multi-day residential wellness programs for over 10 international schools in Central Eastern Europe (Programme founder and project lead)
• Wellbeing retreats and workshops: (Independent project lead; Facilitated over 50 events and workshops)
• The Wellbeing Sessions
(collaborative project with AberSU)
Podcasts for students on wellbeing
• Coaching Connections
(Delivery role within wellbeing services) wellbeing coaching sessions for students at Bangor University and Aberystwyth University

Creative, Research-Based Resources for Learning and Wellbeing

Example from a print series
Seasons' Change, Mastering Wellness"Each season provides conditions for our wellbeing in different ways.
The process of change is something we may love or find harsh at times, either way, it is an inevitability.Without change we would never reach the highest joys nor learn the valuable lessons of life.
The keys to coping with change may be found not by strictly following someone or something, but by discovering for yourself a life in harmony, as a part of nature, with curiosity and wonder.
Through becoming deeply connected to nature, we may feel fully alive, unafraid of the seasons and changes that occur."Pages: 40
Size: A6
Release date: 2nd January 2023
ISBN: 978-1-7393978-9-0
Ogwen Nandi Publishing