Basics Program Introduction
Program Introduction
The Black Flag Outdoor Academy Basics Program has one very simple mission, to get vital survival information into the hands of the people who need it and do it for free! This program will consist of a number of mini-courses focusing on specific topics in wilderness survival and various areas of self-sufficiency. As the name indicates these courses will serve as a basic introduction to these concepts which is ideal for a beginner or a great refresher for those who are more experienced.
Just because these courses are basic does not mean they will not contain valuable information. Each course will follow the three Core Concepts of the Black Flag Outdoor Academy, Mindset, Skill Set, and Gear Set; providing students with the ability to obtain a basic level of proficiency in managing the survival situations that each course presents. Taking these courses will not guarantee success, each student must take it upon themselves to alter their mindset, practice their skills, and obtain the appropriate gear.
Course Format and Delivery
The presentation of these courses will be done entirely online and delivered via text, infographic, and short-form video. As the program grows courses will be organized into individual modules, allowing students to complete desired modules or the entire course! While we encourage people to, at the very least, review all the available modules in each topic there will be no requirement to do so.
The Basics Program will have no quizzes, tests, or skills demonstration requirements, and there is no time limit to the completion of modules of courses. This program can be done entirely at each student’s pace.
Each course and module will be written and compiled by our Co-Founders, Nick Italiano and Tom Nugent, with occasional guest instructors whose expertise may be of particular benefit to our students.
Additional Resources
Depending on the particular topic we may link outside resources, such as articles, videos, or links directly to products. These are meant to serve as supplemental resources that our students can utilize should they choose. We firmly believe that different people can offer different perspectives on many topics, and we encourage our students to learn as many perspectives as possible.
How We Keep This Free
The goal of the Basics Program is to keep it free. However, this does not mean we do not incur costs for creating and maintaining it. We hate pop-ups, and we have no plans of doing any kind of pop-up advertising, so you won’t have to worry about that!
There are a few ways we support the program. First is branded gear and merchandise. Our Co-Founder Tom “Nuge” Nugent is a talented knife maker and makes Black Flag Outdoor Academy branded knives, each purchase not only supports his business, but also directs a portion of the sale back to running the Academy. If you love what we do, we also offer a variety of merchandise including clothing, stickers, magnets, mugs, and note books for purchase. You can find all that on our branded equipment page.
We also have partnerships with a number of brands that we trust to make top quality gear or provide great training. Making purchases with our affiliate links goes a long way in helping us keep the program going.
Current Course Listings
The Three Core Competencies of Wilderness Survival
Foraging Basics with the WAZOO Foraging Bandana
Black Flag Survival 