Meet Sylvie Silva
Founder & Director, Sylvie Silva is an experienced, triple-certified educator and counselor. Sylvie has been working with teens for most of her life and creating a curriculum specifically for their most potent and supported growth. Her constant engagement with diverse communities illuminated one common understanding, no teen is insulated from the harsh realities of life. Throughout her career, Sylvie experienced students who had cancer, lost parents, lost siblings, abused drugs, were victims of abuse, and even committed suicide. She began creating and studying ways to authentically comfort and support all of these kids at such critical junctures in their development. She pursued her Master’s Degree in Wilderness Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She also holds her certification in Gestalt Therapy from The Gestalt Institute of the Rockies.
Hear From Sylvie
“I believe that children are magic. In my time as a teacher I began to notice a correlation between the young adults that have strong internal worlds and the type of energetic genius they manifested in their school work. These "big feelers and deep thinkers" often posses a wisdom that is beyond their years and helpful to the community around them. I started The Cicada Institute as a resource for these emotionally gifted and spiritually talented teens. We employ rites-of-passage techniques present for centuries to help guide and develop these teens into the fully-actualized, potent geniuses that they were born to be. Cicada uses ancient wisdom such as mindfulness training, yoga, plant medicine, bushcraft, music and permaculture as the platform for learning. I have dedicated my life to creating the village it takes to empower these young people to grow into the potent paradigm-shifters they were born to be.” -Sylvie Silva
