Dingoes: The Dingoes had a wonderful week, we said goodbye to one student who will be greatly missed! Two students were honored with trail names: Encouraging Grizzly and Wise Raven. The group had a great bonding experience on a very tough night hike, but were able to rally together and create a great sense of family and camaraderie! The group adjusted well to beginning to sleep in darts (individual shelters), taking responsibility for their personal space. Many of them had plenty of time for reflection while on solos and approached it with a positive mindset. It is exciting to see what the group can accomplish this upcoming week once they come back together after this time for growth and work as a united team!
Gnowees: It was an exciting week for ceremonies for the group. As one student set to transition from outBACK and onto her next adventure, and the girls creatively went all out to honor her during a goodbye ceremony. That student was also honored with the Gnowee token before departing. One student was honored with the token Awakening at the beginning of the week then Solid Ground later in the week. Another was honored with Vital Fire. The group even honored one of the dedicated Gnowee dogs, Ophelia, by giving her the token Winged Heart while a staff was given Strong Cord and another student was given Peacewalker. And finally, onne student was honored with the trail name, Creative Octopus.
The Gnowees are adjusting to sleeping in darts (individual shelters) instead of in a group shelter as we practice social distancing. The group has a solid routine with Gnowee pages journaling, delicious meals, group gatherings, and busting. The therapy days have changed, so they had long personal time on Monday to work on therapy assignments, and self care with mud/charcoal masks. We also made cinnamon rolls! Many of the girls are creative and enjoy drawing together by the fire. We enjoyed welcoming spring and had sunny days with cool breezes.
Brumbies: What a week for the Brumbies! We completed four hikes this week and did each of them in one push. Everyone was feeling very accomplished by the time we arrived at the therapy site on Sunday. One magical hike was down a road divided by weather – snowy weather on one side and beautiful sunny weather on the other! The group was supportive of one another and therapy site continued with ceremonies and honoring a special Brumbie with the Brumbie token. The students discussed various topics and their goals for the future in several enlightening gatherings led by both staff and students. New protocols were introduced for hygiene among the group and the students did well to understand why these new procedures are being introduced. In all, the week was full of beautiful weather and a deepened sense of brotherhood!
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Check Out What’s Happening in 1st Camp @ outBACK
This week was one for the books. It was filled with skill building, relationship making and giggles. The students were introduced to the field and receptive to the additional guidelines for hygiene, social distancing and first camp. We made busting sets, puwakas, spoons and more for our students. We were able to go on some walks and day hikes which were filled with fun and adventure. The students all overcame difficulties in adjusting to living out in the wilderness and exhibited resilience to challenging circumstances. The students and staff bonded over sharing experiences in the wilderness, why they thought they were at Outback and how they could relate to each other’s stories.
