Wilderness Weekly 3.3.23

March 3, 2023
by outBACK Engagment Team

Goannas:

This week the Goannas started out with enthusiasm and spirit. Welcoming in a new student with joy and fun. We were so excited for a new member, we went coocoo for sun butter in an attempt to show our enthusiasm. Our new member was completely unphased and blended into the group seamlessly. To hop right in, the group moved into a gathering where all members went and searched for things needed to complete fire sets. We collected bows, spindles, top rocks and fireboards to set us up for the week. With the weather, as a group, a decision was made to take time inside of the heated shelter to work on therapy assignments, ngarnas, reading, writing letters home, and personal time. Special Star did exponentially well with ngarnas and was able to finish several of them within the span of the week. Impressive! Multiple students were able to work on transitioning from first camp. Students made spoons, keeper’s pouches, and completed their first camp booklet. We held a ceremony honoring a student with the token Winged Heart. Winged Heart represents his growth in opening his heart to the group and modeling what that can look like. The Goannas worked hard around camp, and they also played hard and engaged in games such as contact, a fun word game, and shared many laughs. The students found lots of joy sharing stories at night with participation from each group member. We particularly enjoyed some campfire spooky stories, getting creative with our storytelling. Other stories were also shared from books that were given by the therapist to top off the excitement of story time. The students are also in the process of making their own Sea Shanty; a sing-along story of Goannas group culture. Overall, our week was filled with enthusiasm, snow, personal growth time, stories, and songs.

Roos

This week the Kangaroos needed some time for self-care, especially with the wintry weather at play here in the deserts of Utah. Our adventure expedition was postponed due to the weather, so our adventure coordinator started the week by bringing a big Dutch oven to cook Jambalaya for the group. After dinner, we had a gathering about the different types of riches in our lives. From Trueborn Diamondback’s connections to family to Stoic Silverback’s appreciation for nature, we discovered that even living on necessities in the desert, the Kangaroos are pretty rich. The next couple days we were snowed in, so in leu of continuing our backcountry expedition itinerary, we spent extra time in our cozy heated shelter working on Ngarnas, therapy assignments, and taking personal time. There were some beautiful sunsets and two days of perfect, clear skies this week. We did two day hikes, one which was windy and cold and the other which was sunny and peaceful. We also had a cooking competition this week! The winner was hard to decide, so it was a three-way tie between Trueborn Diamondback, Groovy Goat, and Universal Meercat. They made a tuna melt, the Dare Bear Deluxe Burger, and an apple cinnamon roll with caramel. The guides were very impressed by the craftsmanship and creativity these kids have for cooking! There was also a showcase of creativity through skills. Stoic Silverback made a bowl, Universal Meercat made a wooden chalice, and Groovy Goat made the Kangaroo legacy book.

The Kangaroos said goodbye to a cherished member of the group this week, sending him off with a day of silly games and a beautiful ceremony wishing him goodbye and honoring him with a Giver token. They also welcomed a new student into the group, teaching him all the tips and tricks of living outdoors and welcoming him instantly into the group. We made the best of a weather filled week, and now the Kangaroos are even more excited for their adventure this week!

Ulurus:

This week in the Ulurus was a week full of fun, excitement, and a variety of challenges that the group worked through together.

To kick off the week, we said goodbye to one of our fellow Uluru students, Resilient Roadrunner, and they were also honored with the Uluru token during their goodbye ceremony. During the goodbye ceremony each student went around and shared their first impressions, last impressions, favorite memory, favorite quotes, and hopes for the future before sending them off onto their next journey.

This week we experienced quite a bit of snow. It was challenging due to the winter weather conditions, yet everyone made the most of it and even built a giant igloo that could fit up to 7 people inside of it. Another one of our fellow students also built a mini igloo that could fit just them.

Despite the snowy weather the group was productive. Many students worked on therapy assignments, read books, carved spoons, and played a variety of games. One of the students, Intuitive Crow, even lead a gathering on one of the books we are all familiar with, Anatomy of Peace. He used this book as an example of how to navigate collusion cycles. Everyone shared a collusion cycle they found themselves in, what that looks like, and how to get out of them.

This week we also honored one of our students with two tokens. The first was the Maker token. This was given to them to honor their creativity and how often they are always trying to make something new. The second token was the Brightness token. This token was given to them to honor how much they brighten up the space and all the cool conversations they bring to the table.

All together the Ulurus had a lot of fun, worked together to overcome different challenges, and had many moments of bonding. Signing off on another great week in the Ulurus.