Dingoes: The Dingoes had a smooth sailing week. The focus of the week was vulnerability, communication, and teamwork. The group relied on those three values during their five days of challenging hikes through the desert. Three members of the group were reunited with family as during their parent visits. Although it was hard to say goodbye, the parent visits went splendidly. The group’s fire busting culture was re-evaluated and they seemed to thrive and succeed under the new circumstances. On Sunday, the Dingoes had a feedback gathering and the members went around and gave each other feedback on what they were doing well, and what they could be doing better. The boys took this group seriously and it really strengthened them and brought them together.
Gnowees: This week the Goddesses of the Light had many things to celebrate. We welcomed a new Gnowee, two Gnowees received their trail names, and three Gnowees were honored with tokens. Quirky Coyote reunited with her parents and honored each of them with tokens as well as passed on a miniature backpack and token for her brother. The girls focused on the challenges they experienced with trusting. We also had in depth discussions about identity and self-love. The Gnowees have been doing great at busting, teaching and learning from each other. The longer days have been providing our group with even more time for fun and light-heartedness. We played games, journaled, and had a face-painting contest.
Goannas: The boys crushed it hiking this week; we hiked multi-mile days each hike day. It was highlighted by a nine mile day which included 1,000+ feet of elevation change. Also the boys really stepped up when setting up camp each day; they were efficient in splitting up chores and tasks and held each other accountable. They enjoyed reading books and working on their ngarnas while also finding time to joke around with one another and playing dogs (a hacky sack game). At our therapy site we were lucky enough to be graced by a heard of mustangs which hung around each day we were there. This experience was coupled with the snowcapped mountain backdrop. It was truly an enchanting site!
Brumbies: The group worked hard to develop greater communication skills in order to relate openly during conflict. Although at times effective communication was difficult to achieve, the group was able to come together to increase their ability to listen and create empathy for each other’s experiences. During the middle of the week, the group almost peaked one of the tallest mountains in the field. At the height of the hike, the group held a token ceremony. Several group members were honored in a heartfelt way with tokens. Another group member was honored by the group with a name giving ceremony and received the trail name Magical Galaxy. Throughout the week, the group came together to read the Anatomy of Peace and applied knowledge and practice of collusion cycles.
