Asheville TAASC

The American Adventure Service Corps

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Growing Together

May 24, 2017 By Greg Gillett 1 Comment

Transformation – the changing from the caterpillar to the butterfly – sounds so beautiful, and it is.  But it is easy to skip over the middle part.  The part when the caterpillar is inside the chrysalis completely dissolving itself and reforming.  Yet it is not despite, but because of challenge, hardship, and a certain level of stress that we transform again and again.  

As the school year comes to an end we find a natural marker of the time we have spent together as the community we call Girls Taasc.  During this pilot year our group has learned and grown and changed, and changed again, responsive to the development of our group as a whole, but also responsive to each girl’s (and leader’s) unique individual growth as well.

So, next Thursday, we celebrate with our traditional end-of-year Taasc ice cream social.  Can we transition to the summer season without this tradition of frenzied loading of toppings onto Asheville’s best – Ultimate Ice Cream?  We think not.  Those who come with dinner, be forewarned, children’s ice cream bowls have been known to be loaded not only with gummy bears, cookies, and all manner of sweet toppings – but also with unattended dinner items of those attempting to be healthy.  Think chunks of chicken, hot dogs, potatoes taking their place of honor along with the candy.  Truly – a free for all!  Newcomers… be forewarned.


Who can blame them really, it’s feels great  to cut loose after a season of fun and also hard work.  And growing is hard work.  Transformation – the changing from the caterpillar to the butterfly – sounds so beautiful, and it is.  But it is easy to skip over the middle part.  The part when the caterpillar is inside the chrysalis completely dissolving itself and reforming.  Yet it is not despite, but because of challenge, hardship, and a certain level of stress that we transform again and again.  

In Taasc, we the adult guides, are lucky. Lucky to witness, behold, hold space for and design ways to allow kids to find out where their edges are. To step beyond these edges, and find themselves flying, to look out at the children as they wave back to us, saying, here I am!  I did this!  I have this in me!  

Moments of suffering — we call it Type 2 fun — are not fun in the moment, but are deeply fulfilling afterward.  Type 1 fun – loading a million toppings on a giant bowl of ice cream – yes we are all for it.  Type 2 fun – lugging a heavy backpack up a seemingly never ending gravel road, throwing yourself on the ground so you are collapsed like an upside down turtle, tears, complaints, getting back up, hiking on.  Getting in sight of the bus, having a grown up offer to carry your pack the rest of the way, saying “No, I got this.”  Making it to the bus.  

Type 2 fun.  You get it. You feel awesome afterwards.  It lasts.  It transforms you.

The end of year overnight with families is a sacred time in many ways, an experience of girls being in relationship with their families from the perspective of the growth they’ve earned over the course of their year.  

What forms of growth do I see? … independence in camp skills, willingness to “go for it” with that first lunge into the cold river,  working together as a fully contributing group member during camp break down, standing in front a group to find authentic voice in sharing stories about life, adventures, what is meaningful to you.  

This kind of growth happens individually, as part of our inner world, but it happens together.  Together in this supportive, loving, and daring community we call Girls Taasc.  Girls Taasc, a place filled with strong girls climbing mountains, swimming in rivers and scaling cliffs.  A place where kayaking unicorns paddle rainbow rivers carrying pandas on their backs.   

So, at the ice cream social we celebrate, we celebrate the place where each girl is on her transformation journey.  In recognition we present her with her Taasc shirt – never for sale, always earned.  

By Lucy MacGregor

Filed Under: Adventure Education, Girls Leadership, Leadership

Girls TAASC News!

February 24, 2017 By Greg Gillett Leave a Comment

Our Girls TAASC group has had some fun and informative sessions since the start of the New Year.
(By Becky Kluge)

In a recent meeting the older girls learned about the signs and symptoms of hypothermia and how to treat it.  Their favorite parts were learning about the “umbles” and then making a human burrito using camping gear and personal layers.

The younger girls learned about a proper hygienic practice for Leave No Trace “pooping in the woods”.  Ask them to tell you how!

One chilly Thursday afternoon we combined groups and made a heat tent with a large tarp where we all huddled underneath on comfy pads.  We talked about the meaning of an expedition with Becky telling her story of a 70 day, 850 mile river trip she did in the tundra of the Northwest Territories.  The girls offered stories of their family expeditions, as well.

Last week our combined group focused on working together to communicate and problem-solve multiple versions of  The Maze.  The girls had a blast working their way through this initiative, from one side to the other, finding different ways to communicate when their speech was “taken away”.  Strong team work unfolded.

Sophia Cross, Asheville High senior and long standing member of TAASC, has attended nearly all sessions, bringing her expertise, fine role modeling, and enthusiasm for girls and the program.  All of the girls love her and so do the staff!  She is an excellent example of how this program so positively informs and creates a confident, strong leader with amazing outdoor skills.  We are so fortunate to have her with us!
We are looking forward to the March 4th day-trip to Worley’s Cave with the younger girls, although any age girl and her parent(s) are welcome to join us.  If you haven’t already signed up, please do so HERE.

We will be sending out a packing list of what they should wear and bring to be prepared during and after the cave exploration.  This guarantees to be a muddy and fun trip!

Looking forward to more adventures with these awesome girls!

Filed Under: Adventure Education, Fun for kids, Girls Leadership, Leadership

Exploring Female Leadership

January 10, 2017 By Greg Gillett Leave a Comment

This week our six and seven year old Taasc girls embraced the dark as we turned our attention toward our upcoming day trip to go caving! These girls have already been building trust with one another at meetings. It wasn’t that long ago that each girl was leading her blindfolded partner on a trust walk in the woods, and then they took it to the next level as they back up belayed each other at the climbing gym.

During cave exploration each girl will not only be taking responsibility for herself, but will support the group through her leadership.

In Girls Taasc we explore the many faces of leadership. Leadership looks different for each unique girl, and we honor each individual expression.

On our climbing trip, the girls began to explore four expressions of leadership through the window of Angeles Arrien’s Four Fold Way. We began to learn about the way of the warrior – showing up and being present, the way of the healer – expressing care, appreciation, and gratitude, the way of the teacher – sharing what you know, and the way of the visionary – telling the truth about what you see without blame and judgment.

The girls made some pretty cool pictures of how they are warriors, healers, teachers, and visionaries.

As you might guess, there are lots of opportunities to work with themes of courage, support, and adventure as we move into our caving theme. And there are lots of opportunities for straight up fun, too. Last week the girls transformed into bats and pups (baby bats), with blindfolded mama bats locating their babies through sound and scent.

Mini Girls Taasc is so awesome! Am I ever lucky to spend my Thursday afternoons with this group!

By Lucy MacGregor

Filed Under: Adventure Education, Climbing, Fun for kids, Girls Leadership, Leadership

TAASC Wilderness First Aid Course

October 14, 2016 By Greg Gillett Leave a Comment

Congratulations to the 16 TAASC students and parents that completed their Wilderness First Aid course!

Everyone did really well and learned valuable new skills they can share and use. I highly recommend these courses to TAASC students and parents that spend time outdoors with their kids (or on their own). They are some of the highest quality programs I’ve ever taken . I know several people who were so inspired from taking courses like these that their life trajectory was influenced and they ended up at medical school!

We do get to learn and practice a lot of these skills in TAASC, but this program will get you a certification and will really improve your skills. First Aid skills are some of the most important skills you can have to help others!

 

Filed Under: Adventure Education, Rescue skills

Real Life Situations

September 15, 2016 By Greg Gillett Leave a Comment

Real life environment“The kids are allowed to be who they are at that developmental stage without constantly being under scrutiny. While they are being kids, they are learning how to do important things and being tested in real-life situations. When they are out on the water, those are real-life environments. And when they come back, they are very aware that they’ve done something important.”
-Casey Fletcher (Alumni TAASC mom)

Filed Under: Adventure Education

Learning to Lead

August 23, 2016 By Greg Gillett Leave a Comment

lead from anywhereThere are many young people who do not identify with a traditional template of leadership – the one with the person at the top or the front, making decisions and telling everyone what to do. Many kids especially do not want this role. It’s not cool, it’s not comfortable and doesn’t feel right to them. I feel the same way.  The traditional template is stale and outdated. We live in a new world that needs new thinking and new leadership ideas.

Our job is to help kids re-frame it, take it back and make it their own. Show them another way, use another word, whatever it takes. There is so much negative charge attached to the word “leadership”. But when a young person realizes that their ability to be self-reliant, or to help another person is actually demonstrating leadership, it’s always surprising to them. “What! Really? I’m a leader? That was leadership? I can do that”.

Creating these opportunities for kids is simple: Get a group of them outside in a beautiful place with a specific mission to accomplish. It’s the ultimate setting for the elusive, ‘leadership spirit’ to come out.  I see it all the time on TAASC trips. The trick then is to coach students to see it and then once they find it, how to use it so it feels natural to them.

By offering a new way to view Leadership students learn that leadership is a mindset – a way of seeing the world and looking for an opportunity to contribute and create value. At TAASC we teach our students to look for these moments and then to practice and experiment with them. Trying on as many styles of leadership as possible is the only way for them to find a personalized and inner-connected fit.

The truth is you can lead from everywhere – the back, the front, the middle, the outside or inside. It doesn’t matter, what matters is choosing to be the person that can make a difference, and choosing to help other people. As Simon Sinek says, “Leadership is a choice, a choice to look after the person to the left of us and the person to the right of us.”

“TAASC was different because it pushed me so much harder than any other sport or group I was ever in. You have so much personal responsibility — bring your own clothes, your own food, your own water — but you have the double responsibility of being a part of a group and helping out your group mates and being aware of what they may need. That amount of responsibility has made me be a better person in other groups I have joined.”
-Freya Pollock, Age 21
Clark University student
Alumni 10 years in TAASC

Filed Under: Adventure Education Tagged With: featured

Girls TAASC

August 22, 2016 By Greg Gillett Leave a Comment

girls taascAn outdoor leadership program specially designed for Girls!

Girls TAASC is an opportunity for girls to create a safe and welcoming environment where they can grow through discovery and development of their strengths.

Through games and problem solving activities, art, reflection, and instruction of adventure outdoor skills, we talk about how girls perceive themselves and women in society. We examine how girls and women are often seen and heard and how this reality can affect their leadership style.

The program aims to build community, develop leadership, and foster individual growth, as well as build close relationships among group members. Students will develop their inner and outer strength in an all-female environment where they can discover courage and abilities they didn’t know were there. Mindfulness, compassion and caring will also be explored.

Mostly though, this program will create the opportunity for a new generation of female leaders to learn, grow and develop in an outdoor setting in a way that is best for them.

Girls TAASC is run by several of the amazing women in our community. All of these ladies have extensive outdoor experience and bring educational experiences from their various backgrounds. We are all very lucky to have their energy, wisdom and magic to be shared with young girls from our community.

 

Click here to get meeting times, tuition and other details 

Filed Under: Adventure Education, Fun for kids, Girls Leadership Tagged With: featured

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