Asheville TAASC

The American Adventure Service Corps

Learning to Lead

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learning to lead

The traditional view of leadership is stale and outdated. Many young people do not want to be the person at the top or front, making decisions and telling everyone what to do. They want something different, something that feels right to them.

That’s where we come in. Our job is to help kids re-imagine leadership, to show them that it’s not about being at the front or making decisions, but about being self-reliant and helping others. When they realize that these are forms of leadership, they are often surprised. “Really? I’m a leader? That was leadership?”

Creating these opportunities is simple: take a group of kids outside, give them a mission to accomplish, and watch the leadership spirit emerge. We see it all the time on TAASC trips. The trick is to coach students to see it, and then to help them find a leadership style that feels natural to them.

The truth is, leadership can come from anywhere. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, what matters is choosing to be the person who makes a difference and helps others. 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.” At TAASC, we teach our students to look for these moments and to practice and experiment with them, so that they can find their own personalized and inner-connected leadership style.

“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

Girls TAASC

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An 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 

Rescue skills create responsibility

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In TAASC we focus a lot on teaching students rescue skills. These are all important skills to have in the outdoors and they transfer to increasing student responsibility in general. When you’ve experienced how difficult it can be to perform a vertical rescue, it makes you realize how important it is to learn the necessary skills to stay safe and not get into a situation like that in the first place.

With this rescue workshop, our older group got to perform a vertical rescue and sent one of their own off the upstairs balcony in the TAASC climbing gym. About as technical as it gets! The group was divided into different teams and had specific roles to ensure all was safe and correct! There were a lot of technical skills to learn, which really bumps up students’ general rope management, climbing skills and overall systems thinking. It’s like doing a giant puzzle except it’s real and you’ve got to work in teams, communicate and create a system to safely transport someone.

These folks did an awesome job! Look forward to getting outside and practicing this on a real rock face. Creating a rescue squad for the future!

Are your kids looking for Adventure?

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Any new interested kids and parents are welcome to join us at one of our regular meetings to find out more about TAASC! It’s the best way to see what we’re about, meet other students and see if it’s something you want to be part of.

TAASC is an exciting and innovative year round outdoor leadership, adventure/service program that allows students to develop confidence, group awareness, leadership skills and personal responsibility, all the while having fun with new friends.

“The greatest thing about TAASC for me as a parent has been that I’ve seen my child’s confidence increase dramatically. He has conquered any fears that he had in the beginning and now his leadership qualities are emerging. The folks at TAASC have given him challenges and experiences that have helped shape his character and develop skills that will serve him well in the future. Also I think it is great that he gets to know other kids outside his immediate circle”. ~Mary Jane Keever, TAASC parent

Join TAASC for adventure and get out and play: climbing, paddling, hiking, caving, mountain biking and helping others through service.

  • Co-ed and open to students aged 8 – 18.
  • Exclusive Girls only TAASC program
  • Weekly meetings – students meet once a week to learn outdoor and personal development skills and prepare for upcoming trips.
  • Weekend adventures – each age group participates in a weekend wilderness adventure or community service project each month. We do fun activities like climbing, paddling, backpacking, caving and service projects.
  • Summer expeditions – 5 and 10 day wilderness adventure trips.
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