Heidi's Notes #1

Whew!

I have all the reservations set and my campsites reserved. The schedule is all made and the river company is booked! And... I cant believe the trip is a little over two weeks away! Jessica and I still have a lot of planning and ordering of food , gear and supplies. But with the schedule made now, it is easier to see what times we have to be able to do that.

I also want to thank a few people: Allison Owczarczack, Associate Director of Education and Jeff Rosalsky, CEO of PEEC, Paul Berge who lent his amazing digital SLR to me for the days the girls were here at PEEC this week. The photos on the website would not have been possible without that camera.

Without their help so much of this would not be possible!

Thanks guys!

There will be more thanks to come...

Take a look at what some of us are writing here at PEEC by reading our latest newsletter at http://www.peec.org/newsletter/PEECseasons_summer2010.pdf

and check out these other links: http://pberge.zenfolio.com, www,kittatinny.com

Day 1 part 3

Team building refers to a wide range of activities for improving team performance


Team building is pursued via a variety of practices, and can range from simple bonding exercises to complex simulations. It generally sits within the theory and practice of organizational development, but can also be applied to school groups, and other contexts. Teambuilding is an important factor in any environment, its focus is to specialize in bringing out the best in a group of people to ensure self development, positive communication, leadership skills and the ability to work closely together as a team to problem solve. (WIkipedia definition)


Teambuilding is a component of many of the programs done here at PEEC. So it is fair to say that these girls have been through a teambuilding program or two. So it was up to Jessica to challenge them to use some of their previous knowledge about teambuilding to solve the challenges she tasked them with. Check out the video below of one of those challenges.

This teambuilding initiative is called Organized Chaos.

You have two teams, and for each team there are two "callers". Caller #1 is facing the "finish line" (which is an object that has to be "found") and Caller #2 faces #1 (their back to the finish line) Caller # 1 cannot speak but can see the seeker. Caller # 2 cannot see the seeker but can speak to the seeker. Caller # 1 signals directions to caller # 2 who verbalizes those directions to the blind seeker who must make it to the "finish line"

To make things chaotic, there are two teams calling directions to their blind seekers. The seekers have to be able to differentiate their caller's directions from the other caller's directions.

When a seeker finds their "finish line", they are "called" back to their team...all the while still blindfolded.

Day 1 part 2

Today was a day of profound realizations.

For me...it really hit home that I will be on the river with these 11 young women. For them, the realization of what it truly means to "live" on the river for 4 days and 3 nights became crystal clear.

There was no shortage of doubt in the room when this fact was realized.

The difference between wants and needs becomes utterly clear when one realizes "if you pack it, you lug it around." It is here that things like pillows, multiple pairs of shoes and makeup become a "want" not a "need". And I used to be a makeup artist and fashion industry exec. Knowing my career past, you would think that I couldn't do without these things. But I can and often do. As I got older, I learned that they, as well as other wants, have their place in a balanced life.

Learning how to live a balanced life of wants and needs is one of the things Jessica, Betsy and I are hoping to show the girls. One way to help them realize what is wanted opposed to needed in their lives is to have them journal about their experience and how they feel throughout it.

Journaling is a part of the WINS program back in Philly and here at PEEC we incorporate journaling into many programs.

During the ABI / WOW program the girls will be journaling about many aspects of their trip. On this blog, you will be able to read from each girl's journal as well as "hear" from all of us while on the river. While on the river we will be blogging. Technology has given us the ability to do this with relative ease as long as we keep our cell phones and cameras dry.


I'm glad I bought insurance on my new Blackberry.

Day 1 part 1

WAITing, WAiting, Waiting, waiting...

Well my excitement is bubbling over and I can't concentrate on my other duties here at the center. I'm waiting for my ABI / WOW group to arrive and they are a bit late. That's ok. Things happen, and this allows me time to catch up on more of the planning for the program........

Wait a second. Is that them pulling into the parking lot?

 Yes!

A minute or two later, 11 young women from Philadelphia tumble out of the rental van and head straight for.....the BATHROOM!!!! 2 plus hours in a rental van after coffee and water and breakfast in their stomachs make a bathroom break, before anything, else mandatory.

Next comes moving into their yurts, lunch and an orientation to PEEC and the Park. Then they're off to hike PEEC's Scenic Gorge Trail; a 1.5 mile loop through deciduous forests
that transition into hemlock ravines that drop in elevation to shelter babbling streams, a small waterfall and the quiet and cool of the forest. After that we whisk the girls int a team-building session that will test their ability to work as a team. This is important because the girls will need to work well together when on the river so we start the process of cementing a sense of community now, early on in the program. After that they will go to dinner in our sustainably built dining hall (seen below).

Their night begins with an astronomy program with astronomy professor Nick Platco of Stars Mars and More and after their dinner has settled, we will engage in a yoga session with Yoga instructor Meredith Hutter Chamorro that will eventually lead to a Night Hike to get the girls comfortable with being in the woods at night.



Then, off to bed in PEEC's yurt village.

Click below on the Photo Album to see pictures from today. Captions to come later.