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Spring Break Jungle Escape
A Costa Rican STUDIO 2BSM destinations
By Tonya Leslie
What happens when GSUSA and the Costa Rica Rainforest Outward Bound School partner to bring unforgettable Girl Scout experiences to girls? Someone has to go and help make the experience wonderful for girls. This year that someone was me!
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| Who wants to go first? Rapelling a waterfall could be (gulp)...fun...at the Costa Rica Rainforest Outward Bound School at Rainforest, River and Reef, Costa Rica. |
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| Maureen, Erin, Laura (back row from left) and Alyssa, Nicole, Claire and Anne (front row from left) began their adventure in San Jose, Costa Rica. |
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Interestingly, a trip to Costa Rica wasn't as popular as you would think. Some people in the office shied away from the idea of backpacking for a week in the rainforest with girls. The thought of not bathing, being one with nature and climbing down a waterfall wasn't for the faint of heart. But I jumped on the opportunity right away. It would provide a great chance to test out and explore ideas about being an "adviser" instead of a "leader," and strengthening the By Girls, for Girls approach to Girl Scouting.
Despite my own Girl Scout experience, I am a city girl; so camping, hiking and rappelling would definitely push me out of my comfort zone. As the date drew closer I was interested in meeting and working with the girls, but I knew I would be testing my own abilities, too. Could I really do it?
On our first night in Costa Rica, we gathered to discuss our experiences. All the girls had years of outdoor experience among them, and our instructors who grew up in the area we would explore were experts (and certified). I was the oldest one in the group, the team leader, and I had the least experience of anyone!
It became clear that in no way was I going to be a "leader" to girls on this trip, even if that had been the expectation. But I certainly could "advise" them. So, I took my place in the back of the line, determined not to let my shortcomings stop the girls for reaching their highest potential.
Part of the Outward Bound school tradition is not to give girls roles during their stay. But they took on roles anyway. Alyssa was the comedienne, keeping the other girls' morale high with her cheerful tumbles and spills; Nicole was the cheerleader, taking a spot in the back so she could encourage the others. Erin was a leader, always willing to take on a difficult challenge, and Anne and Claire were our quiet supporters, treading steady and strong with never a complaint.
It was all new to us; the heat, the mud, the steep terrain. We each had to be responsible for our own belongings as well as some of the communal supplies. When one girl (the smallest in our group) struggled to carry her load, the other girls jumped in right away and divvied up some of her items. I never had to say a word.
Part of coaching (or advising) was stepping back and watching the girls lead themselves. Every so often I would pull a girl aside to speak. I wanted to make sure she was eating enough, drinking enough and getting enough sleep. I wanted each girl to know that I was always watching from a distance. I was careful to give girls time to intervene for themselves and step in only when they didn't. I explained that their role in the team was first to take care of themselves.
In turn, they helped me too—securing a loose backpack, showing me the proper way to put on my gaiters. They laughed good naturedly at my inexperience and I gave them the opportunity to be experts. It was more important to me that the girls got to know one another than that they got to know me. I spent a lot of time being a silent observer as the girls found common ground and bonding experiences. Sometimes, to let them know I was interested, I chimed in, brought up a topic for discussion or a point to consider. But mostly I sat back, amazed at how strong, smart and wonderful each girl was in her own way.
The trip ended a week later with our collection of bumps and bruises, physically and mentally, but with no major blips. We all learned something about our strengths and our weaknesses, and the girls gained self-confidence and courage to carry with them into future new adventures.
What I learned in the jungle about advising:
Or tips for working with teens
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| Tonya Leslie taking moment…from advising the Costa Rican destinations participants. |
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I learned that girls really do have the tools to do it on their own. We as adults can step back and watch the magic unfold. When girls are younger, they do need us as "leaders," showing the way, clearing the path. As girls grow older, they need opportunities to develop leadership skills of their own. We can step out of our leadership shoes and encourage girls to fill them. Here's what I learned:
To Let Girls Lead
Give girls the opportunity to use their unique skills. By finding ways to allow each girl to be an "expert" I could build in opportunities for her to share her knowledge with others. When put in leadership roles, girls are extremely patient and eager to make sure other girls learn too. Nicole knew a lot of songs to sing to distract us from the heat. She taught girls the words and tunes.
To Step Back
When we experience things with girls, we often get caught up in our own experience. I was conservative in sharing what I was learning, and to give girls the center stage. I found my journal was a good place to put all the feelings and wonder I was experiencing on the trip, without overwhelming girls with my personal revelations.
To Tune In
At night, the girls would talk about their day. Sometimes, I would jump in with a thought or idea. But mostly, I listened. By the end of my trip, I knew who had brothers and sisters, who had a boyfriend, who wanted to go to college and why. Sometimes, in our one-on-one conversations, I would reference these things and girls always appreciated that I "knew" them. They also liked the idea that I turned my volume down, but I never tuned out.
To Not Always Play the 'All-Knowing Adult' Role
Girls often expect adults to know everything. I didn't and even when I did, I sometimes wanted them to face the ambiguity inherent in new challenges. I often didn't answer their countless, "what's next" queries or provide the answers to the things I knew they would find out for themselves. For example, I would only translate the Spanish language menus a little so they would be forced to read through and understand using their own Spanish skills. Of course, there were times when we needed the "adult" intervention—but I found that when I practiced being an "informed participant" rather than "the adult leader," girls got comfortable translating, explaining and predicting for themselves.
To Have Fun, Too!
The girls set goals for themselves, and so did I. Throughout the trip we reminded one another of our goals and encouraged each other to meet them. When I finally rappelled down the waterfall, which I had never done, the girls applauded me. They celebrated my success just as much as they celebrated their own.
Sounding out on my Costa Rican adventure
even when my hearing aide was turned off. . .
By Anne
The trip to Costa Rica was physically hard for everyone, but it was also emotionally hard for me because I am deaf. I wasn't sure if the other girls in the group knew how to deal with someone deaf, but I didn't worry about it. I just continued to do my thing.
I wish I could say that being deaf didn't affect the trip at all. But it did. I can read lips in English, but it was difficult to do in Spanish. Some people's accents were hard to understand. Luckily, there were good-hearted people on the trip who were patient and helped me out.
We went white water rafting and that was tough. I had to take out my hearing aid altogether. I wasn't able to get a whole lot out of conversations. In fact, I couldn't tell if there were conversations going on! But we came up with a system to navigate the river, and everyone chipped in and helped. I didn't flip out of the boat once! Going to Costa Rica was definitely a challenge, but it was well worth it. My best memories are the times we spent with the families. It was nice to meet them and learn about their culture.
If you are the adviser of a girl with a disability and she is thinking about going on a destination, encourage her to go for it! Girls with disabilities need to engage in new challenges. It pushes them to work outside of their comfort zone. But be sure to let the group know about her special needs. I found that once people knew what I needed they were more than willing to step in when I needed a hand and step out when I wanted to work it out on my own.
I was nervous, and started to have some doubts about this trip, but everything turned out to be great! I am grateful for this experience.
Candace climbs a mountain
Candace, 17, a Girl Scout from North Carolina, had this to say about her Rainforest, River, and Reef destination:
I can't put into words what the trip to Costa Rica did for me, how it changed me. I went to Costa Rica as an overweight teenager who was strong-willed, but unsure about my true weaknesses and strengths, and very insecure about my body. I discovered who I was, the real me and not what society thought I should be. I went to Costa Rica wondering "Can I really climb those mountains? Will I really be able to do it with that heavy backpack on my back?" With the determination of a lion I climbed those mountains! There were times where I wanted to quit but I kept going. Why? Because there were 14 other amazing young women there with me to cheer me on by saying "You can do it Candace! Just a few more steps! One foot in front of the other! C'mon, you can do it!" And I had four equally amazing guides who were always there to say "You're doing an amazing job Candace! You're really kicking butt!" when I really needed to hear it. I was challenged not only to my physical limits, but also to my mental limits. On the flight home I discovered something. I had one of those moments where the light bulb just suddenly turns on! All the baggage, the limits I thought I had that were physical were nothing more than mental limits of my own making! I always knew that if I set my mind to something I could achieve it, but I don't think I ever truly believed it until that flight home after having climbed the mountain and standing at the top looking down instead of at the bottom looking up. Whenever I feel a little blue or I just want to slip away from my parents nagging about not going to college far away, I simply think back to standing at the top of the mountain, at the top of the waterfall, sitting in the steam house with the biting fire ants, or sitting on the rock in front of the Lopez house. I think back on the 11 days I spent in paradise learning about another culture and learning about me. And once I come back from visiting those memories I'm ready to take on the world! The staff was great, the girls I went with were great, and the memories are priceless.
To learn how to apply for a destination, read Process for Applying to 2006 STUDIO 2B destinations.
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