Goal Setting

With four weeks at Falling Creek this session, there’s plenty of time to set and reach lofty summer goals. Our campers have already been setting goals for themselves and working towards them during this first week! Some are working towards specific mileage goals or trips, some are working towards progression levels, and some are working towards personal goals like trying new things.

“I want to do a multi pitch climb at Looking Glass” Caleb said on one of the first days at camp. He got started early on his goals, going on the first Gilbert’s trip offered so he could begin working up to Looking Glass. Jude also had trip-centered goals. He hadn’t spent a full day in camp yet, and his goal was to go on at least one trip each week. “My favorite are probably the mountain bike trips,” he said, and was planning to try the Tsali 3-day coming up later in the session.

Vedaan is here for his first summer at camp, and he had so many goals that it was hard to keep up! “I want to learn how to play guitar,” he said. “Maybe I’ll do OSC. Or tennis. Or lacrosse.” With so many good options, it’s hard to choose what to focus on at camp! But then Vedaan mentioned, “I really want to get a Warrior or Ranger in horseback.” He was already signed up for a horseback lesson that afternoon, which would help him get started towards this goal. We talked about how earning the level of Warrior can take multiple summers, so it can be a great long-term goal to have.

Charlie was close to reaching his Ranger in the FARM, and had plans to build a woodworking project that would help the program, as part of earning that next level. His idea was to build a box outside the chicken coop to hold the eggs the boys collect each day. Lex was hoping to reach Warrior in Woodworking, and the two talked about teaming up their forces to help each other reach their goals.

Warrior is the highest level out of our 5 level progressions: Scout, Explorer, Challenger, Ranger, and Warrior. Each activity has a series of progressions that can be worked through to show mastery in that activity, and you can read more about the progression program here

Campers can also choose to set personal goals, or ones that aren’t necessarily part of the progression program. Jonathan is returning for his 7th summer, and had a new personal goal for himself this year. “I think I’ll focus on backpacking trips,” he said, after spending most of his previous summers riding horses. He thought it would be fun to try something new, and it would be a chance to spend more time out of camp with his friends who weren’t in his cabin. Though he’s been focused on fly fishing this first week, he was looking forward to the possibility of a 4 or 5 day backpacking trip later in the session.