Welcome to Trackers
Part 1: Trackers Teams & Code
Trackers Families,
When you register for a Trackers program, we send regular updates about what to expect at Trackers. These include pro tips on how to pack, skills you can practice at home, and even ways to get the whole family involved. If you register for a Trackers program, you will also get a reminder letter with additional information a week before starting. We encourage you to read each update and discuss the ideas with your child.
In this first update, we want to introduce Trackers Teams…
Trackers Teams
Trackers Teams is the structure for nearly all our camps—whether a Rangers wilderness survival camp or a Mariners fishing camp. Think of it as a Game of Tracking kids play at camp and a game they can continue playing at home with friends.
When youth come to our programs, they join a Team—a fellowship in search of adventure. The role of our Guides? To inspire and energize youth to self-organize and self-direct their Team. The role of the Team? To care for each other, and for family, nature, and other generations.
We Are Trackers
We call our campers and staff Trackers. Whether we’re fishing, learning archery, or role-playing as a Wizard, we are Tracking. A Tracker is mindful, always observing the world around them. A Tracker pays attention to subtle clues and seeks out how to be truly helpful—a Tracker adventures by the Trackers Code.
Trackers Purpose
While learning challenging skills at Trackers, kids must understand why such competencies are useful. Almost everything at Trackers is fun, yet developing the timeless, Jedi-like abilities of a Tracker also requires perseverance and grit. The Game of Tracking is about saving the Earth. No big deal. Having a higher purpose helps kids to tap into deeper wells of resilience. All our programs start with an agreement to follow the Trackers Purpose while at camp:
- Care for Family and Community whatever form it takes.
- Care for the More Than Human World to include every aspect of nature.
- Care for Many Generations Beyond Us for those who come before and after.
Kids crave responsibility and want to mirror the care we give them as guides, parents, and guardians. Our society, however, does not always support their full potential for contribution. The Trackers Purpose maps out how youth can make a difference in small yet powerful ways!
Trackers Compass
If the Purpose is a map for the Game of Tracking, we find our way with the Compass. It guides the Tracker by four points of awareness:
- Pay Attention to the world and its subtle clues and puzzles.
- Be Truly Helpful to find even deeper connections to care for others.
- Respect the Flow to adapt to how everything moves in nature.
- Remember Our Story to share your adventures with your family.
Trackers Action Call
Finally, while a Tracker navigates with the Compass, they need an Action Call to begin their heroic journey. The Action Call are four character traits vital for playing the Game of Tracking:
- Be Ready by training in essential outdoor skills.
- Be a Caretaker by caring for other people, creatures, and places.
- Be Gritty by staying strong for your higher purpose and calling.
- Be a Team by finding friends and working together for the greater good.
More to Come!
We hope this update gets you and your child excited about their upcoming Trackers program. Message us back with questions and ideas! Our next update about Trackers Teams will be…
Read Part 2: Your Trackers Kit (What to Pack)
Be ready for adventure! Gather your Trackers Kit for the ultimate lesson in wilderness survival.
