PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Mainely Girls of Presque Isle will take 10 local high school girls and head out to the Jack Mountain Bush Craft School, located on the Garfield Road in Masardis, for three days of bushcraft, canoeing and hiking, as well as a chance to build relationships and self-confidence.
Thanks to a grant from the Agnes Lyndsay Trust, a collaboration between the local nonprofit organization and the school will provide an opportunity for the girls to learn new skills and think about what true leadership feels like.
On August 1, the campers will meet in Ashland and head out to the 60-square-mile Garfield location where Ben Spencer and Victoria Forkus, camp leaders, will be waiting to demonstrate proper tent setup, offer a tour of the grounds and lead a foraging and camp cooking experience. The first night in camp will be filled with music and games, stories and goal-setting.
Mainely Girls Executive Director Carol Ayoob and MG Board of Directors volunteers will attend the camp as guides; Ayoob has worked with groups of girls in the past, and she has taken girls camping in the Mount Carleton Provincial Park in New Brunswick.
“These moments in a girl’s life are so important,” said Ayoob, “as an Outward Bound or Appalachian Trail experience, on a smaller scale. The girls are unplugged, tuned in, and noticing shifts in their thinking that inform them of who they are and how they can grow by stepping outside the boxes they might have already built for themselves.”
There will be team-building activities, bushcraft projects and first aid safety training on day one. Spencer will teach canoe skills and take all campers on a day-long excursion on a portion of the Aroostook River on day two. Day three brings a team of women volunteers and all campers will do a day-long hike up Mount Chase near Patten. On the final morning, Aug. 1, the girls will “pack out” after brunch and a potlatch, or gift-giving ceremony, and meet back with parents in Ashland.
For more information on the Mainely Girls Summer Leadership Camp, call Ayoob at 768-5903, or follow the process to register on www.mainelygirls.org. Some scholarships are available; those interested should not let money issues be a factor.
