A list of inspiring moments at Tamarack Farm this far into our summer would require a lengthy scroll. Those moments are incredibly important, and equally so is the fact that at Tamarack Farm we work very hard on how to work with each other. At least three times a summer, the camp comes together to learn about one another through activities. We also try to reconfigure the messages we hear in our home lives. We call it the “human experience.”
The human experience is our main forum to combat and discuss “-isms.” Every single one of us can be singled out as having to deal with at least one “-ism,” whether that is racism, sexism, class-ism, hetero sexism, and so on. Combined, those forces are impossible to tackle in the seven weeks we have together at Tamarack Farm. In fact, people sometimes spend a lifetime on just one of those issues.
We believe that if we can learn to communicate with one another in a positive and effective way, then the rest can follow. These are some of the “soft skills” that campers learn at TF, along with building, backpacking and other “hard skills” One mainstay of these activities is the “iceberg concept.” Essentially, we have a life story that is hidden beneath our surface and by sharing some of that we limit the incidents when two individual’s icebergs collide. Those collisions are often unintentional and confusing. We sort through that confusion. Also, in our first session we stood in a circle and called out identifying statements. . If the statement also applied to you, you could step in the circle, too. The identifiers ranged from the silly to the serious, like “if you’ve milked a cow” to “if you’ve ever been judged for something you cannot control.” This activity was the most powerful of either of our evenings so far. Campers really opened up their hearts and shared very personal statements. Activities such as those are a huge part of the work we do towards building the best community we can.
We realize that important questions come up outside of our community. A crucial part of our work is setting up guidelines that foster the type of connection we aim to achieve. This summer, we’ve worked on some Cultural Competency training introduced to us before camp started by Jones and Associates, a consulting group.
The communication strategies outlined are helpful in dealing with anyone from anywhere. These approaches also provide a basis for people to talk on an equal level, even when they are in conflict.
So, we’re empowering our campers and staff to have tools for powerful protests against the injustices of the world. That is pretty special. One final thought is that these are skills and as with any skill they must be worked on and practiced. That is the ultimate message of our “human experience”; this work is important and worth the time and energy it takes to get better, to do better.
These are the 13 guidelines:
- Genuinely greet others and make an effort to pronounce their names accurately.
- Use “I” Statements.
- Listen to understand instead of listen to respond.
- Accept the speaker’s viewpoint as true for her or him.
- Consistently operate in a “learners” mindset, seeking to gain and reflect on a 360-degree viewpoint.
- Manage both intent and impact.
- Put your stake in the ground; be open and willing to move it.
- Lean into discomfort. Give space, grace and be willing to have the tough, candid and caring conversations.
- Accept working through conflict to its resolution as a catalyst for learning.
- Be willing to admit mistakes and areas of growth.
- Get to know more than the 10% that you see by increasing your knowledge, skills and abilities in the areas of diversity, privilege, countering oppression and building inclusion.
- Seek to continually raise the bar for yourself, others, organizations, and institutions.
- Celebrate successes!
We aspire to great things. So, we take time throughout the summer to put down the hammers and saws, to climb out of the lake, to set aside our screen printing, and come together. We are raising the bar for ourselves.
-Cody Tannen-Barrup