RCA - The Bullfrogs

As written in my field journal...

This week proved to be another major first for me. Last week I was with an all girls group – this week I’m with the all rebels group. When a student repeatedly no longer wishes to follow the basic structure of the program then they are pulled from their normal groups and relocated to the Bullfrogs. Here each student is put on what we call separates – AKA individual camps. The kids aren’t to talk or interact with each other and have minimal responsibilities, only tending to the most basic needs – wood, food, sleep, etc. Ig a kid shapes up and decides to follow the structure then they are allowed to work on their phase work. The design of the group is not to have a social or exciting environment. Our instructions this week were to be as boring as we possibly could – limiting our conversation and interaction with the students.

Our fire pit was placed in the middle of an opening amongst the Juniper trees. Each student was assigned their own spot away from each other but still with insight of our camp fire. The instructions are for each individual to dig their own fire pit and sump (a hole for grey water), gather their own wood and tend to their own fires. On rare occasions that everyone is willing to hike are the kids allowed to carry on casual conversations.

This week we had four students in our Bullfrogs group. When Rising Wolf and I were dropped off to relieve the old staff two of the students were already there from the week before. We waited on the side of the road until the other two unfortunate students arrived to discover their new discomfort.

Student Rory upon taking off his blind fold and leaving the vehicle he was moved with realized that he had once again landed in the Bullfrogs and started cursing up a storm. “Ah no! I’m in the Bullfrogs?! That’s it… I’m refusing! - Staff, just so you know I won’t be hiking or following any directives. I’m done.” (translated and filtered for both your and my comfort.) The fourth student to arrive was Jacob, the notorious runner from last week. He had become overly compliant with the program yet at the same time pled innocence to the world. I assume Bullfrogs was to give the kid some alone time to think.

After a few moments when all the people who needed to see us had seen us, Rising Wolf pulled the group together to offer a brief introduction and to outline the week and structure of Bullfrogs group. He offered that we didn’t exactly know why nor really cared why they were now in the Bullfrogs or in RCA for that matter – but that we were going to make the best of the situation anyhow. After answering a few questions the kids seemed to calm down a bit and put their packs on ready to hike.

We didn’t push them too hard and took lots of breaks for fear of one of them giving up and sitting down on the trail. A few miles down the road we set up camp and then day hiked for water. Once back at camp we started the dinner process beginning with bowing time – a chance for kids to work on their fire sets and ultimately make a fire. Only two of the kids managed any success to build fires in their pits. The other two went without, sitting down in their cold camps defeated. There was no safety concern with the temperatures so we simply told the kids to layer up and keep bowing. When dinner came around the two ‘withouts’ were allowed to cook on our fire and then retire back to their spots.

More to be posted later!