PARTICIPANT LETTERS

Empowering and transforming the lives of youth.

These letters were written by participants to themselves and mailed to them 6 months after W.I.L.D. backcountry canoe trips as a reminder of what they took away from the experience. These letters will hopefully provide some insight into the life changes that particpants come away with.

To whom it may concern,

I was a participant in the W.I.L.D. program the year of 2000 and I wish to say that it was one of the most profound experiences I have ever had.  Yes there was a lot of physical exertion with canoeing and hiking and camping and so on. But I had an epiphany as I sat and watched the northern lights pulse trough the sky, I cried. As I looked in amazement, that there were so many stars in the sky.  I do not know how, But I saw hope for my future. That even though I am poor in the material sense, I have been blessed with a mind and a soul that was meant to soar in the sky, like the northern lights. That I could light up the world the way the stars light up the sky  (I had never seen so many stars in the sky, where I am from you are lucky if you can see three). This trip gave me hope, something that I had almost given up on.

I will rise

I will Survive

There is nothing else

to do but rise

To the point of the

Stars in the sky

Love forever,

Erica (Arizola)

August 11, 2000

Having dedicated sixteen years of my life as a city girl, I’ve never been able to vision myself spending time with nature. I never would imagine myself going a day without the luxury of television or some form of electricity. Little did I know that all of this was to come to past.

After August 2, 2000 my life changed for the better. Spending time with nature has really enhanced my thoughts about everyday life, and expanded my thinking beyond its highest peak. It makes me wonder, “what if society was really like this, peaceful, quiet and everyday you could enjoy your own peace of mind.” (Wouldn’t that be something)?

Being out here has had its pros and cons. FEAR was the biggest issue with me, as far as flying on a plane, because I never been on a plane before, carrying a canoe (the canoe weighed more than I did) Climbing a mountain without any protective gear was extremely wild for me, and the biggest highlight was jumping off a cliff into a big body of water (OH MY GOODNESS) I mean who would have thought I would overcome those fears. Well I’m proud to say I did.

I am very glad I came to Canada and I just want to thank the W.I.L.D. foundation for making this happen for me. And if I had the chance I would do it all over again

Thank You

Linnie a.k.a. Lil’Bit

P.S. This experience should never go unacknowledged.  AHO

This trip has meant a lot to me. It gave me an experience that I wouldn’t believe. So much canoeing and sleeping in tents, eating the kind of foods that I never ate before. But even though it as a lot of hard work and dedication I learned that nature is a precious thing and more people from other countries should also feel the same.  I had more time to myself to think about life and what I should do to keep in touch with nature and life in general. I met a lot of good friends and one in general that touched my heart. Now that I left this trip I want to throw away my anger and madness and most of all my selfishness. I want to take with me love, kindness, curiosity and care for other people as well as my self.

Thanks,

Johnny (unstoppable) 

Dear Black Pearl,

I want you to know that I had a great time on the canoe trip to Canada. I found out a lot about others and myself. Things I thought I would never do, I did. I met a lot of great people and met new friends. I hope the next person who comes on the trip next time has as much fun as I did. I hope to leave the madness and selfishness behind and I want to bring home what I have learned like team work and being kind, sharing with each other. I learned how to speak Spanish. But this was a very important trip for me and I really enjoyed it. Thank you and god bless.

Charles (Black Pearl)

P.S. The trip was a dream come true.

Hello,

 My name is Jocelyn . I am 19 years old, and a junior at Columbia College. I am very happy and proud for coming to Northwaters. I learned things about myself I did not know. For example, how strong I can be when a hard situation comes along. This taught me not to be scared when returning to society and face difficult situations. I also learned I am willing to try something new no matter how tough or scary it may look.  Coming to this trip gave me a lot of confidence within myself; it showed me how to appreciate my life and the beauty of nature. But most importantly it demonstrated to me very clearly what kind of person I am. In the future I plan to adapt the skills I learned at Northwaters. I thank you for sponsoring this trip and changing my life and giving me a new perspective.

Jocelyn  (Morena)

To whom it may concern,

I feel very fortunate and blessed to have been picked to come on this trip. I got to make new friends and experience another way of life. Being out in the woods for 10 days – without any of the luxuries that one has in the city and still being happy taught me that I should not live life so complicated. I learned that life should be simple and free of confusion. Thank you very much for funding this great experience and making a difference in my life as well as everyone else that participated.

Sincerely form the heart,

Brian (Bonzai)

Dear W.I.L.D.,

My time in Canada was one of the best times of my life. I never canoed for such a long time. I made a lot of new friends and had a bunch of fun.  I learned how to use a canoe and strived on my own. I left the littering that I do in the city here and I will not be doing that anymore.

Pete (Leakage) 

Dear WILD friends:                                          Aug 11, 2000

My experience in this trip was one of many challenges and personal growth. I had to overcome my personal fear of the water, which has been with me for many years. I was aware of this fear, but with this experience I was able to conquer my fear. By day two I was able to relax and enjoy my surroundings and appreciate the beauty of Canada.

However, new challenges appeared in this trip. At the first portage I felt ready to take the canoe, but half way my arms were over whelmed and my feet couldn’t move any further. I felt like a failure because I always feel my role, as staff, is to give a good example. I believed I needed to be what I want others to be, to be looked at as a man that could pull his weight. This is far from the truth because I understand now that sometimes we can’t always do things on our own.

The next portage I was determined to reach my goal. I held that canoe and made the first portage without a problem. I felt proud of myself and proved to myself once again that a little help from “yellow root” (participant) was what I needed to reach my full potential. The second portage, just five minutes away, was harder; my feet were very heavy once again. I felt defeated, but Yellow Root refused to let me stop in the middle of the portage. She kept giving me words of courage that I needed to hear. Finally I made the portage I began to cry because I knew that this was a challenge for me and I conquered my fears of failure with the many successes in life.

Most importantly I learned that I have inner strength and that I am able to learn new things and to conquer many of my fears. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to experience very powerful feelings to seek inner strengths so that I can be a better role model for the kids I work with.

With great appreciation,        Saul  (Professor)

NorthWaters Base Camp, Ontario, Canada, Aug 11, 2000

This canoe trip was a great success. It is the second time I have done this trip as a staff member. Working with Geoff Briggs is both inspiring and rewarding. To see and work with young men and women who have never been in the wilderness, learn about life in a unique and good way is awesome. To some degree, beyond words.  This morning in a closing circle I heard these young people talk about their experience and what they learned. I was, again, astounded to hear them share how deeply they were touched by the experience. Also to see them develop canoeing and outdoor living skills was very rewarding. To be a part of the trip is a privilege. I personally learn about myself each time I venture out into the wilderness. This year I was reminded that life is difficult but that hard work pays off. And to grow one must reach out and stretch their limits. A pinecone and pine needles helped me to see this. Additionally, traveling through the wilderness carrying only the essentials I realize how simple life can be and how I complicate life by doing and having more than I need.  I am glad to be part of helping young people grow and learn about life. 

Thanks Geoff                             

Bob

Yo Psycho,

At camp I have met a lot of friends. I had a great time cliff jumping, mountain climbing, going to a water fall and boating 11 hours on weds. I learned to try and keep on trying to do things for myself. I left not doing things for myself. I would like to do this again next year. I will miss everyone.

Peace, Jorge AKA Psycho

I had a lot of fun on the trip, it was hard and there was a lot of bad weather but it was all worth it because we went to Center Falls. The part of me I am leaving behind me is my irresponsibility. The part I am taking back is being responsible and respecting other peoples feelings.

Responsibility (Michael)

The trip was one of the best trips I ever had, I really enjoyed it. I had a good time, it’s a very good place to relax and forget about all your problems. It’s also a good time to think about your future and think about what you want to do with your life. This trip taught me many new things. I’ve learned how to live with other people that are not my family and how to respect them and treat them – nice. What I left in Canada was being afraid of doing what I like and not doing what my heart tells me to do. In this trip I felt like I was free, you know, to do what I wanted and say what I wanted with out anybody stopping me. For the first time everybody listened to what I had to say. That made me feel, you know, respected. What I took home was power, more pride and more self respect. Now I know I could do anything I want because I now know I am capable and have the power of doing it. I know I could feel pride for doing something I really liked. Now when people ask me what I did over the summer I am not going to say “well I did stuff” Now I am going to say I carried a canoe and paddled everyday all day for a whole week. I am really proud of myself and all of my achievements.  I had to an opportunity to show what I can do and how far I can go. If people back at home knew what I did they wouldn’t believe me but you know what, it doesn’t really matter, if they don’t want to believe me because I know I did it and that is all I need. Now I feel more respect for myself. Like I said I achieved what I wanted. When I got to the camp I said to myself, “this year I am going to do more than last year, I am going to do what I wanted to do last year but didn’t do it because maybe I was scared or just didn’t think I was capable of doing it. One example is how I carried the boat. Yeah I mean I stopped a few times during the portage. What I said to myself was I got to finish this, you know why?, not for the group or anyone else, mainly for me.  Hopefully someday I get to do something like Geoff, go out in the wild with other kids and show them what I know. I think nature is what I really like. Since I was little I used to go camping to Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and I really enjoyed it. But I never knew I would like it so much. I never really knew what I liked to do, never found out what I wanted to do with my future, maybe some day I could join an organization like WILD and do camping trips. I guess camping is not a job but it doesn’t have to be my job, it could be my hobby. To whoever reads this I hope you understand I usually don’t write letters. It’s nice to have people like “Oak” and “Open Heart” that take time out of their busy lives and go spend a week with some city kids in the wild for that long. And people like Geoff who take time to organize the groups, I really respect those kind of people. Women like Nadia who don’t care about what men say about women, like women are not capable of being in the Wild but women like her is what men need woman that don’t give up and follow their dreams and do what they like. Well got to go no more time to write the plane is about to land. One more thing, I hope to get another chance and go again to that trip or any other kind of trip that involves camping. I really had a good time. It’s a good way to start the school year. Thanks Geoff for the opportunity you gave me. Like you said Geoff, live life now because you would never have another opportunity.

Snake (Alejandro)

Well, this is my second time doing this trip. It was a little easier the second time around. Since I wasn’t in a lot of pain this time, I had more time to appreciate the experience. The group was amazing. I learned I could be myself and not be judged.

          What I am taking with me on this trip is an understanding that sometimes you have to accept disappointment. If something doesn’t go your way or it takes longer than expected, you just have to deal with it. Sometimes dreams come true and sometimes they don’t. You should always be prepared for both.

          I loved everyone on this trip and I will never forget it. Especially Rainbow.

Always, Marisol  (Faith)

PS I hope to do the trip for the third time.

Dear Me

Hey waz up girl? Its been a long time since my trip to Canada don’t you remember? Well I remember a lot about the trip such as going on a plane the first day to Toronto and meeting all the people Ill be spending my life with for the next 9 days. When we first got on the plane me and Marisol were so excited about being together and going to Canada, to the adventure that was waiting for us. When we got off the 2^nd plane we met Nadia, she’s a wonderful person. Anyways about an hour later we went to Virginia’s place [Tipi camp on Bear Island Indian Reservation] remember, and we had dinner. Well anyways the next day we started our journey with the big voyagers anyways little did we know we had a big day ahead of us. When we finally found our first campsite we put all our gear away and went off to get our canoes. That is when A-Rod lost his glasses Well after that we had dinner I made it, it was that stew crap (remember Geoff) anyways the next day we canoed and a lot of things, I don’t think I have enough paper to write it all down. Anyways I got a lot out of the this trip such as strength, heart, hope and the ability to do a lot that I put my mind to. Anyways I had a lot  fun and it waz a great time. Love always, your self Janira  (Lucky)

 Yo what up Dawg?

Well the trip was great. It was hard. I don’t know if I want to go back. Probably I will if I am still with Marisol!!! I’m taking that not to say I can’t until I have tried. You better stay in school and make it to the big league and live up to my name A-Rod. Ill miss everyone that came to the trip. Sincerely, Eric aka A-Rod

Dear Bubba,

What I learned on the trip is that I can do things that I never tried before. I am really happy I decided to come. I got kind of buff and hopefully could stay that way. keep the memories. See you every day,

Love, yourself -  Ray

Dear Salvador Rios,

It was the hardest trip u ever had. But U learned to be more responsible in what U do. Also learned to respect others as well as your self. To control my anger at all times and never say never when something hard comes up in my life. And also remember you are a man now, not a kid.. Hunter

Having no idea what altitude we are flying at. I understand just a little bit more about myself and the world as a whole and how I relate to it. A bunch of people going about their everyday life, following the rules that man has set for them. Me, I choose to follow my own rules after all it is my life. There is a natural order to things. Breathe. Repetitious thoughts conquer all. Your thoughts can become your actions. I am a man. I have hair on  my chest and the experience necessary to survive on my own. But along with that I have the wisdom to know that we cannot survive alone.

It seems almost a lifetime ago that I was leaving Chicago to go into the Canadian wilderness. For the first time in my life, I realize that it is impossible to please everyone and as much as I would like to do so I will only hinder myself and growing process.

Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As distorted as the ideas have become in American Society, these views still hold true. I hold the values but not in the Capitalistic mindset they have been distorted into.

“There will be people who will not understand the transformation you have gone through”

Intelligence through organization. In order to organize my life and to understand where it is I need to go I must remember a few basic guidelines.

1. Acceptance-accept that I cannot change myself  for others. I must be true to myself.
2. Control- I must take control of my life. It is too easy to let other people do it for me.
3. Assertiveness – speak up for myself. If I don’t speak up for myself, no one else is going to.
4. I don’t have to apologize for who I am. Only when my actions are unfaithful to who I am or who I am in pursuit of  being (myself) should I apologize.
5. Be true to myself and be thankful for what I have. Let people know that I appreciate what they do. Not just by words but by actions.
6. Work hard. I can accomplish what I need to do. I can do it. There is no failure if I try.
7. Responsibility- I have to be responsible and not only know what I have to do but to follow through with what I have to do.
8. I can become a better leader through: Family, communication, cooperation, friendship, control, responsibility, assertiveness, maturity, and by keeping in contact with those who have helped me.

“Every night when I go to sleep I die and every morning when I awaken I am born again”

Kevin- Independence

Dear “Risky”,

What I learned on this trip is a sense of belonging. This trip also taught me how to care for other people and listen to them. This trip also made me stronger, not just physically but also mentally. My confidence is stronger because of everyone always saying how good I am or just helping me out.

          This trip has also made me appreciate my home more. Even thought the trip was fun and hard, having a toilet always makes things better. In closing, this trip has boosted my self-esteem and I will never forget this trip.

Marisol  “Risky”

I learned that caring about other people is not wrong, also I learned from all the portages and canoeing that life is not easy and even though you don’t feel that the struggle is worth it at the time, I saw that it was more than worth it after you finished. Last but not least, I learned to appreciate a warm home and a loving mom that even though I didn’t show it, after this trip, she is my queen. I learned to take situations seriously and to stop taking life as a joke but as an opportunity.

Sincerely, Gilberto   “Free Will”

PS To whoever reads this the trip is worth it even though it is hard

Dear Reader,

My name is Krystal. I am 14 years old. I live in Chicago, Illinois. I went to the Canada Trip this year (2001) it was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. I did things I’ve never had to do!

At the beginning it wasn’t so hard. I cried a lot and laughed a lot. There were good times and bad times. We all worked together and got through it!

Through out the whole trip, I was faced with challenges that I thought I couldn’t deal with. I didn’t have the confidence in myself. Now I feel like I am a better person. I’ve learned to say,  “I can” instead of  “I can’t”! This was the best experience I’ve ever had. Maybe I’ll come back next year. Maybe!

Love Always,  

Krystal  “Freedom”

I had a great experience coming to this camp. It was very fun but hard. We went out in the wild trying to survive. We had many challenges and many obstacles on the way but we managed to conquer them. We needed a lot of mental strength but most of all physical, like I said it was very hard carrying all the stuff and paddling most of the day, but we had fun doing them. When we took breaks we went swimming and cliff jumping, we also went to a waterfall. This was a great adventure and I had lots of fun. I wish I could do it again.

Alejandro  (LEO)

This trip to Canada was not easy. It was a difficult challenge physically and mentally. It was a learning experience. I learned about my family, friends, my environment, and mostly about myself. The trip to Canada opened my eyes to the point of views of other things. My mind was completely opened to other things, such as my fear of doing things that scare me, things that make me work hard and things that I usually don’t do. The trip challenged every part of me. I learned to work through everything. My self-esteem has grown, my courage, my pride, my love, my feelings are more noticeable. I wasn’t always great at expressing myself. But this trip gave me the key to open the door to success and a better life mentally. This trip is wonderful; it is what teen-agers my age need to feel better about themselves. The change I received here is incredible. I feel so much better about myself. The joy and love I feel in my heart is because of Geoff and just because he cared about people and me, makes all the difference in the world. I love Geoff a lot because he is a wonderful man inside and out. He will always hold a place in my heart and I will never forget the way he made me feel, happy, special, beautiful, respected, loved, wanted, needed and on top of the world! The group as well made me feel great but Geoff was the first person I opened up with so he holds a special place in my heart before anyone. Canada is beautiful and the experience is life changing! I love you Geoff. Aho!

Love

Christina   “C.C. (Cool Cat)”

Dear Self:

I learned a lot on this trip. For example, how to work as a team and helping others through rough obstacles. Also I learned how to portage, it was such a rush. The canoe trips put me in shape. In the beginning I was very lazy but now I am active. I want to take with me my learning skills, my strength and my courage. This trip had its ups and downs. First the cliff jumping was a thrill and the waterfall was very beautiful. I loved being surrounded by nature. This trip was awesome and an experience of a lifetime.

Yours truly,

Wilfredo

AKA “Tribe”

This trip to Canada made me realize a lot of new things. When I first came here I was a shy girl. A girl who didn’t like to take risks, or to be courageous. Coming on this trip, and doing the scary and adventurous things we did made me realize there is more outside of Chicago. I learned to open up to people, people I know and don’t know. I learned how to be patient. All these things helped me open my world and made me realize life is not always easy. At the end of the trip they asked us to think of something we don’t need or don’t want in our life and to leave it here at Northwaters. The thing I said I want to leave is my fear of trying new things and the thing I wanted to gain or take with me was the courage to say to myself  “you can get through this, you can do it.” that is why I think coming to this trip I learned to take risks and be courageous. This trip to Canada will never be forgotten and be remembered by “the learning experience.”

Always,