Wild Hearted Boys – Session 5

This iteration of the Wild Hearted Boys brought our long-awaited dreams of fort (or rather – fortress) building to fruition. With the help of professional carpenters and handymen, Jason and Tibor, the boys learned the importance of building a foundation, how to use a skill saw to cut wood and the safe and effective use of hand saws, power drills, hammers and other such tools.

By the end of the day the group had collectively constructed the fort’s foundation and four walls using a creative assortment of lumber and pallets. Our volunteer handymen were excited to work with the boys and will be joining us again to help us put a proper roof on our new home away from home – after which we can breathe some life into our new structure with a fire pit and whatever other additions the boys choose to contribute.

One of the benefits of our new fort location is that we are surrounded by an abundance of wild edible plants. Our older participants, Deer and Raccoon, spent a portion of their afternoon gathering fresh wintergreen berries. Our end of day count was purportedly 128 berries! There was even talk this week about starting our own wild edible garden out in the woods.

Looking back on the last ten weeks it is hard to imagine that the spring session is already half over. From the staff’s perspective the group has really come together as the boys have added new traditions to the program, discovered new friendships and really worked to make this a safe and spirited space for everyone involved. The boys have built a solid foundation for each other over the last five sessions leaving the staff excited and optimistic about what the rest of spring has to offer.

 

-Coyote