Registration is now open for Boys Achieving More (BAM!) on the Junior League of Greenwich (JLG). This free outdoor adventure program for 5th grade boys will take place on May 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Seton Scout Reservation on Riversville Road in Greenwich. To register, visit jlgreenwich.org
The fall session was a huge success with 31 boys in attendance from 11 schools. The program was in such demand that the session filled within the first 48 hours of opening registration. Participant selection for the May session will be by lottery. All forms and signatures must be received by April 15 in order to be considered for the spring session.
BAM! was created by the Junior League of Greenwich to facilitate a discussion amongst 5th grade boys on the over-arching concepts of respect, trust, communication and leadership. Three facilitators from local organizations – Bob D’Angelo from the Greenwich YMCA, Bobby Walker from the Greenwich Boys & Girls Club, TJ Ramirez from ReachPREP in Stamford, along with the Greenwich Boy Scouts Council – worked with the Junior League of Greenwich to design activities to engage the participants in the desired topics of discussion.
D’Angelo (YMCA) and JLG members create an “Amazing Race” through a portion of the Seton Scout Reservation where the participants walk in line through fallen trees in the woods, throw wood spears against a natural target, throw colored (environmentally friendly) paint powder against a rock, and fall off a log into a rope ladder held by the other participants. These activities facilitate discussions about trust, health and exercise, balance, focus, and respect for other people.
Walker (Boys & Girls Club) leads a “Survival Skills” workshop with Junior League members where the boys hike through the woods, discussing leadership qualities, what it means to be a good leader, and how to get to know the people around you. The boys will become “lost,” choose a leader from amongst themselves, and find their way back to home base.
Ramirez (ReachPREP) works with the Low Ropes course at Camp Seton and Junior League of Greenwich members in a workshop focused on trust, communication and teamwork. Each “climber” will navigate the rock wall, focusing on directions from his peer “spotter” to locate the appropriate hand and feet grips, trusting that the spotter will guide him up the walls and through the course. Then, the entire group will go to the “Whale Watch,” a large wooden balance board, where they have to work as a team, communicating to balance the board for 60 seconds, then get off the board one by one without letting it touch the ground.
