Spring: Renewal and Growth

You can feel it if you take the opportunity.
The Earth basking in the warmth of the longer days, the soil saturated with a season's worth of moisture.. Life is literally bursting forth, filling the brown and gray landscapes of winter with greens, yellows, blues, purples of a new season.

"Situational awareness" is one of our favorite terms. It's the same as "mindfulness" just more appropriate for when you are hanging out on a river or mountainside (and it's a little less of a "touchy-feely" term). It is a very powerful state of awareness of being which can bring comfort to someone who may be overwhelmed with all the "associated-but-not-really-important" baggage of life or work. When you are aware of your situation, mindful of your being, you are accounting for all those factors that directly and indirectly affect you... and nothing else is of consequence.

Are you breathing? Do you have water? Are you dressed in a way that will protect you from the environment? Are you protected from immediate danger? If the answer to those questions is "yes", then life is good, and you have no immediate worries.

.. and life for that moment is good.

Mindfulness by Design.. returning to roots.

In 1993, Teamlink was launched... building on a lifetime of lessons in applied leadership, teamwork, project management and personal development.

The purpose was to serve as a medium for youth to get connected with what is important in life... what it takes to grow strong, mentally and physically, and develop a true sense of character. An additional part of the founding vision was to serve populations that were out of the mainstream, and falling thru many of the social support nets.
By design, we developed a strong offering of corporate activities... with the understanding that our work with corporate groups, itself life-changing and valuable, would allow us the opportunity to work with underserved youth populations...

Fast forward 19 years... Having been identified as "providing model programs" for youth "on the edge" by the US Dept of Justice, and as a Vision of Character, by the YMCA as well as numerous other honors, we have worked with perhaps as many as 5000 young people in therapeutic outdoor adventure programs.
We have also worked coast-to-coast with some of the most recognizable corporate identities in the world.. helping to develop strong communication skills, leadership and functional teams.. as well as hundreds of schools, and community non-profits and every type of company in between. Real training, real experiences.. not fluff and not lecture..

We also developed Shenandoah Mountain Guides as an outlet for our non-therapeutic outdoor adventure guiding.. (offering the "BEST summer adventures in the South"- Southern Living, Jan 2011

In 2012, we are focusing on a return to our roots...

In August 2011, we partnered with the THRIVE Center Heron's Gate program to work with young adults whose severe ADD and depression were handicapping their life. The THRIVE program combines individual and group therapy, psychiatric support and a very healthy dose of outdoor adventure and challenge to produce amazing results!

We are also partnered with "Mindfulness by Adventure" to provide life changing, reflective adventure programming not only for youth, but adults as well... anyone struggling to connect with not only "Who they are" but "Where they are going" .

And lastly we are offering our own organic programs "Intentional Adventure" consisting of weekly adventures that range from the empowerment of survival skills to the thrill of rappellinng thru thousands of feet of waterfalls ... literally every adventure that Shenandoah Mountain Guides provides... and then some.
Designed for young adults and old adults... to break free of "indoors addictions" to get out, to become empowered, to get motivated, to develop real skills and to find freedom and happiness in self reliance and adventure

We're pleased to be of service...

"Thanks for another great team building event Andy! The improvements I see in communication, teamwork, and leadership with the staff after these events is amazing and I don't think you realize what a positive impact you're having on my business. You all did a great job for us again, and we're really looking forward to next year."

That's the sort of feedback we get a lot... and helps us know that we are really doing something right.. especially in this time of economic challenge..
We've never been busier!
Making a real difference in how organizations function , regardless of whether they are growing or just adapting to change...

Call us.

evolution...

I recently returned from a trip to the great state of Texas, working with a client at the magnificent Rough Creek Lodge, an 11,000 acre ranch near Glen Rose.
The sheer size of Texas (you really do feel the bigness of everything when you are in the heart of Texas), and the sense that even time is bigger, gave me the opportunity to reflect on this business of corporate team development and the way we do business... and who our clients are.

-We're not flashy or loud... definitely not. In fact we prefer to be more of the "quiet professionals" of the industry.

-We tend to really focus, acutely, on communication skills.. I would guess that more than 90% of perceived team and leadership failures are due to less-than-optimum communication... for whatever the reason..
(and the reasons are so numerous)

-We don't focus on gimmicks and shallow stunts .... you will NEVER hear us say or even imply that riding a zipline will make you a better team player.... or jumping from the top of a telephone pole... or even just the old standby (for some companies) trust falls into your teammates arms...
Ziplines are fun, but that's all they are.

-All of our clients/customers are vibrant and growing companies..(even the BIG ones). Many are the mainstays of American business.. for profit and non-profit alike... and they all have a very positive view of "what can be.."

-It's really fun to work with companies that are excited about the possibilities of improving and growing and changing. Working on a team when everyone is synching and communicating is more than fun it is totally energizing! It truly is "what can be.."

And yet, when I board my plane for the return flight, I find myself more often than not, surrounded by folks who are clearly missing that boat..

Someday I hope they can become "teamlinked"

Makng "Business as usual" better..

There is nothing like a tough economy to make businesses realize that their most important assets are the people who do the work. There is also nothing like a tough economy to realize that any inefficiency in production, product delivery or communication carries a heavy price.

Since the inception of Teamlink in 1993, one of our principal missions has been to increase the efficiency and value of each and every employee and project team... and in doing so increase the profitability of the respective business.

.. and I suppose the number of business in this field is also pretty staggering... everyone seems to have a gimmick... with many tending to replace hard interpersonal skills with adrenaline and"fear management" ... we've never really been sure where that comes into the business equation.

KISMIF.. Keep it Simple, Make it Fun... our mantra for effective learning... meaningful fun.

It's not that we don't like adrenaline and risk.... we just believe that those characteristics serve our guests at Shenandoah Mountain Guides more. ... than , say a widget production team.
Fun? yes.. meaningful?? questionable.





Gaining wisdom from the "Ball of Knowledge"

Looking back..

on the past 4 months.. Phew! It seems I'm always apologizing for this blog being so far out of date.. as the commercial says... "Life comes at you fast..." sometimes too fast to take time out to blog. We have partnered with schools, camps, (local, state and national) organizations and (state and national) parks to reach more than 2500 folks adult and youth.. just in the last 4 months!


Currently, we're:
- Actively supporting both in and after-school enrichment programming for schools throughout the central MD - northwestern VA region;
-Developing educational and adventure programs for 2010;
-Providing training and professional development for educators and counselors who work with after-school enrichment programming;
-Providing character and leadership development programming for teenagers throughout the region;
-Directing and teaching the outdoor education and adventure programs at several regional colleges and universities (our 17 year!); and,
- (as always) Continuing to refine our adult and corporate development programming for the particularly challenging economic environment.

Summer Mode

When Summer rolls around, you can find us almost anyplace outdoors doing what we do best... teaching.

So far this year, we've hosted freshwater biologists from Alaska, Wisconsin, Oregon, (you name it) while supporting our partnership with the Interstate Commission for the Potomac River Basin.

We're using our "floating laboratories" (canoes) to support Hood College's research into invasive marine species in the upper Potomac River drainage






We have taught a number of LNT Trainer courses to river guides from "River Riders" outfitters in Harpers Ferry WV and to interpretive volunteers for the National Park Service.



...and we've staffed numerous "end of school, outdoor adventure learning celebrations" for fifth graders throughout northern and western Maryland.

One of our favorite activities of summer just concluded... a week long day-camp for 18 qualifying elementary students from Brunswick MD. .. biking, climbing, paddling, swimming.. all right in their backyard along the C&O Canal and Potomac River...

As this is written we're actively providing instructional support to a Girl Scout camp adventure program (climbing) and a Boy Scout high adventure camp program.

As you can tell, things get busy... but boy, is summer awesome or what?!

Watery World

Indeed our world is one of water.. without which there would be no life.
There is nothing we, as an organization, get more satisfaction from than working with students learning about this precious resource.. Over the years we have led student groups on dozens of streams studying land use and the associated water quality... bloated cows just upstream from a municipal water intake, rivers with no riparian buffers at all, rivers whose major consumers have gone to great lengths to preserve and protect the water quality.. the entire spectrum of responses to water as a limited resource.









































We also wrapped up our after school enrichment programming this week..



Next week, we host the Interstate Commission for the Potomac River Basin as it, in turn, hosts paddlers and watershed activists from across the country...

Running Moon

There is the Hunter's Moon, the Harvest Moon... throughout the winter, the Skiers Moon... and now for the full moon in April, nearest to mid month..



..the Runners Moon. Sometimes it's just too bright to sleep...

Training the trainers

A blustery and snowy April day is a perfect time to work on developing the skills of the professionals who provide after school enrichment programming. For more than ten years we have been working to help make sure the all young people are provided the best possible program facilitators...

Full moon running into the dawn.. and parachute racing.

With the world slowly becoming more springlike, it's inevitable that someday, the change to Daylight Savings will arrive... thanks to Congress, all of us who thrive in the early mornings are now thrust back, firmly into the BMNT (beginning morning nautical twilight) zone... Running up, down and across the mountainside in this amazing twilight is not for the faint of heart... (historically a time of great risk and danger). This morning was no exception...except there was a full moon... until it set behind the ridge.. followed by profound darkness.... and yet thru sheer perseverance on a set, proven and known course I eventually emerged into the dawn.. the greatest of affirmations.

And with this being March we've been holding a lot of parachute races at the Community Learning Centers.. two friends grab a 'chute between them and then run across a designated space.. daring the wind and their grip to lift them off and deposit them into some neighboring farmer's field. Times of high anxiety (!) and great fun indeed!

Adventure U.

Today we spent the day at the Shenandoah Area Council's "University of Scouting".
For about 12 years now we have partnered with this council that straddles the VA/WV border in the mountainous NW corner of VA and eastern panhandle of WV.
It is a great partnership.
Many of our staff grew up and were scouts in this council..many of us got our start climbing as 12 year old scouts on the rocks that surround one of the best scout camps for rock climbing an America.. Camp Rock Enon.. situated literally about .9 miles from the WV line. Of course in those days, the 70s and 80s, Boy Scouts were still focused on the basic outdoor skills: canoeing, knot tying, first aid, shooting sports, map and compass... rock climbing was absolutely not part of the program.
Fast forward to 1997.. In the desire to "give back" to an organization that has given so much we offered to help introduce a level of outdoor adventure professionalism to the camp program..
Well, one thing led to another, now we have a staff member who provides climbing training and certification not just locally to the local scouts, but nationally through the BSA National Camp School program.
For the summer of 2009, we are partnering with the council to offer 12 weeks of adventure programs. Backpacking and canoeing, of course.. (these are scout standbys).. but also canyoneering, rock climbing, caving, survival, primitive skills, mountain biking, whitewater paddling.. and amazing combinations of all of the above.

And even though teaching and guiding these pursuits is how we've made our living for the past 18 years.. the concept of High Adventure is still somewhat of a novelty... And that is what led to our presence at University of Scouting... To preach the gospel of adventure and challenge and the benefit it brings to the task of building future leaders and adults of character.

The choices we make...

As we wrapped up the first semester of after school programming under the 21st Century Learning Center, the focus was on the youth we are serving, and how they make decisions about their lives... both the good and the bad. The game is fun, the lessons are real, and the transfer from game to life is, hopefully complete.


In 2008 we worked directly with more than 4,500 young people and provided training for more than 350 educators and counselors!

Finding a way..

As a final exam, Hood College students in the orienteering class must complete a mountainside "O" course. As always, the route they choose is up to them.
There are objectives to be found and obstacles to be dealt with, (over? through? or around?) all in as short a time possible.

Where are you?
Where are you going?
How are you going to get there?

Three questions that are critical for orienteering success... and not bad questions for college students to contemplate either.

4010 feet above your troubles..

Helping Washington DC government work better ... one department at a time.

To build a fire..

When the group you are leading is cold, wet and hungry and it's late ... sometimes the best thing to raise spirits is a good old blazing warm fire. *

This year the Outdoor Leadership Class for the George Washington University TRAiLs leadership team included LNT trainer certification, land navigation training, emergency procedures and crisis management, as well as basic skills... like starting a fire, in the dark, with wet material and only two matches..... and yes, it was done successfully ... more than once!






*where allowed by regulations

It's just plain FUN.

Our summers are spent helping folks have simple, safe, old-fashioned fun. Beside doing follow up programming for our full year "customers" we are also busy supporting camp programs throughout the mid Atlantic region. The strength of our staff and their training and qualifications as practitioners and educators is hard to beat when you want safe, professionally run adventure programs... be it for youth or adults! As August progresses we move into more organizational development activities... in
particular, working with school administrators and
staff as they prepare to kick off the 08-09 school year with a bang!

Summertime

We have so much going on, we'll have to add verbiage later...
I guess I don't need to add that it's ALL fun.