A Power To Be Work Party
Who doesn’t love spending the morning in a forest? Especially with a group of inspiring people working towards a common goal! This was my experience at my 1st Power To Be work party!
One of the many ways to get involved in the Power To Be community is to become a volunteer, and in addition to joining our programs, a highlight for many of our volunteers is attending Power To Be’s work parties.
Work parties have historically consisted of a variety of tasks; whether it be painting the gear barn, cleaning out canoes, removing invasive vegetation species, or building trails, the intention of these days are all the same: working as a team to achieve a common goal. Power To Be’s work parties tend to take place at our beautiful Prospect Lake site. This space holds such special meaning to so many of our participants, and maintaining the health and function of the land is of the utmost importance in delivering inclusive, safe, and fun programs.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of joining a Power To Be work party to help clean up one of the many trails that make up the Prospect Lake property’s impressive acreage.
Work parties begin like all of Power To Be’s programs – with a land acknowledgment and an opening circle. This gives everyone a chance to introduce and share a bit about themselves, and gives our staff a chance to check in with how everyone is feeling about the day’s project!
Once we all got acquainted, we hiked out to the pre-determined area and got to work. Looking at the trail initially was a bit overwhelming – it wasn’t much of a trail yet, just a roughly marked path, still covered in vegetation, rocks, and logs. I think everyone thought we had our work cut out for us. However, we put on our gloves, grabbed our tools, and spread out along the trail.
It was not long before our weed whacking, branch sawing, and rock moving was showing real promise. A once overgrown path became a functional, and manicured trail – a place for curiosity, exploration, and discovery on our programs.
Trail building is important work – it creates safe spaces for those wanting to explore, a sense of belonging to the site, while leaving less of a footprint on the land. By staying on trails we can allow the surrounding areas to stay wild and untouched and in turn, we protect habitats, while raising awareness of the environment and fostering appreciation and respect for nature.
At the end of the work party, we gathered as a group and shared gratitude for the land we had spent time on, and swapped stories about our highlights of the day. We then walked the trail that we had all contributed our time and energy to, taking in the beauty of the surrounding forest. As one staff member said, “It was rewarding to look back on only one day’s work, and see a path cleared for innumerable future adventures.”
Work parties bring together staff, volunteers, donors, and supporters to contribute in a meaningful way to our organization. These unique opportunities provide a space to get outside, connect with others, and learn more about Power To Be and our programs.
Power To Be’s community is truly one of a kind, and it is so inspiring to see a group of individuals come together. We are so grateful for all of the enthusiastic and dedicated individuals who support our mission.
