Today we head OUTside with another fabulous wild guide, Rae-a Moughty, Founder and Director of Campfire Institute, an amazing organization that offers wilderness enrichment adventures for girls and LGBTQIA+ youth.
I connected with Rae-a right after she’d wrapped up the Institute’s OUT on the Snow program held at Evans Notch Lodge over MLK weekend. We were both so fired up by the great time had by the teens, and we wanted to harness that energy to try to spread the word about Campfire Institute and all of its programs still on tap for 2024.
Rae-a is an educator, registered Maine Guide, and all around ray of sunshine, as you’ll hear. Her passion for her work literally pours out of her, and she can’t grow her programs fast enough to keep up with the demand from all corners of Maine.
After you're done tuning in today, make sure to click on the link below to watch the beautiful video Jenny Woodward created with Rae-a (aka "Cricket"), featuring some of the teens that have found their voice and powerful connections through Campfire Institute programs. These kids are amazing and totally, authentically themselves, right down to the classic teen eyerolls!
It is NOT too late to sign up for Campfire Institute’s fabulous 2024 programming, so head over to CampfireInstitute.org - and even if you aren’t actively looking to register YOUR child or young adult for a program, you might just think of smashing that DONATE button and helping to sponsor another.
Please also follow @campfireinstitute on Facebook and Instagram - and there’s even a @campfireinstitute TikTok for the youth in your life to get their stoke on without having to stoop to joining you on the old folks’ socials!
And finally - if you are a retreat leader or guide looking for a low-key, affordable and comfy place to basecamp YOUR next group adventure, I hope you’ll check out Evans Notch Lodge - it's a sweet spot for groups like Campfire Institute, and we will work with you to achieve your vision for your event, retreat, bootcamp, whatever. Contact @evansnotchlodge on Instagram or Facebook, or come on over to EvansNotchLodge.com for more info.
Make sure to check OUT these links from our conversation!:
Today we head OUTside with another fabulous wild guide, Rae-a Moughty, Founder and Director of Campfire Institute, an amazing organization that offers wilderness enrichment adventures for girls and LGBTQIA+ youth.
I connected with Rae-a right after she’d wrapped up the Institute’s OUT on the Snow program held at Evans Notch Lodge over MLK weekend. We were both so fired up by the great time had by the teens, and we wanted to harness that energy to try to spread the word about Campfire Institute and all of its programs still on tap for 2024.
Rae-a is an educator, registered Maine Guide, and all around ray of sunshine, as you’ll hear. Her passion for her work literally pours out of her, and she can’t grow her programs fast enough to keep up with the demand from all corners of Maine.
After you're done tuning in today, make sure to click on the link below to watch the beautiful video Jenny Woodward created with Rae-a (aka "Cricket"), featuring some of the teens that have found their voice and powerful connections through Campfire Institute programs. These kids are amazing and totally, authentically themselves, right down to the classic teen eyerolls!
It is NOT too late to sign up for Campfire Institute’s fabulous 2024 programming, so head over to CampfireInstitute.org - and even if you aren’t actively looking to register YOUR child or young adult for a program, you might just think of smashing that DONATE button and helping to sponsor another.
Please also follow @campfireinstitute on Facebook and Instagram - and there’s even a @campfireinstitute TikTok for the youth in your life to get their stoke on without having to stoop to joining you on the old folks’ socials!
And finally - if you are a retreat leader or guide looking for a low-key, affordable and comfy place to basecamp YOUR next group adventure, I hope you’ll check out Evans Notch Lodge - it's a sweet spot for groups like Campfire Institute, and we will work with you to achieve your vision for your event, retreat, bootcamp, whatever. Contact @evansnotchlodge on Instagram or Facebook, or come on over to EvansNotchLodge.com for more info.
Make sure to check OUT these links from our conversation!:
One thing that's really cool about now is like I get to show them so many ways to be successful and out in the world by introducing them to so many different people in the community educators, artists, healthcare workers, just people all over the place being themselves and being out and being successful and welcoming.
Jen:Welcome to the Guides Gone Wild podcast. What is Guides Gone Wild, you ask? This is where you'll fill your ears and minds with the stories of everyday extraordinary women who inspire you to take your outdoor adventure game to the next level. Whether you're starting your journey from the couch or the trailhead, this is the place for you. So let's get a little wild.
Jen:Hello, hello, welcome, or welcome back to Guides Gone Wild. This is your host, jen, dropping it on a random Monday with another fabulous wild guide, rhea Moody, founder and director of Campfire Institute, an amazing organization that offers wilderness, enrichment and ventures for girls and LGBTQIA plus youth, and which I've had the great pleasure of accommodating at the Evans Notch Lodge twice now. I connected with Rhea right after she'd wrapped up the Institute's Out on the Snow program held over MLK weekend. We were both so fired up by the great time had by the teens and we wanted to harness that energy to try to spread the word about Campfire Institute and all of the great programs still on tap for 2024. Rhea is an educator, registered main guide and all around Ray of Sunshine. As you will hear, her passion for her work literally pours out of her and she can't grow her programs fast enough to keep up with the demand from all corners of Maine. I hope you'll both tune in today and also click on the link in the show notes to watch the beautiful video Jenny Woodward created with Rhea, aka cricket, featuring some of the teens that have found their voice and powerful connections through Campfire Institute programs. These kids are amazing and totally authentically themselves right on down to the classic teen I rules.
Jen:Quick note before we finally kick this conversation off. When you hear my audio, you might wonder if I was trapped down at the bottom of a well. Well, not the case. I think my almost a four year old Mike is mirroring my own middle age crankiness these days. Or maybe I was just an eight menopausal fog that day and got a setting wrong. I don't know. Whatever, ray at least sounds great, and that's really all that matters at the end of the day, right? So let's light a fire under this conversation with a Ramudy of Campfire Institute.
Rae-a Moughty:But I should say pretty much every kid that I work with calls me cricket. That's like my camp name.
Jen:Oh, okay.
Rae-a Moughty:When I run these camp programs. That is the name that I use, cricket and actually Ari use the name echo and nice. They were prepared. She's prepared with a camp name.
Jen:She had a campaign. Yeah, she said she's awesome. Well, right, thank you. Thank you and welcome Guys gone wild today. I am just dying after watching this video that you sent me and just knowing about your program from now, kind of the outside, looking in. I'm just thrilled to talk to you today and hear about how this whole thing happened. Like you know, obviously you are very much one with nature and very much a community builder. But like, where did this all come from and why this particular community? And why is it to be lining up nature and community?
Rae-a Moughty:Yeah, the question roll it, roll it. Sometimes I say I've been studying my whole life to be where I am right now, sort of like collecting skills and people from different parts and now sort of have come together into what right now is campfire Institute. But I do feel like I've been sort of sharing myself in different ways being an educator in different settings, having life experiences working with different populations, and many of people that I've carried along sort of are involved in campfire Institute in one way or another. I didn't actually set out for it to be for LGBTQIA plus kids At first. Eight years ago, 2015, I well, I went to overnight camp my whole life. Like it's kind of like I've been a camp person. My mom was a camp person, my grandmother just always went to camp my whole life and I feel like it sort of taught me about creating these like intentional spaces where you can kind of show up as you are and kind of be absorbed into the community and everybody kind of has a role and and they're really intense and these environments bring people together and just really unique ways.
Rae-a Moughty:And at the time I was teaching at an independent school and I had a lot of girls in my class like nine girls and one boy and I kind of said like if I started an overnight camp like over in that field over there, like do you guys, would you guys come and?
Rae-a Moughty:And they and they were like yeah, and their parents were like yes, we will send them to, like whatever experience you're going to do, and it it ended up being that I actually was able to rent like a real property that year and that sort of. I had 16 girls and that kind of became what is not going to be named girls camp anymore but like kind of has for the last eight years been called that and sort of campfire Institute was kind of born from my experience running that for several years and wanting to do it year round. Like many of the kids that started with me became counselors and are part of that community, the queer community, in one way or another. I myself I came out in 1994, which I was 16, and I think maybe there was one other queer person I that I heard about in my school but it really wasn't a thing. And was that the thrust primarily of the camp initially?
Jen:or you said it was girls camp, but yeah, because you were teaching in a school that not there in that any gray kids or whatever that was really happening in the sun was essentially a crowd of them, like those guys or people who had been in the same community when they were beginning to get there. And then, yeah, I got to be there the first thing I know that was good. That's going to be definitely more from the group I had because that was kind of originally my first.
Jen:Five other hundreds of into eight of friends had a larger population than you.
Rae-a Moughty:I think honestly, I think it was like, like I said, I'm in collect. I went to a queer youth group like. So in 1994, I like looked through the phone book to find like a group, but I looked up all the words you could associate like to try to find like where do I belong, and I came across like this, this youth group it was the like Boston area alliance of gay and lesbian youth or something, and I was like signed up or however I like joined and it completely changed my life and so it's sort of like camp plus youth group, plus these different communities that I really felt safe in. Cause the summer camp I went to was all girls and but you know, as a queer person, I just felt honestly I know you're going to record this, cut this part out, but cause I'm stumbling, but it's just like one of my counselors ended up being trans.
Rae-a Moughty:They started out as a camper, then they were a counselor. You know what I thought? It was called girls camp but slowly like it just didn't fit anymore. There's a lot of non-binary kids that come, there's a lot of trans kids that come, there's a lot of girls that come. It just sort of like is for that whole population and when I knew that I wanted to have a specific program for teenagers when I became a main guide, I knew that I wanted to get queer teenagers out into the woods, off their phones, out of their little isolation spaces and like out with each other in what nature has to offer us and, like most of these kids, like up at your lodge. We had 15 kids and none of them would choose to go snowshoeing unless I made them.
Rae-a Moughty:Like you know, it's like they come to these places to be with like their little community. But like the healing and all of those things happen when we like when they get themselves out in these, like out of their comfort zone and into these places where they're trying these things, even climbing you know, the hill right behind the hotel rooms, they it's so short, it's so hard for them to get up there, like we're like three steps into it and they're like crack it. Why are you making us hike this hill? And it is a little steep.
Jen:I, as somebody who carried a lot of lumber up there for that platform, I can tell you it is a freaking steep hill, but yes, it is very short.
Rae-a Moughty:So yeah, Even that has something to teach us get into the playing a quiet game up there in the snow. Just those moments. We climbed up there and laid down in the snow and we're like stargazing up there and everyone was silent for like a good five minutes and I just don't think that they take that time in their life to like reflect on things. And yeah. So I know this is a roundabout answer to how this all happened, but basically in 2020, the pandemic happened. I stopped teaching. I had been teaching for 12 years in a holistic school. I took many classes and their families out into the woods on trips, multi-day trips. It's just a part of how I like engage people with the world. I don't know how to separate it being a teacher from like using what I know to help people have those learning experiences. So in 2020, I was like stop teaching. I was like I'm gonna get my guide's license and I got my sea kayaking endorsement and my rec endorsement and then I started Campfire Institute.
Rae-a Moughty:I just literally like started on like how do you start a nonprofit? And I had had this trip in mind for a really long time, called Out on the River O-U-T. Out on the River and that was the very first trip I ran through Campfire Institute. It was like the fall. It was gonna be like the beginning of my yearly pro, my year long program, where I offered different, you know, seasonal wilderness trips for queer teens. And it was the first one.
Rae-a Moughty:I had 12 teens and four adults including myself, and that was our first river trip and it was incredible, I mean in all the ways you would want it to be incredible. It was and impactful and we just happened to have amazing weather, which helped, you know. But all those experiences like bringing kids out into the wilderness and then bringing queer kids, and I really wanted it to be like a welcoming space. So there were so many rainbow flags and trans flags and, you know, the kids were like decorating their boats and, you know, and we're in the woods of these places and just kind of like showing up in these spaces, claiming them as like we belong here too, and just showing the kids like, you know, as a queer person, you have a space in Maine too, in this beautiful landscape and since 2020, I think we're on like 13 out trips and five girls camp. The other other camps sprinkled throughout the year, but you know, we've run a winter and summer girls program for younger kids. And yeah, our out program is it's the kids that come on it.
Rae-a Moughty:Like this last trip, 15, 14 of them were returning and had been on at least five trips and they it's like it's over and they like want to be back in these experiences, even though the whole time they're like why can't I have my phone, why can't I? You know like no I don't add, but like they crave these bonding experiences yeah so I've been just trying to find a way to make it sustainable Cause yeah, yeah, that would be.
Jen:yeah, I'm sure that is a major challenge, especially, you know, just with the ratios and the fact that you keep the groups pretty small and that they are very, you know, very it's a very intense activity. So are you from Maine originally?
Rae-a Moughty:I'm from Massachusetts originally but I've had like a past life experience in my 20s in Maine and then, excuse me, the last 15 years as well.
Jen:Yeah, no shade on the Massachusetts. I'm from Massachusetts too. Yeah, I was wondering that, and you know how much I just can't help but think as somebody who I had. I was already an adult in the 90s, but a very young adult and you know I remark on this a lot and I think as a husband I talk about it like how how much how different things have are now, like how much more all the kids talk about everything and how there are a lot more welcoming spaces.
Jen:But at the same time I can totally see the value of what you're creating because, especially at that age, like it's just such a brutal age, like to feel like you know here, white cis, middle class, regular old girl and I felt like, you know, when you're 131450, you just can't even. You're just coming out of your skin and don't feel right anywhere, unless you're super yeah, unless you're the unicorn secure child. So it's such a tough age and then you layer on top of it, just you know, potentially feeling super different and not seeing anyone that you can relate to in your life and in your classroom, and I can only imagine how valuable this experience is and I understand why kids would just keep coming back. I mean the video which I'm hoping I can figure out a way to share on the so page with this, because it's just amazing and just you know, just listening to these kids talk about what the experience means to them is, it was like making me cry.
Rae-a Moughty:Yeah, I know, you know, I think it's like things are really different. There are lots more represent. There's so much more representation. You are able to see yourself reflected in more TV characters or in you know these other organizations that are popping up. There's like queer pride Things happening all the time, at least in the spaces that I'm traveling in and I can see and at the same time.
Jen:In the last eight years, everyone has gotten the permission slip to just say whatever the hell they want all the time. That's cool and nasty was just the other side of that.
Rae-a Moughty:Like, like it takes. It takes one new story about a bill, an anti trans bill, you know, for like, even though you can see, like, oh, there's a gender and sexuality club at my school, how great and progressive. Meanwhile, you know, in Congress there's you know 200 and some odd bills that are saying that I'm wrong, saying that the, that the choices I want to make or the way that I feel is wrong. There's places where I can't use the name that I want. There's spaces where you know, like I have kids who they're, like even still afraid to tell their parents, like, what pronouns and names they want to use. And it's not because it's unheard of nowadays and, like you know, there's not resources, it's just still really reflected in certain places that that is like wrong, that's still fundamentally wrong. And and also one thing that's really cool about now is like I get to show them so many ways to be successful and out in the world by introducing them to so many different people in the community educators, artists, healthcare workers, just people all over the place being themselves and being out and being successful and welcoming.
Rae-a Moughty:Sometimes I like to tell the story about I had the my first year out on the river with the teens. They had decorated all their boats, they were like flags everywhere, they were wearing bracelets and we were just being like a big pride parade down the river. We stopped on this one spot, started to get dark a little earlier than we expected. Where we were, we stopped on this like side of the river that there probably was a. It was just probably a private piece of property that didn't really have a sign, but it kind of looked like maybe, and so we just stopped there to like collect ourselves and then all of a sudden, this like ATV comes up the trail I hear this like noise and this gentleman comes up with like complete, like camo gear. I'm standing there with my like trends co leader who's like again, we have all these flags everywhere.
Rae-a Moughty:And this person like comes up and like it's my first time leading a trip and I'm like okay, how am I gonna? All the things that could happen are running through your mind. I'm making all kinds of assumptions because that's just like where I'm at in that moment for trying to play cool with the kids. And he comes up and he's like, and he like looks around and he's like just kind of like is quiet and we're all quiet and then he goes are all these kids queer? And then I was like yeah, and he was like that's pretty cool. And then he was like I just came over to tell you that we're going to be duck hunting in the morning and you might want to. Just if you hear gunshots at six in the morning, you'll know that it's us.
Rae-a Moughty:But don't worry, they won't come over here, they're like over there or whatever he's like I just want to tell you, but I was, like you know, in freeze mode because I like it was just a moment where I like and like every night on the river we have these like pride circles at night where we just talk and like nobody like talks to each other. It's just like a place to share. And I was talking about how I had made all these assumptions and how then it was like this really kind of interesting experience and like how the world can surprise you and it, you know, like like it's important to be out if you can, if you feel safe enough to be. And I feel like some of these experiences help the kids get some of that bravery, like even just to come on the trip. Like I had one girl who had to tell her mom like she thought she might be gay and you know, and she was really scared, but then she told her mom and it went really well and she's come on every single trip and you know, it's kind of like fed her all this like confidence and strength in her to take back into her world and like so many kids in schools these days say they're queer or gay. So it's like different than when I was a kid there was like this one of their, maybe person that I had heard of. It was like a legacy or whatever you know, but I think what kids are craving today is a sense of belonging. So like, even if you're in a classroom with three other queer people, there's this sense of belonging.
Rae-a Moughty:I feel like that kids are really craving and I feel like these experiences give them that place to show up and like not have to explain at all who they are, why they use whatever names or why they dress the way they do any of those things.
Rae-a Moughty:I feel like that's what this place gives them, and what's unique about it is it gives it to them throughout the year, these little anchor points to come and get that boost that they need for all the things going on in their life and every kid's life right. You know, like at this age like you said, the age is such a hard age for every single kid so like if these experiences could exist in little pods for all different types of kids I mean, I think LGBTQIA plus is a giant spectrum, so like, in some ways, many of them don't have a lot of things in common, but what they do have in common is this showing up and not being worried that they're gonna be questioned or told that it's not valid or any of those things be, misgendered yeah so how many of the kids are coming like?
Jen:are most of these kids self-selecting? Or is it like a mix of the kids self-selecting and the parents being like hey, trying to nudge them in that direction, or an educator who's just like you know? I don't know if you're comfortable talking about this, but why don't you go try to hang out with some new people?
Rae-a Moughty:I would say it's a lot of word of mouth through the kids. And then you know, there's definitely a percentage of parents who have heard about us or knew from our summer program that were like maybe you'd like this other thing that Campfire does. You know, and you know I even have some allies who linger around these LGBTQ programs, like and I just wonder, are they questioning? You know they like wanna come. They're like can I come as an ally? Of course, you know I'm not gonna turn anybody away and I think there's something that they feel comfortable in this space as well, with whatever they're going through. So yeah, I mean I'm still amazed when I step back, or even being on this podcast, literally this moment right now. I was looking through the podcast, like who has been on your podcast? And I had a table at the main economy, outdoor economy stuff oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rae-a Moughty:I was like, oh, I saw that person there, oh, this person you know, and Mahoo Sik Guy come. It's just amazing, like the people that I've connected with through this process and like just starting to forge relationships with and so excited to connect and the work that everybody's doing out there with whatever populations they're working with. It's just like nature is really powerful and yeah, it is.
Jen:Yeah, and yeah, that's what I have found. You know, and again I'm kind of an outsider, like looking into that whole environment up there, but to understand, just, the network is so dense and you know one person and then you get connected to four more people and so it really is. These women are just like they have each other's back and it's awesome to watch and it's awesome to be part of, so it's cool. I think that you know, for lack of a better term, you know the sorority should probably come all around you and you know lift you up even more.
Jen:So tell me what Campfire Institute looks like today, and then you know, in an ideal world when we all win par ball and throw it all in your direction, what would you like it to be?
Rae-a Moughty:Yeah, well, what it looks like today is I mean, do you have a set schedule?
Jen:You talk about winter and summer programs.
Rae-a Moughty:Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, I would say what it looks like today is we have like about six anchor programs. Those are like tried and true. We're going on our third, fourth season of those trips like those one, two, three. Yeah, fourth season of those like trips. But then I've also I'm running a trip in collaboration with Equality Maine so that has been a new trip that was added and also in collaboration with the Maine Tourism Association I'm running a trip for like kind of like here's how you can be queer in the outdoor rec field.
Rae-a Moughty:Here's some cool queer people. Let's have some great experiences. We're going to do whitewater rafting and ropes courses and things like that. A lot of my kids are like 17, 16, 17, kind of like aging up word and like I think that's going to be a really great collaboration to sort of help facilitate that transition for those that don't know what they want to do with their life and are just feeling of a little flailing there. So I think like what it looks like now is like those anchor programs, but what it also looks like now is like functioning on magic money, which is like you know it's like band-aids and duct tape and but like also, it's also like a tree.
Rae-a Moughty:This is going to sound really corny, but like it's like a tree, that's like blossoming, it's like literally like I make a relationship with one program and that leads to something else and that makes us stronger, it gives us roots in different places. So like I feel like that is going to help us be somewhere really great in five years and I think, honestly, really great kind of looks the same, but more sustainable, A more steady stream of sponsors for these kids. Like most of the kids that come, they want to come back and back and back and back and they need sponsors to help them. To help them do that. You know, the suicide rate amongst queer teens is ginormous. It's ginormous and it's like if these little moments laying in the snow, looking at the stars, like can help give them like a just a tiny bit of resilience.
Rae-a Moughty:Or or paddling in a rainstorm, or hiking up a mountain and telling me the entire way that they really hate me cricket, cricket, I hate you. I'm never going to make it to the top of this mountain, which is, like you know, 1.8 miles. It's a pretty reasonable amount, but it's like so big to them and it's like their mental mountain is so much bigger than this like physical experience that they're having. But if these experiences can do that, then like I want to keep giving them camp so I never turn anybody away.
Rae-a Moughty:If I was going to grow like I don't ever want the experiences to have, these giant groups of kids, but it'd be nice to have enough experiences so that you know a kid that does want to hike 1.8 miles can like have that, like more challenging experiences than the experience like at at the lodge is a lot more low key and it's more artistic. It has more like a varied experience Like I'd love to be able to offer, like different types of programs on different challenge levels. Maybe get more queer main guides involved, just even in like when we had our visitor this weekend and like you know, like I could do something really similar with these kids who have been with me on 13 trips. But when somebody else runs that game or or says that thing that they're going to glob onto, it's sometimes more impactful and just again showing them another successful queer person in the world that you know, is another example of you can have this joy to you, don't you?
Rae-a Moughty:not that you need to like go into the outdoor world, but, like when we have our leadership weekend, we get people in lots of different fields to come and sit on a panel and talk about, like, their experience and people from all generations and walks of life, and it's just, it's really powerful when everything kind of comes together and like I feel grateful to you for having the space that you have so that I can have the experience that I just had with these kids, you know, last weekend.
Jen:Yeah, well, and honestly, the experience that you had and the group that you brought was like you know exactly what I had in mind when we bought this place. Like I, you know I really don't want to keep running it out on Airbnb, to like like I'm going to have a lot of random strangers who come and, you know, drink too much and throw up all over the place and make a mess. And you know, like I want people to really come up and and feel like it's a special safe place for them and want to come back. You know, and that's and that's exactly what I wish. I wish it was bigger so that accommodate more people comfortably, but you know it is what it is.
Jen:Yeah, I, what I think is great too about the fact that you're bringing people in. Like you know, like when I think about Ari coming and doing loon calls and doing, you know, outdoor activities and teaching everybody lights up on fire, I recognize I still use my little flip thing that we made and the workshop she did for me. You know it. Just, I, my hope is to that. You're like my, my celium or whatever they call it. Like you get all these other guides to think about. Oh, here's this group and I could do this and, like I can find kids in my area and maybe start doing something similar and, just you know, broaden the scope that way too.
Jen:I think it it would be fantastic, because you know to your point of the suicide rate and just how hard it is in general to be a teen. It's like you know, not not only are the experiences that are going to remember forever, even if they're bitching about them all time, but, you know, hopefully some of these kids are making that one connection that's going to be the person, the ear, the advice, the you know, the listening or whatever that they need later on at a tough time, and that they know that they, they've shared this unique experience that makes them so much more get each other, you know, and feel like they can get, do hard things to together.
Rae-a Moughty:So yeah, I mean, I think that's the power of camp, like, like, if camp had a power, like, if a superpower could be camp, that's what it would be, because camp is like a shot of confidence and resilience and all the things like, like, put it like, it's not always like the most fun experience in the whole world, and every moment is great.
Rae-a Moughty:It's hard, it's dirty, it's muddy, it's you know, it's challenge, it's fun, it's laughter, it's tears, it's all the things, and that's why they keep coming back and I think, like being a main guide has just given me a little bit more confidence to like, bring these kids out and feel like I had a right to like, do that and have that experience with them and it's just been so great.
Rae-a Moughty:And I hope that I can learn from more main guides, because I've so much to learn and I know that there's places that I want these kids to like fall in love with the wilderness and I want to keep showing them places. And you know, sometimes I get in a loop of like oh, it's nice to do this trip because I've done it, I've been there, I know what to expect, and then it gets a little like. I get a little nervous, like oh well, you know I probably should bring them on the Allagash, you know I probably should do these things that I should do. And then I'm like feel like, yeah, maybe with another queer main guide or something, but those bigger trips, and because I think I just, I don't know, I'm stumbling to try to make meaning, but no, I think I think that that's that's totally legitimate.
Jen:But, you know, I think, on the one hand, certainly don't discount the value of the one, the stuff that's getting comfortable, that you have done a million times, because you know it's going to keep spreading amazing good things and the fact that you can do it quicker, easier, faster is only going to help you and you as a business owner to be able to, like you know, leverage some of that extra into these newer things that are always going to be like starting from ground zero and, like you know, more work. But, yeah, no, I think, the more I mean, you're doing amazing. You know these amazing trips and there's, there are, there are so many people who are going to be excited to collaborate and, you know, bring a new, a new group of kids out to do something different. You know something special and different and you know.
Rae-a Moughty:I would love to collaborate with anybody you know like. I mean, we have a ton going on right now, like all these exciting things. I think, from making some of these connections, I feel like it's. It's starting to happen and but you know, as a small nonprofit, it's like it's a slow build.
Jen:Yeah, yeah for sure. And what do you? What do you guys do right now for fundraising? Is it really just like individual sponsors or do you have some corporate, like in kind stuff, equipment like what, what all?
Rae-a Moughty:combination. We do have some in kind donations, like we got a donation from Aline and you know I mean like we've gotten small corporate, like a friend who has a company you know gave us a sponsorship. I have a few personal like donors for kids. And then you know small fundraising efforts, email campaigns, social media like we don't have. We just wrote our first grant so we'll see. We're still waiting fingers crossed and just kind of like looking into those funding streams, private foundations.
Rae-a Moughty:But I think if, like you watch that video, like you said, there are some kids in that video that this is their lifeline, it's this, this is their lifeline.
Rae-a Moughty:And if I can find someone who I can get to be like, yeah, I would sponsor a kid for a year of your programming, you know, which would include six to eight wilderness trips for this, this teen who really needs it, it would be life changing.
Rae-a Moughty:So I think, like just making donations through our website or even just like sharing our posts, because like that's how people find out about us, and then it was the right people find out about us, like I said, it just really can be life changing for these kids and there's kids all over Maine right now.
Rae-a Moughty:Most of our kids come like from Southern Maine. We have a kid that travels from Pennsylvania, vermont, new Hampshire, but I know there's more kids all over Maine and having them have access to us, finding ways to get transportation from you know a kid in Madawaska, or something like being able to try to expand our reach, is really going to be more to mouth, I feel like is the best way and you know anybody that wants to contact me through my website and be like you know I know this kid in whatever town and you know we want to get him on a trip. Like I'll try to find somebody to go and get that kid to get a bus ticket, whatever you know, because they can have this connection so it should be available to everybody. And yeah, and I want to find those kids that really need us.
Jen:Yeah, no, I agree, and I do think like, yes, a lot of those kids. Well, we, certainly the kids that participated in the video, are just so, they're so well spoken and they just really make it clear how important the experience is to them. And even, just, yeah, profiling kids like that and maybe it's not a one to one, like, oh, this sponsor is actually paying for this child, but if you're, like hey, this is, you know, this is kind of your avatar, and this is how much it would cost them to be able to participate in this year round.
Jen:you know, are you in or are you in? I think that that would make a pretty compelling story for a lot of people. Yeah, because one trip like people have.
Rae-a Moughty:You know, like it, like it actually costs probably like around four to $600 per kid per trip and that's for a pretty small and an expensive trip. So you know just if that gives you an idea of what we're working with. And sometimes I get three kids who pay, Sometimes I get two, but the experience has proven itself to be successful and the return rate and all of that is showing like this is so necessary. And so just finding ways in five years back to your original question, like I hope that it's still here. I just wanted to still be here and be strong, stronger than it is now.
Jen:Yeah, yeah, absolutely Absolutely Freaking lonely.
Jen:Okay.
Jen:Yeah, so that's great. Give me a sense of what do you have coming up that might still have openings if people are interested.
Rae-a Moughty:Sure, well, we have our big. Well, I think there's a couple spots on the equality main trip which is happening February 19, 2021. That's a snow shoot. That's more of an experience like it's 3.3 miles snow shoe in and out. So that's just good to know.
Rae-a Moughty:But our big thing that happens in April is our Out retreat weekend, which is just a weekend experience and it ends with like a costume ball and we have all kinds of workshop leaders that come. We've had queer sex ed, painting workshops, baking, like we've just had so many different types of, we've had printmaking whoever I can find that year that wants to come and lead a workshop and then we sort of put our workshop away for the afternoon, transform the whole space into like a formal dance and that's sort of how we culminate the weekend. So that definitely has openings. That is in April. Everything's on our website.
Rae-a Moughty:We have a really great, great new program for 16 to 22 year old queer young people. That's going to happen in July. That's white water rafting and ropes course, and it's in collaboration with the main tourism association and so it's just a really great for so many young adults that I know that kind of need, that grounding. So yeah, so those are some big things that are coming up and we have a family weekend in May, so that is going to be great. You can bring your family and it'll kind of be like camp for the weekend and yeah that's awesome and that's all.
Jen:It's campfireinstituteorg Yep, yep, and it's campfireinstitute on all the socials.
Rae-a Moughty:Yeah, and definitely definitely follow us on our socials. It helps so much.
Jen:Yeah, I bet, and I think you know I just just given all the, as you were talking about all of that, I'm like, yeah, your grant will be successful. I think so. Hopefully, if you pick the right organization. I think you can write a very compelling story about this and it will get you what you need and hopefully then really open the floodgates to so much more of that, because I would be pretty.
Rae-a Moughty:Will you make me sound really smart and cool on this podcast? I?
Jen:will do my best. I do edit it so, because otherwise I would sound incoherent as well. I got to do that. You got to do my best, All right. So, Ray, as somebody who's outdoors a lot and you've just been outdoors for a whole weekend in the snow then my final question I'd like to ask everybody is what is your favorite piece of outdoor gear that you have that cost you less than $50? Or most useful, or whatever.
Rae-a Moughty:That is a great question. I got to say because that was a winter trip. I got to say a really nice pair of socks, yeah, like a super nice pair of like thick, squishy, woolly kind of socks. Right before you go on the outdoor, like right before you go do the outdoor thing, if you've been wearing them all morning, change your socks into these really nice, great pair of socks is everything, it's everything.
Jen:Yeah, especially if you can warm them up first, I would agree.
Rae-a Moughty:That's a hard question, honestly.
Jen:Well, I'm trying to make the point that, yes, a lot of things that you need to go outside cost a lot of money, but there's also things that don't, and trying to kind of bring all the value together in one place. But no, that's a legit Good. Socks have been mentioned more than once and I think that that's a pretty solid answer. So, yeah, awesome.
Rae-a Moughty:This is obvious to most people that are listening.
Jen:But non-cotton socks, to be specific, yes, yes, I was going to ask if you were like wool or synthetic person, but you did mention woolly, so I'm like, ok, that's legit. What else Anything we haven't talked about that. You wanted to make sure we did.
Rae-a Moughty:No, I just feel really grateful for the opportunity to talk to you and talk to. I've never been on a podcast, might be obvious?
Jen:Really?
Rae-a Moughty:No, it's not obvious and I can't believe that I'm nervous and also grateful, and it was really incredible setting up a table at the Main Outdoor Summit next to all these organizations that are like these pillars in my mind of really big outdoor companies, or even maybe they're not big but like Main Hudson Trails, for example, these pillars in the community. And here I am at my little table campfire Institute and I feel similar on this podcast. I just feel a little bit like do I belong here?
Jen:But oh my god, I hate it when people say that that's the whole point of this, like why are? We always cutting ourselves down? Everyone has a story to tell.
Rae-a Moughty:That's my inside voice, but I think ultimately, what I'm learning is yeah, I do, and I'm sort of carving out a little space here and it feels really good.
Jen:Yeah, absolutely, you're covering out more than a little space and you've been at it for multiple years now and this thing has a lot of momentum. And coming out of COVID and still managing to get all this momentum going is commendable and it's obviously you're serving a need. You're never going to be big enough. Basically is the problem.
Rae-a Moughty:Anybody listening like, if you know, a girl or trans or gender nonconforming youth, pretty much ages seven and up. I have a program for them, but our year round teen program is just really a great, magical place to be and we never turn anybody away for their inability to pay. So send them our way and we'll give them a place to belong.
Jen:Yeah. Yeah, that's a mic drop moment. I was going to ask you about your guide test experience, but I think it's a little bit more Basically, I'll say one thing, one thing which is at the end of my, because I did two things yeah.
Rae-a Moughty:What are they called again? I just lost the word for it.
Jen:I know you said before Endorsements right.
Rae-a Moughty:Yeah, that the two gentlemen that did my guide test at the very end after six hours of the oral test or whatever two. They said we would be honored to send our grand kid on a trip with you.
Jen:Oh yeah.
Rae-a Moughty:I just felt like, oh my gosh, that's such a nice thing to say. So that kind of sums up my guide test experience, even though it took me a whole year.
Jen:Yeah.
Rae-a Moughty:A lot of studying and everything obviously, yeah.
Jen:Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a lot of work, for sure, and but I'm glad to hear that, because I think that for a long time there was kind of this the word on the street was that, especially if you weren't like the normal old white guy, that things could be a little tricky. And I think that that has really, really, really, really, really changed. And I just heard recently that Polly is on the testing. Phymahoneygot is now part of the whole testing thing, so I'm like that's awesome. I don't know exactly what the question is, but somebody told me we have a woman now, so that's good. Yeah, highly necessary to fill up the ranks with all kinds of different people, so that's awesome.
Rae-a Moughty:Well, thank you for what you do too, oh my gosh.
Jen:I'm glad to be getting back into it. I took about a month off. At this point I just had kind of hit a wall, but this is giving me a good fun thing to start thinking about.
Rae-a Moughty:Thank you so much for taking me, oh yeah.
Jen:I just love what you're doing and I want to reward it in the world.
Rae-a Moughty:All right, have a good day.
Jen:Yeah, you too Thanks.
Jen:It is not too late to sign up for Campfire Institute's fabulous 2024 programming. So head over to campfireinstituteorg and even if you aren't actively looking to register your child or young adult for a program, you might just think of smashing that donate button and helping to sponsor another. Campfire Institute is also on Facebook and Instagram. Give them a follow. There's even a campfireinstitute TikTok for the youths in your life to get their stoke on without having to stoop to joining you on the old folks' socials. Finally, a couple of housekeeping notes. First, if you are a retreat leader or guide looking for a low-key, affordable and comfy place to base camp your next group adventure, I hope you'll check out Evans Notch Lodge. We have got a sweet spot for groups like Campfire Institute and will work with you to achieve your vision for your event, retreat, boot camp, whatever. Dm us at Evans Notch Lodge on Instagram or Facebook or come on over to evansnotchlodgecom for more info. Evans is spelled E-V-A-N-S. Second and final note Last week we hosted a very fun Guides Gone Wild last Thursday virtual meetup and I am already working on lining up some special guests for our next one. Join us on Zoom to talk hot and cold that is, sana and Dipping the last Tuesday of February, february 27th. Come on over to guidesgonwildcom slash meet for more info and the Zoom link. Hope to see you there.
Jen:And that is it. It's a new month, new week. The days are getting longer, so get on out there and start getting a little you guessed it wild. You can get a little more quiet. You can stay quiet. Enjoy 게ẽ city. Thanks for joining us today. I'm pulling the arm. T sagen no-transcript.