Weekly circle meetings are a deliberate process for improving communication through reflection and focused listening. Under staff guidance, participants play the central role in building the trusting foundation of their program environment. Participants learn carpentry skills from staff carpenters. Time is always set aside for exploring surroundings. Depending on the location, outdoor activities include rock climbing, ice climbing, backpacking, rafting, snorkeling, sea kayaking, scuba diving, horseback riding, and sight seeing.
Participants work and socialize with residents and attend ceremonies and cultural festivities.
Relationships with local people provide the important contexts for understanding and learning about other cultures. Projects in native villages include building playgrounds and recreation facilities, renovating and upgrading community buildings, and supervising children's activity programs. Alaska participants learn about Athabascan native culture and this state's unique frontier heritage. Recreation includes day hikes and extended backpacking trips in the Wrangell Mountains, an ice-climbing adventure that begins in a historic ghost town, trips to neighboring towns, and wildlife viewing. Montana Participants live and work on Plains Indian reservations surrounded by abundant natural resources and stunning landscapes.