Mission / Philosophy / History
The Wayfinder Experience is an experiential organization designed to supply our patrons with a safe environment in which they may delve into deeper levels of teambuilding, cooperative gaming, and improvisational theatre. Wayfinder provides an opportunity not only for entertainment, but for a deeper understanding of communication skills, active conflict resolution, and imagination. By applying these valuable skills to character development, status exercises, movement & mask work, and play, our patrons are provided with an epic experience that serves to enhance professional and casual life skills as well as personal and communal awareness.
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The Wayfinder Experience is designed to encourage outstanding young people to develop a greater purpose in life through programs of learning, social interaction, and leadership development. We are committed to learning through active involvement; our philosophy of experiential learning is reflected through a combination of improvisation, teambuilding and a variety of outdoor activities. The Wayfinder Experience is unique because it first trains participants in effective leadership skills and then places them within a real-life situation in which they are forced to utilize these skills. Our emphasis is placed on strategies whereby students can make more effective use of their own skills and available resources to tackle the challenge of becoming productive citizens in their own communities.
Our physical program combines with traditional non-competitive theory to engage youth in activities which encourage cooperation, sportsmanship, and teamwork. Through diverse games such as Capture the Flag and a variety of physical games, we strive to teach athletic skills and character development while still providing fun experiences. Our activities are run in beautiful, natural environment that provide safe and supportive education and fun in the outdoors. The environment elevates the experience from wilderness adventure to fun educational expeditions. We believe our programs continue beyond the farewell to form a foundation for a life full of adventure, leadership, and friendships.
Our staff serves to expose youth to leadership figures and positive role models. We have been working as workshop instructors, camp counselors, and community coordinators for over seven years. Almost all of us were previously employed by an organization similar to Wayfinder and have years of experience dealing with participants of all ages. We are responsible, friendly, and professional veterans of the live-action entertainment industry. We love what we do and we want to share it with the world. Each staff member works diligently to help foster individual growth for each participant. Fun and challenging activities encourage self-confidence, responsibility and leadership. We develop these values in each person through our camp community experience. At the Wayfinder Experience, campers develop new interactive skills while having fun! Our staff will help push limits while being mindful of boundaries. We take what we do very seriously and go out of our way to make sure that all attendees are safe, comfortable, and happy. All of our staff undergoes rigorous training to ensure that they can quickly and capably deal with any difficult situation that may arise. Safety, entertainment, and growth are our priorities.
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One of the most important strengths of The Wayfinder Experience lies within the relationships we have built amongst our staff and owners. They have allowed us to operate in an environment of trust and support, and pass on those ideals to our participants. These relationships began when we were all very young, attending a little summer program called the Adventure Game Theatre (AGT).
The Adventure Game Theatre was run by Howard Moody and Brian Alison, and developed many elements of the programming you see today at The Wayfinder Experience. Many of our staff learned the ins and outs of improv, swordplay, status, original play, mask work and crafting during our time as participants at AGT. We grew together as the years went on, and began to take a more active role in the day-to-day running of the camp. We started teaching the workshops we enjoyed, and inventing new ones. We suggested running an Advanced Camp with more stories and hang-out time. Our roles as participants slowly developed into full-time staff positions.
AGT then faced a tough transition. Their program was becoming so successful that they had difficulty managing their success on a business level. Increased exposure and word-of-mouth attracted increased attention and AGT had to make some fast changes to continue providing their services. The shift was successful at keeping AGT in business, but the staff could sense a change in the camp's dynamic.
As the next few summers passed, the staff began talking. We discussed how we were responsible for a good deal of AGT's success, and how we might hold the key to continuing their original dreams. Howard and Brian had always promised us that this camp would be ours someday, and now, without their complete involvement, we were running a camp that needed some major changes. We decided to start our own company, The Wayfinder Experience. That was 5 years ago. We've since run dozens of successful events, birthday parties, school residencies and camps, and are growing more every day.
After many board and owners meetings, Wayfinder decided to acquire the responsibility of AGT as a not-for-profit branch of our existing business structure. We wanted to keep the name alive and bring those community members still present over to our camp so we could welcome them back with open arms. The future of AGT as an organization is questionable due to severe financial difficulties, but the ideals it held are alive and well.
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