ShelterBox Ambassador Field Training

This weekend I was an attendee at ShelterBox Ambassador Field Training. I’m still processing all I went through but I can say without hesitation that it was one of the best, if not the best training, I’ve ever attended. The weekend was very well balanced between informational sessions, hands-on with the ShelterBox equipment, team development activities and participating in a disaster response scenario from start to finish. I won’t give away too many of the specifics about the training as I would like it to be just as special for future Ambassadors as it was for me. Besides that I think it’s more of a experience to be had, not described.

The attendees were divided into three teams for a weekend long mock deployment as SRT (ShelterBox Response Team) members. As “the Scout guy” in my group I was nominated to be our team leader which personally made the experience even more of a challenge and that much more rewarding. We experienced everything from going through customs in a politically turbulent foreign country to the layout and deployment of tents on the ground. However its really what happened between those points that was where the real magic was. Throughout the weekend our team was challenged, mentally, physically and even emotionally. As it turned out our team wound up being the winners of the weekend’s competition. We were all very proud, though it was hard to believe as we had so much fun during the process.

Honestly I think that everyone who attended “won” as there were so many take-aways that it was impossible to go through it and not come out of it a better Ambassador for ShelterBox. I really can’t thank enough everyone involved in this weekend who made it such an amazing experience: the SRT’s who were our trainers, my fellow Ambassadors especially my teammates, and all the support staff that gave up so much time to make this weekend as vivid of an experience as it was. What an amazing group of volunteers each and every one of them.

Viva Fredonia!

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