Circles
Five circles, one Soaring Spirit. Your circle is roughly 5 to 15 dad-and-daughter pairs who camp, cook, and perform together. Ask about the Flamingos. Everyone asks about the Flamingos.
Gentle Tigers
Pink Flamingos
Wild Sharks
Roadrunners
Foxes
How it fits together
A circle is a group of dad-and-daughter pairs — usually 5 to 15 families, often from the same school or neighborhood but not always; plenty of circles are work friends or team parents, and the girls don’t all have to be the same age. Circles meet on their own between events and camp together at every campout.
An expedition is a group of circles. Soaring Spirit is one of several dads-and-daughters expeditions in South Orange County; there are more than a dozen expeditions across the YMCA of Orange County, and they all meet up a few times a year.
Who does what
Circle Navigator
The circle’s leader-dad: runs circle meetings, keeps the group text alive, makes sure every new family has a tent up on Friday night.
Compass Bearer
Keeps the pins, patches, and Compass progress. Runs the induction logistics at the first campout. Knows where the torches are.
Elder
A dad who has already served as Navigator and whose daughter is still in the program. Reads at induction, tells new dads it gets easier. Ask him anything.