SCO-GD Explained
Introduction - Welcome to the SCO-GD Snapshot! It probably looks like a confusing mess of table cells and odd headings upon first glance. Augusta offers us many, many different tools and lenses through which to explore and improve our self-awareness, thereby creating clear and manageable opportunities for consistent growth. This document is designed to give you a basic familiarity with each of the lenses that are represented on the Snapshot, and can help to inform you and your scaffolder throughout your journey of personal growth at Augusta (and beyond!). Some are likely to resonate with you strongly, others perhaps not so much… an open mind and sense of curiosity will be supportive companions on this path!
Everyone at camp is simultaneously a scaffolder for someone (or many people), as well as a scaffoldee - the person receiving intentional guidance. For example, a counselor will likely be the scaffolder for many campers and will be scaffolded by their VL, other counselor peers, or someone in an administrative role at camp. Counselors also scaffold their VLs!!!
The SCO-GD framework is designed to be a ‘living’ document through which you and your scaffolder can aim to enrich and bring personal meaning to your experiences at camp through consistent honest feedback, accurate documentation, and seeking intentional opportunities for growth. SCO-GD documents are like dollar bills and hold value if you are willing to believe in and act upon their value - primarily in the form of self-awareness and, therefore, conscious choice. Being able and willing to honestly and critically fill out these documents is key to using them effectively now and in the future.
SCO-GD Snapshot:
Strengths – Strengths are areas you think you are particularly adept in and feel genuinely excited to share with the world - your campers, fellow staff members, and others beyond the realm of camp.
Challenges – Challenges are areas that feel or seem beyond your current comfort zone and/or range of competency. Whether you are willing or able to push yourself to grow through these challenges is separate from being willing and able to recognize them and offer yourself compassion for the ways in which you are not perfect. Indeed, every one of us will face different challenges throughout our lives.
Opportunities– isn’t a measurable action; it’s a star to set our compass towards… a direction in which to move through smaller daily steps. These could be traits you wish to improve or gain, and could be results you wish to see. Opportunities, when effectively designed, allow the scaffoldee to step a bit outside of their comfort zone without going so far as to enter a panic zone.
Goals - The goals are personal growth points as defined in synthesis between scaffolder and scaffoldee. They represent developmental checkpoints both personally and professionally, during the summer season and beyond. The idea behind these goals is that a scaffoldee intentionally works toward them (with support and guidance) and checks in at various points throughout the summer with the scaffolder as to the progress and strength of strategies chosen to meet those goals. SMART goals are utilized with intentional language when setting these goals. Goals are usually tied to Strengths and Opportunities, and perhaps Challenges with more intense, careful, detailed plans.
Dreams – Dreams are farther afield; these stretch beyond camp into your wider life ambitions and purpose. This is useful to know so you can work towards making these a reality.
Floor –Well, not everyone is good at everything. Items here are acknowledged activities, or domains/classes of activities, that are likely to hit the floor if the “ball” (task) is tossed in your direction. It’s better if someone else does these.
15 commitments – See ALM or conscious.is if you’d like the fuller explanation on the 15 Commitments framework. Suffice for here, utilize the word descriptions for each of the six personas (in Philosophies Manual), and write at least 3 for each that really resonate/stick/describe you. Drifts=213, Philosophies Manual. Shifts=266, Philosophies (antidotes).
Flavors - Staff “flavors” refer to the unique blend of needs, strategies, stories, rackets, and feelings present within an individual. For the sake of the summer, we are most interested in how your specific flavor impacts both your experience of and contributions to the campers and to the Augustan community as a whole. Understanding your particular “mixology” can guide you toward sharing the sweetest elements of your particular flavor, rather the more bitter tastes. See ALM 169-184. Guesses were made upon your initial application – check those out and see if you agree!
Rackets –Stories are a part of your everyday view of your world and how you fit into it. Though stories are not necessarily detrimental, in this context we think of rackets as the representation of your stubborn perspectives that do not serve you in the way you’d most like to live your life. Some of the phrases that might signal a racket include: “I am…”, “I can’t…”, “I would… if…”, “Life is…”, “They’re so…”, “It’s always…”, etc. See Philosophy manual and Prepare page for loads more thoughts.
Possibility Statements - The conscious act and art of reflecting on an intentional way of being. This table is in two parts . . . the “two-words” column is the short-form of a possibility statement, like Be Free, Be Courageous, Be Fit, Be Compassionate, etc. The other column offers more context for the manifestation, yet doesn’t stray into the goal territory, where the statement would ever be achievable/reachable/done, for example.
The two word version is helpful as it can be reminder -- more like a mantra. In the present moment, one has a (100% Responsible) choice. In this moment, this exact moment, I can live into the possibility of compassion. Were I to do that, what is one, small thing I would be doing/thinking right now? Do that. When a person can touch/feel the power/idea of compassion (as opposed to a mental model of it as a dictionary concept), the resulting feeling, thought, and available actions/behavior will be inspiring!
The two-word version is like a 360 degree globe lamp. A 170 degree flood-lamp/version is also useful, which is where the 5-7 word version comes in. Careful that that one isn't a goal though, as then it is 1 degree, and it now has an achievable end point. All three are fantastic -- 360-possibility -- 170 possibility -- goals.
PersonalityTests
These tests are not by any means a wholly accurate representation of one's personality and it is likely that you will agree with some and disagree with others, generally speaking. Each offers its own insight and each has its own drawbacks and discrepancies with what you may know/think to be true. With that, they can be very useful in understanding yourself from different perspectives. It is important to answer the tests honestly in order to gain the most accurate results. There are no right or wrong results. All of the assessments are on the first “secret page” – tree logo on home page of campaugusta.org.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Include the percentages of each one, as the letters themselves are like describing the world as either black or white.
Grit
Scored 1-5 (5 being extremely Gritty, 1 being not at all Gritty)
Mindset
There are 8 fixed and 8 growth mindset questions. Results are like: 4 out of 8 fixed mindset, etc.
Locus of Control
Scores range from 22-44; 22 being strong ILOC, 44 being strong ELOC (internal / external)
Narcissism
Between 12 and 15 is average. Celebrities often score closer to 18. Narcissists score over 20.
Enneagram
Include your main type, and your variant stacking.
1 THE REFORMER2 THE HELPER
3 THE ACHIEVER / 4 THE INDIVIDUALIST
5 THE INVESTIGATOR
6 THE LOYALIST / 7 THE ENTHUSIAST
8 THE CHALLENGER
9 THE PEACEMAKER
Big Five
Include your percentages/notations for each element
ExtroversionEmotional Stability/Neuroticism
Orderliness/Conscientiousness
Accommodation/Agreeableness
Intellect/Open to experience / Social and Reserved type
Limbic and Calm type
Organized and Unstructured type
Accommodating and Egocentric type
Non-curious and Inquisitive type
The Sound Relationship House – This tool, designed by the Gottman Institute, outlines nine components that make up positive, supportive, empathy-based relationships. These same components can be examined and understood in the context of close, supportive, community-based relationships.
When relationships are sweet at Augusta, they can be even sweeter. ?
When there is some sourness, YOU can turn the lemon(s) into lemonade.
What a FANTASTIC skill set to have in your life!
What we want is our community to be strengthened, our friendships enriched and enlivened, and your current/future partner to be closer to the kind of beautiful relationship in fairy tales and dreams made real. These understandings/tools/perspectives will help create those realities.
“S/O/W” = Strong / Okay / Weak. Think of weak like “Challenges,” and, an opportunity for you and your scaffolder to work on that level or pillar of the house. That will help all close relationships for the rest of your life!
Read the below as what YOU are doing, and not what you wish (“should”) others were doing for/to/with you.
House / Translated to AugustaCommitment / What is your commitment to Augusta itself? Think about your agreements now, and next year.
Trust / What is your orientation/experience of trusting Augusta itself?
Knowing and Being Known / Know people in your “village” as human beings, & they know you (without the should between they and know)
Share Fondness and Admiration / Celebration – sharing with one another. Shared noticings. (Gratitude is an internal experience.)
Turn Towards Instead of Away / Be attentive & Clean. Listen. Ask for your 100%. Discuss instead of dismiss. No=beginning.
Positive Perspective / YSL+NVC. See the good. Accept influence. Repair negative interactions. I am not RIGHT.
Manage Conflict / 20:1 ratio. Clean communication. 3-step training process.
Criticism / Cue the sour side of the “Flavors.” There is a Wrong and Right. S/he/They “should.”
Contempt / Cue the sour side of the “Flavors.”A foundational character flaw is present in other. I am better.
Stonewalling / Peace out peeps. Not worth my time. Whatevs. Dismiss. Tune out. Distract.
Defensiveness / Not my fault. Justify. Point to situation and others. / Take 100% Responsibility.
Make Life Dreams Come True / Goals and Dreams of SCO-GD. I’m making them happen. I’m helping others.
Create Shared Meaning / I understand, believe in, and act upon the vision, mission, values, & processes of Augusta.
SCO Table
Separate document
The format of the SCO Table provides space for a more in-depth analysis of the strengths, challenges, and opportunities that you and your scaffolder add to your SCO_GD Snapshot. This table typically reflects your personal updates and changes based on many experiences throughout the summer. The Snapshot is like a table of contents, and this document is like the pages of the book. In relation to the SCO-GD Snapshot, the Table is a detailed, organic document that will track your individually-crafted (and lived) trajectory throughout your time at Augusta.
Core Needs
These are NVC-language needs. Ones that you experience as particularly present for you.
Love Languages
See page 155 in Philosophies manual. Put your primary and secondary love language.
Support that has worked for me in the past
Exactly that – how you’ve enjoyed, and would enjoy, being supported.
For all of the above, take care to inhabit the mindsets of “preference over attachment” and “100% Responsibility.”
Preference – to see the above as requirements means you can’t be happy without them.
There is a hole, and the hole needs to be filled by someone else.
100% Responsibility – what are you doing to create the reality you’d love to inhabit?