The Inner Compass Experience

July 23, 2021 

Kristen, you may have heard of the woman whose dream is to change the lives of youth. Her kindness takes many forms and I was able to experience one of those through a summer camp by the name of Inner Compass. I was also lucky enough to participate in an apprentice program in which I was obliged to write this article. I interviewed some of the workshop leaders and all of my fellow classmates. The topic of the interviews are based on their personal life experiences, and a little of what they showed in the class itself. 

The first of our workshop leaders, Stephanie came in and gave us a lesson in art therapy where she had us paint or draw on masks; the outside how others see us, and the inside how we see ourselves. During the interview she told me that she has been doing art for fun since she was really young. When she was in high school she took some art classes that made her realize she wanted to be an artist but her parents didn’t support her being an art major and then during her last year of school she got a job offer that led her to taking oil painting class for two semesters. For the past couple years she had been studying expressive art therapy. 

She met Kristen during an empathy seminar and they “Clicked” while talking about their time abroad. A year later their friendship prevailed, and Kristen asked her if she was interested in doing a lesson for her Inner Compass class. Stephanie had the idea of mask making and Kristen agreed. Stephanie says the most important thing about art therapy is to create and let your unconscious mind tell you the answers to problems. She feels that she is doing what she is supposed to on this earth by spreading creativity and helping people. She recommends doing some form of creative art therapy once a week or whenever you feel you need to create. Stephanie says that she would teach a class at Inner Compass again if she could.

Second we had Mireille come in and teach us about EFT tapping. She had been practicing EFT tapping for a year and a half, and is recently getting training for it. She believes that the most important thing one can do is create love with your body. The tapping helps to soothe the nervous system which can help reset the brain. She thinks that more youth should know; “as much as you can let go of the distractions around you and turn within; there are so many messages out there that can lead you away from who you are.” 

The third workshop we did was with Jessica Luse. She led a yoga workshop. She got into yoga because she was curious about the feelings that she was feeling and she wanted to live a less reactive life. “It can be really hard to control my mind with my mind.” Jessica searched out yoga in India because yoga originated in India and she decided to go “straight to the source.” Jessica also says that yoga in the States seems very performative where yoga in India was about controlling the body and the breath to find a sense of peace. She also says yoga helps with awareness and she says if there is a change you want in your life and you're not aware, then it will not happen. One lesson she learned in her life that she thinks more people should know was told to her by her teacher Joel. “Many people are suffering from the modern disease of seriousness and seriousness leads to heaviness and it is beneficial to keep yourself light. The best way to get out of a funk is to get funky.” She would love to come back and teach an Inner Compass class again.

The Students’ Opinions

Of course, how could we forget the stars of the show? The dreams that make up the foundation of this week of mystery? We quite simply can’t so for the majority of this article I will be depicting the experiences of the children who partook in this adventure.

First I spoke with Hugo Sydow. The story of how he came to Inner Compass says a lot about him; originally he was going to go to a special needs camp for his brother which was really kind of him, but after his brother broke his arm his mother offered for him to go to another summer camp and they found Inner compass. Then he and Kristen worked together and came up with him doing an apprenticeship to make a video similar to this article. He likes that he thinks he is learning more about himself than he has at any other point in his life. He was thinking about how he was going to contribute to society and he thinks this class has helped with that.He commented that this interview happened on only the second day and he marveled at what he could learn by the time the class is over.

Next I interviewed Kierra Harrison. She found herself joining Inner Compass because she got an email sent out by the school and in the email it said that Kristen worked with Ironwood Tree Experience. Kierra had been looking into this organization for a while and she forwarded the email to her mother who subsequently signed her up for the class. Her favorite class activity was Yoga led by jess. She enjoyed the weird nature of the session and all of the animal poses.

She thinks that she has gotten good practice being compassionate to other people’s perspectives and understanding there is more to them. Sometimes she will shut people down and not talk to them when someone says something that she thought was wrong, and she does not like that she has done this and wants to understand people better. A lesson that she learned and wants to share with others is that when you're trying to do a project that if you're having a hard time getting started just jump in headfirst and everything else will follow.

The third person I interviewed was Margo Alter. A quote she really likes is: Circie “I had no write to claim him. I knew it, but in a solitary life there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours. As stars once a year touch the earth. Such a constellation he was to me.” She joined the Inner Compass class because she took a woman empowerment exploration at school and she had recognized Kristen and Kristen pointed her towards this class. 

One thing Margo learned about herself during this class was that she was opening up to new people. She also thinks that she is using her “Inner Compass” to navigate this world through identity. One thing Margo thinks that she wants to work on and others should know is that it’s ok to not know what you're going to do or what will happen. This was said by Tori during one of Kristen’s workshops.

After I interviewed Max.  His sister Emiliana and Him are the only ones to not go to the gregory school. They met Kristen while doing some homeschooling. He feels very comfortable in the group of people when he voiced not always feeling so in a group setting. His favorite activity is just sitting around and talking as a group. He thinks that more people should not take everything as seriously because you will screw up eventually. Finally he wanted to say “Tacos taste really good.”

Shortly thereafter I interviewed Joaquin. His mother signed him up for this class because she wanted him to do something this summer. This class has shown him a passion for drawing/sketching. Not much more was said because he wanted to be funny and get the shortest interview. 

Next I interviewed Trevor Meeks. “It created the creation that the creator created.” -Remington. He joined The Inner Compass because his parents told him to. He is glad that during an astrology lesson he can comfortably share his belief that it is false. He really enjoys playing video games. 

One of the final people I talked with was Emilana Lamb who is the sister to Max. She learned that she was not very comfortable sharing her emotions with people. She thought that the Inner Compass class was a good experience. 

Finally I interviewed Molly Crown. “If you find yourself with a desire that this world can’t satisfy then you were made for another world.”- C.S. Lewis. She found the Inner Compass class because the school sent out an email and her parents asked her if she wanted to sign up. She has liked the class so far and she thinks it has been beneficial although because she is not a spiritual person a couple of the activities have been “meh”. She does not think she has learned anything new during this class but her knowledge of herself and her identity has expanded. She would take a class with Kristen again if it was something that interested her. One thing that her mother has said a lot and that resonates with her is “Don’t give up an opportunity that was given to you for someone else.” Finally Molly said “I like nature.”

In conclusion the Inner Compass experience was a very interesting one and has had some kind of effect on different people’s lives to varying degrees. I personally liked this class and if there was ever something I didn’t agree with I could always step out and still enjoy the class as a whole without being judged. It was nice being able to talk about things with other people who are still learning like I am. I was fascinated that I could share some of my unpopular beliefs and still feel welcome within the group by the end of the week. I feel like I can't stress enough that this class has had many subconscious effects on me, and everyone else. While it may not be remembered all of my life I feel confident knowing that I will be more understanding because of the diverse stories and experiences of this class.