For Kevan Bracewell, training wilderness guides at Chilcotin Holidays Guest Ranch is about more than skills; it’s about training confident future leaders.
At a glance…
- Kevan Bracewell has been training wilderness guides at his Chilcotin Holidays Guest Ranch for over since 1990.
- The Details: Through an accelerated training environment, this program prepares students to work as guides in remote wilderness locations.
- Purpose: The ultimate goal is to instill confidence and the courage to act on principle within each student, empowering them to become leaders in life.
- Goals Achieved: Over one thousand individuals have graduated with solid wilderness guiding skills, leadership abilities, and newfound confidence to pursue their dreams.
The Whole Story…
Kevan Bracewell started his wilderness guide school in 1990 as a practical way to recruit and train responsible, committed wilderness guides for Chilcotin Holidays Guest Ranch. Since 1990, however, this wilderness guide program has turned into much more. Instead of simply providing guide training and practical experience, the wilderness guide school at Chilcotin Holidays Guest Ranch has become an accelerated course in the development of leadership skills and self-confidence.
Leading guests into remote wilderness on horse pack trips is an immense responsibility, and it’s not one that wilderness guides can afford to take lightly. Kevan Bracewell designed the course to create an accelerated learning environment for future wilderness guides. From day one, the wilderness guide school demands high levels of accountability and personal responsibility from its students. With each new lesson and skill that students master, they have to be ready to teach this skill to their peers at any moment. For example, after students receive their first riding orientation, they then take turns leading their classmates through the riding orientation procedures. Wilderness guides in training also take on the serious responsibility of caring for the horses at Chilcotin Holidays Guest Ranch. This requires a “late-to-bed, early-to-rise” approach. Through this accelerated learning curve, students quickly develop the high degree of discipline, confidence, and responsibility that all wilderness guides must possess.
By facing and overcoming many challenges during the guest ranch portion of the wilderness guide school, students develop confidence and strength of character. Both of these attributes are crucial for the next stage of the training program: the backcountry horse pack trip. As the class journeys into the remote wilderness on horseback, the wilderness guides in training put everything they’ve learned into practice. Over the years, Kevan Bracewell has witnessed students arrive as timid followers and return from their wilderness adventures as bold leaders who take charge and act on principle. Truly, this is one of the most rewarding, confidence-building experiences that Chilcotin Holidays offers.
Many of the graduates from this training program live their dream of working in the wilderness. Others use their newfound confidence to pursue other aspirations. Wherever the graduates decide to go after they leave Chilcotin Holidays, they go with a new boldness and unflinching resolve to reach their goals in life.This unique opportunity to impact the trajectory of people’s lives in a meaningful, positive way is one of the primary motivators for Kevan Bracewell, as he continues to invest in the training of future wilderness guides at his guest ranch.
Next steps…
Having witnessed the remarkable growth and personal development of students during their training as wilderness guides, Kevan Bracewell has integrated these leadership-building principles into other programs at the ranch, including university internships, ranch internships, and entrepreneurial programs. Currently, Kevan Bracewell is working on new intensive leadership and personal development training programs that will further harness the power of these principles .
Ready to discover your full potential and become a true leader in life? Check out the horseback wilderness mentor guide program!
Learn more about Kevan Bracewell’s work:
Chilcotin Holidays, Wilderness Stewardship Foundation, Stewardship Foundation, Trails to Empowerment, Chilcotin Ark Institute, Wilderness Training Academy, Community Mill