SHAW, La. &045; It’s not that Crystal Augustine was dreading Bayou Cocodrie’s Instructor Corps camp-out weekend.

But like any typical teenager, Augustine, 17, is shy and was skeptical when she arrived Friday at Red River Wildlife Management Association with 11 strangers for a weekend of education and dependency.

However, in less than 18 hours the Monterey High School student shed her introverted skin and discovered a new epidermis as a leader.

&uot;To get something done, you have to rely on other people,&uot; Augustine said moments after falling blindly into the arms of these once foreign faces in an activity known as a trust fall. &uot;I’m use to being independent and shy, but here I’ve really start to come out of my shell.&uot;

A trust fall is when one participant stands elevated with his back facing fellow partakers, who a few feet below wait with arms interspersed.

When the group is ready, the hovering member gradually falls backward where the standing recipients envelop them.

&uot;I can trust almost anybody,&uot; said Hank Cockerham, 15, of Vidalia.

&uot;But once I get to know somebody it makes it easier. And when we’re doing stuff together it’s even easier.&uot;

The trust fall was just one of the many activities the 12 students engaged in despite nasty weather Saturday morning during the Instructor Corps weekend.

Others included a human push-up and a human sit-up. One mission required the pupils to determine how four comrades could cross a line several feet from the back of the bed of a pickup truck without their feet touching the ground.

In addition, the teenagers were informed no leaping or jumping from the truck was allowed. The task was finally achieved when brave souls threaded their fingers through the mud and asked their partners to flip them

over the boundary.

It’s a program that not only teaches young adults nature skills, but also develops their leadership and self-confidence savvy, said Bayou Cocodrie Wildlife Refuge manager Mike Esters.

In its second year at Bayou Cocodrie, Instructor Corps was the brainchild of Esters and volunteers when he worked at Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in 1996.

&uot;It’s a fluid program on the wave of evolution,&uot; Esters said. &uot;It’s continued to evolve and roll around. We’ve continued to adapt to the situation we’re presented with, like this weekend’s rain.&uot;

The three-day event was the first of five camp-outs the students will enjoy. They’ll also take written exams and conduct practical tests out in the field on their way to graduation from the program in several months.

Leya Hardie, 24, of Waterproof was a member of Esters’ first Instructor Corps class at Tensas.

She was out at Red River WMA Saturday lending a helping hand and serving as a teacher.

Hardie said the more she returns to assist the more she grows.

&uot;We’re teaching them, but we also get a lot to learn from them, as well,&uot; Hardie said. &uot;The more I do this, I begin to understand how to teach these kids in better ways.&uot;

Esters said an academy of 12 is the perfect size to accommodate his small staff, which includes himself, assistant manager Jay Smith and volunteers such as Hardie.

The camp-out was scheduled for Bayou Cocodrie, but moved late last week when a wet weekend was forecasted.

&uot;We appreciate the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for letting us use this facility,&uot; Esters said. &uot;It was on very short notice and they have offered to help out in any way.&uot;

This class is a smidgen more special to Esters because it will graduate from the program in the centennial year of American wildlife refuges.

Since the Instructor Corps program deals specifically with adolescents, Esters has received numerous calls from refuges &045; regionally and nationally &045; on how they can accommodate such a curriculum.

&uot;We present problem after problem that (the students) have to work together to solve,&uot; Esters said. &uot;At the start the kids may or may not know each other, but by the end they not only know one another, they’ve accomplished certain goals.&uot;

And for Augustine a little lagniappe, as she experienced the value of shoulders to lean on.

&uot;It’s going to help in the long run and teach me how to better interact with people,&uot; Augustine said. &uot;Being shy is not going to get anything done.&uot;