At Camp Arbolado we have found that there are times when a child begins his/her journey into the Leather program at age 8, since this is the youngest age for residential and holiday camp sessions. Thus, by the time the child is 11, he/she will have received the Triangle, Square and Circle Leathers, but yet be too young for consideration into the Rag Program (minimum age is 12). Thus, to help bridge this gap and prepare the child for the Rag Program, a special Leather has been developed exclusively for Camp Arbolado. It is called the Arrowhead Leather and stresses the themes of responsibility and self discipline. If you would like to download or order the Arrowhead Leather study guide, go to the Camp Arbolado File Download Center web page.

The Rags and Leathers are outward symbols of the acceptance of an inner challenge for personal and Christian growth. Those wishing to accept the challenge of a particular Leather or Rag must be first receive one-on-one counseling by a qualified counselor. A qualified counselor is as follows:

• For the Leathers, a qualified counselor is a program/directing staff member or cabin counselor. Campers may not counsel other campers for Leathers.
• For the Blue Rag, a qualified counselor is a program/directing staff member or a cabin counselor at least 16 years of age who is a Ragger. Campers may not counsel other campers for the Blue Rag.
• For the Silver, Brown, Gold, Red, and Purple Rags, a qualified counselor is a fellow Ragger who is at the same or further step than the Rag the candidate is accepting. If the person doing the counseling is at the same Rag step as that being accepted by the candidate, then the counselor must have had that Rag for AT LEAST one year. For example, if a camper is accepting the challenge of the Brown Rag and asks a fellow camper to counsel him/her, then the camper doing the counseling must have had his/her Brown Rag for AT LEAST one year.
• For those accepting the challenge of the White Rag, a qualified counselor is a fellow White Ragger.
  

Each Rag, identified by a specific color, entails two distinct sets of challenges: 1) to grow closer to God by living and understanding a specific set of Christian attributes (themes), and 2) a person challenge for self growth and improvement. The first set of challenges are universal to all Raggers of the same step (color), while the second set of challenges is unique to each individual.. Unlike the Rag program, each Leather entails a personal challenge that is directly linked to the universal theme of the specific Leather step. With sufficient notice, a Rag may be tailored to a specific faith other than Christian (i.e, Jewish, Hindu, etc.). However, the central focus remains the same: becoming closer to God by living and understanding specific virtues (themes) and self-improvement by accepting and accomplishing personal challenges/goals. E-mail Tim Tenopir if you are of a non-Christian faith and want to become a Ragger or accept a Leather..

Candidates who wish to accept the challenges of a Leather or Rag must meet minimum age requirements. These are listed in the table below, along with the specific set of Christian attributes (themes) associated with each Leather/Rag. It should be noted that physical age alone does not determine the minimal age requirement for Rags. These numbers are the minimal ages when candidates may consider pursuing a particular Rag step. In order to be eligible for any Rag, the candidate must possess the proper level of maturity to fully understand and take serious responsibility for the challenges contained in a particular Rag step. 
 

Rag/Leather Step	Universal Challenge (Theme) Associated With Each Leather/Rag Step	Minimum Age When Candidate May Consider Pursuing a Particular Leather/Rag Step
Triangle Leather	To grow in Body, Mind, and Spirit	8
Square Leather	To grow in Mind, Body, Spirit and Friendship	9
Circle Leather	To become close to God through appreciation, love and concern for all of His creation. This includes the earth, all living things, and all people	10
Arrowhead Leather (unique to Camp Arbolado)	To grow in self-discipline and responsibility	11
Blue Rag	Loyalty to God, country, one's best self and the Raggers' Creed	12
Silver Rag	Respect and appreciation for the principles that Christ gave to the world, your country, other people, and yourself	13
Brown Rag	Serve God, humility, become more aware of the needs of others	14
Gold Rag	Understanding of others, concern for others	15
Red Rag	Sacrifice of time, talent and personal will	16
Purple Rag	Challenge to live the best life possible (high and noble living)	18
White Rag	Dedication to a life of Christian service	21

Thank you for accessing this YMCA of Greater Whittier web page. If you have any web questions, comments, or suggestions, please e-mail, write, or call us. We would love to hear from you.

This Page Updated on Tuesday, December 05, 2006