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The YMCA Rags/Leathers Program is open to people of all religious faiths and is one of the most effective tools available to a YMCA leader. It is designed to help youth and adults take a closer look at themselves, their religious beliefs and the relationships with those around them.
The Rags and Leathers Program of the YMCA is aseries of challenges for individuals wishing for growth personallyand spiritually. The Rag program is for individuals who are atleast 12 years of age, with minimum ages established for each newset of challenges accepted. For those too young to accept thechallenge of the Rag, there is the Leathers program, typicallyavailable to campers aged 8–11. Similar to the Rags Program, theLeathers program was designed to help younger individuals acceptthe challenges of personal growth.
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History of the RagProgram
It started off as a simple blue bandana, a blue kerchiefthat would signify excellence for health habits, promptness,cheerfulness, morals, trustworthiness, industry andhelpfulness.
In the spring of 1914 Thomas S.Caldwell, 38 years old, was the boy's secretary of the Oakland YMCA and making plans to take a groupto summer camp.
At the time the Oakland YMCA owned no permanent campsite, andfor reasons now obscure, the site of the previous summer's camp,near San Gregorio on the ocean side of the San Francisco peninsula,was unavailable.
Caldwell scouted the same area and about three and one-halfmiles inland from the tiny town of Pescadero found a wooded sitealong Pescadero Creek, the area that would ultimately become Camp Loma Mar.
With that out of the way, Caldwell turned to another problem:during the previous summer's camp he had encountered somedisciplinary problems among a group of boys from a lower incomearea.
Caldwell was looking for a device, he wrote later, 'to meetcertain problems of discipline by placing action upon a positiverather than negative basis.'
His first idea was to present awards for 'participation inactivities.' This followed a method being used at the time in theSan Francisco YMCA's camp Jones Gulch, and was based primarily onathletics.
Many years later Caldwell wrote that he presented this idea tohis leaders at a meeting before camp started, but it was discardedbecause they expected a crippled boy, Charles Von Konnigsburg, tobe in camp and he would be unable to win an award under thesystem.
The leaders do not remember this meeting, but almost unanimouslythey recall a meeting, either in the Pescadero camp or before theyleft Oakland, at which Caldwell presented a plan for giving awardsfor health habits, promptness, cheerfulness, morals,trustworthiness, industry and helpfulness. There seems little doubtthat the conception was Caldwell's alone. There is no evidence thathe consulted anybody prior to this meeting.
The first Rags were purchased for 10 cents each at theWilliamson's Country Store in Pescadero and were nothing more thansimple blue bandanas made popular by the cowboys of the West. Infact, so many youngsters habitually wore these bandanas thatCaldwell was obliged to request that they not be worn in camp.
Within several days after the camp period got underway, Caldwellcalled several youths out at campfire and, as he tied the Ragaround each boy's neck, told him in front of the other campers whyhe was receiving it. Before they returned to Oakland a rather largepercentage of the boys (about 25 of them) became Blue Raggers, andone, Edmund DeFreitas, became the first Red Ragger.
Contrary to common belief, there was at the beginning noreligious significance attached to the Rag, although the rest ofthe camp program contained strong Christian emphasis. Instead, the tyingceremony reflected the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.As a result, that summer Tom Caldwell received the nickname 'King,'which he was to carry the rest of his life.
Among the leaders in that 1914 camp were Caldwell's assistant,Fred Abbot, who would succeed him several years later as boy'ssecretary of the Oakland YMCA and who is now retired; Homer A.Gould, now assistant general secretary of the Los Angeles YMCA;George Hjelte, retired general manager of the City of Los Angeles'Recreation and Parks Department and a lifelong YMCA layman; RolandUre, retired general secretary of the Nashua (N.H.) YMCA; Robert K.Hutchison, retired general secretary of the Fresno YMCA; and C.F.Martin, then physical director of the Oakland YMCA and now retiredDirector of Physical Education, Pasadena City Schools.
Although the Rag was first given exclusively to boy campers andnone of these young men was to receive it for a few years, severalof them were to contribute significantly to the spread anddevelopment of Caldwell's creation.
And it is at Raggers’ Point, a permanent fixture at YMCA campsaround the world, that youngsters still receive the rag today.Usually built of rocks at remote and private view sites, they arerarely destroyed. One somewhat unusual site was a located in Austria just a few yards fromthe Hungarian border. A group of touring high school studentsaccepted the rag with communist armed guards viewing the ceremonythrough a barbed wire barricade.
The design of the rag blends four well-known shapes - thetraditional YMCA triangle; the square-to signify the four-squarelife; the circle-a circle of friendship; and the cross-the symbolof Christianity.
While it was Thomas Caldwell who conceptualized the rag in 1914(at first only boys received it), Ralph Cole, who was namedCalifornia’s boys’ work secretary five years later, is regarded asthe man who took the idea across state lines.
TheInfluence of Ralph Cole
There is no doubt that the second most important man in the RagSociety’s first 50 years was Ralph Cole, State Boys’ Work Secretaryfrom 1919 to 1928.
By nature, Cole was a gregarious promoter and tenacioussalesman. By background and experience, he was a highly effectiveboys’ work secretary.
These qualities and abilities, together with the fact that hisjob required extensive travel to YMCAs throughout the state, gaveCole all he needed to make his great contribution to the RagSociety.
He became a Ragger in the summer of 1920 at the Oakland YMCA’scamp on the Feather River. Apparently he was deeply moved by theexperience. From a more practical point of view, he recognized inthe Rag Society a tremendous potential for the YMCA camping programin particular and the youth program in general.
First, he set out to “sell” the Rag Society to SouthernCalifornia Associations. Although in somewhat general use up north,only the Los Angeles and Long Beach YMCAs were using it in thesouth.
In 1921 Cole obtained use of Long Beach YMCA’s “Kamp Kole,”which had been named for him in recognition of his accomplishmentsas Boys’ Work Secretary of that Association, and conducted thefirst Southern California Hi-Y Officers’ Training Camp. Inattendance were most of the boys’ work secretaries.
In characteristic fashion, Cole put many boys and, moreimportant, every secretary there through either the Blue or Red Ragceremony. Thus at one time he introduced practically every boys’work secretary in Southern California to the Rag Society.
The fact that by the following summer all Southern CaliforniaYMCAs had adopted the Rag Society was a tribute both to theinspiration of the ceremonies and the great influence of Ralph Colehimself. The latter point is sharpened when you consider the speedwith which he was able to overcome the natural resistance to newideas which exists among all people and organizations.
It was Cole (probably with Caldwell’s encouragement) who firsthad Rags manufactured in quantity and distributed by the YMCA Stateorganization. He was also responsible for reproduction anddistribution of ceremonies and the requirements candidates had tolearn, which tended to make methods of presentation as uniform asthey were to become for many years.
Not content with limiting his promotion of the Rag Society toCalifornia, Cole took advantage of an invitation to speak at asummer school for YMCA secretaries of the Pacific Northwest in 1922or 1923 and introduced it there.
It is also thought that Cole was either directly or indirectlyresponsible for introduction of the Rag Society to Arizona. Itfirst appeared in the Phoenix Association in the early 1920s, atime when his influence was being increasingly felt throughout theWest and even into the Midwest and East.
Another Cole contribution took place in 1928 when he and HomerGould wrote the first formal White Rag ceremony. Caldwell hadwritten an earlier version for specific young men in 1919 asmentioned previously.
When Cole left in 1928 to become Boys’ Work Secretary of theWorld’s Committee of YMCA's, it was obvious that his enthusiasm forthe Rag Society had been contagious and his sales job superb. TheRag Society was firmly established and, perhaps even moreimportant, it was crystallized into a meaningful, important part ofthe YMCA youth program in California.
During Cole’s tenure and into the early 1930s, the generation ofYMCA secretaries that followed Caldwell — those directly involvedin YMCA camping — began to give the Rag Society its rich tradition.In this period most youth in YMCA clubs attended camp together,which provided a continuity and fellowship that gave the Rag moremeaning.
It was this generation that initiated a number of refinements inceremonies, requirements and interpretation that later becamestandard.
In almost every YMCA Association where the Rag Society was tobecome strong and rewarding both to individuals and to the YMCA,could be found a secretary who believed in the Rag, appreciated itsvalue to youth and used it intelligently.
Among these secretaries were J. B. Wilbur in Oroville; ThomasSchumacher in San Diego, Conrad Jongewaard and Arch Raitt in OrangeCounty; A. C. Preston in Long Beach ; J. Delmar Branch inBurbank; Earle Dexter in Fresno; L. B. Schaefer in Oakland; JohnHolt, E. P. Hunt and John Titsworth in San Francisco; Paul Flegelin Berkeley; Fred Dye and Merle Waterman in Hollywood; Paul Somersand H. J. Payne in Pasadena; Harold A. Wagner, Lorne Bell and HomerGould in Los Angeles; L. E. (Speed) Lashbrook in Pomona; KennethKnights in Aihambra and Charles Crumly in Tulare County.
Wilbur and his wife were the first to give Rags to girls, andtheir extended tenure in Oroville produced a number of WhiteRaggers among both boys and girls.
Merle Waterman can be given credit for constructing the firstRaggers’ Point as it is known today in 1925 at the Los AngelesYMCA’s Camp Little Green Valley.
As many of these men moved into administrative posts in theYMCA, they were followed by another generation of secretaries —those of the depression years.
During the early 1930s, YMCA's were forced to reduce staffsdrastically. Generally, the program secretaries remaining were thesuperior men, and due to the lack of opportunity for advancement,tended to remain in their jobs longer than had been truepreviously.
As a result, the program secretaries of the depression were ableto make an important contribution by giving the Rag Society themeaning and continuity that can come only when one man takes manyof the same youngsters and leaders to camp year after year.
RagProgram
There are seven different color rags in the Raggers Program witheach color corresponding to a different set of challenges. Each Ragstands as “an outward sign of an inward goal.” The scarves Raggerswear are called rags to highlight the physical worthlessness. Thetrue value of a Rag scarf is in the commitment that a Raggercandidate makes to better himself or herself. Generally, anindividual accepting a new Rag takes on 2 challenges: 1) thespecific challenge officially prescribed by the program, and 2) apersonal challenge that the individual has set for herself orhimself. Traditionally, this second, personal goal is themed aroundthe specific challenge of that particular color rag.
The different rag colors (and their respective goals) are asfollows:
Rag Color | Challenge | Minimum Age |
---|---|---|
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 tothe world, your country, other people, and yourself | 13 |
Brown Rag | Serve God, be humble, become more aware of the needs ofothers | 14 |
Gold Rag | Understanding and 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 nobleliving) | 18 |
White Rag | Dedication to a life of Christian service | 21 |
As is quite clearly indicated by the Raggers' emblem, theRaggers Program is a Christian program, with Christian growth anddevelopment being key features in each script of the publishedRaggers' ceremonies. Notwithstanding, people of all faiths andcreeds have accepted the challenge of the Rag. Many YMCA camps willeven edit and modify the ceremonies to a specific faith other thanChristian. Regardless of which faith the ceremonies focus on, theoverall theme of personal growth and a closer relationship with Godalways remains.
LeathersProgram
The Leathers Program is similar to that of the Rag program, withthe exception that the minimum age for the program is eight. In theLeathers program, campers work on three different levels ofchallenges with each level being represented by a different shapedleather emblem that the candidate wears around her or his neck. Theshapes and their corresponding challenges are listed below. Likethe Rag program, candidates wishing to accept the challenge of aleather must participate in a 1-1 'counseling session' with aqualified camp counselor. Requirements for being a Leatherscounselor are not nearly as stringent as they are for the Ragsprogram. Qualified counselors are simply staff or directors of thecamp (regardless of whether they have completed the program ornot). Campers cannot counsel one another for the Leathers Program.Most campers who complete the Leathers Program go on to participatein the Rags program.
Leather Shape | Challenge | Minimum Age |
---|---|---|
Triangle | To grow in Mind, Body and Spirit | 8 |
Square | To grow in Mind, Body, Spirit and Friendship | 9 |
Circle | To become close to God through appreciation, love and concernfor all of His creation. This includes the earth, all livingthings, and all people | 10 |
Counseling andPreparation
Before someone can accept a challenge of the Rag, the individualmust meet with a qualified counselor for the specific Rag color heor she is accepting. A qualified counselor is one who has alreadyaccepted the challenge of the Rag color being pursued, for example,someone wishing to accept their gold Rag can be counseled by agold, red, purple or white Ragger.
The counselor’s job is to first assess if the candidate meetsthe minimum requirements of the Rag color. In order to accept thenew color, a candidate must first meet the minimum age requirement.Also, the candidate must meet a proper level of maturity for theRag that she or he is accepting. Finally, the candidate must haveadequately met the goals accepted by the previous rag. These lasttwo requirements are not tangible and are therefore left to thediscretion of the counselor as to whether the candidate has metthem.
Each counseling session is extremely personal and different. Allcounselors have a different approach and style in helping acandidate determine if the time is right to accept a new Rag andwhat personal goals should be undertaken in accepting the newchallenge. Counselors are not just an important part of thepreparation for the Rag. They also take an active and intimate rolein Rag ceremonies. Often, fellowship between Raggers and counselorsextend several years beyond the summer camp experience.
In preparing for the challenge of the blue Rag, candidates arerequired to memorize the Raggers' Creed. The creed represents theway a Ragger strives to act and think towards oneself andothers.
The RaggersCreed
I would be true, for there are those who trust me;
I would be pure, for there are those who care;
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;
I would be brave, for there is much to dare;
I would be friend to all - the foe, the friendless;
I would be giving, and forget the gift;
I would be humble, for I know my weakness;
I would look up, and laugh, and love and lift.
I would be pure, for there are those who care;
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;
I would be brave, for there is much to dare;
I would be friend to all - the foe, the friendless;
I would be giving, and forget the gift;
I would be humble, for I know my weakness;
I would look up, and laugh, and love and lift.
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The Raggers Emblem andRaggers Point
Most YMCA camps that conduct Rag programs also have a permanentRaggers' Point area designated for the ceremonies. Raggers' Points,similar to outdoor camp chapels are usually situated in quiet,secluded areas; often they are found in wooded clearings. They arecircular, with a permanent Raggers' Emblem, often made from rocks,fixed in the center of the clearing. A cross is normally fixed atthe head of the circle above the emblem. Often the cross isdecorated with the color rag of the ceremony that is beingconducted. Due to the nature of some of the ceremonies, there isnormally a long path leading from the entrance of the point.
The Raggers' Emblem, in addition to appearing in the center ofRaggers' Point, also appears on all Rag scarves. The emblemconsists of a circle circumscribing a square circumscribing atriangle. At the center of the triangle lies a cross. The meaningof the emblem is described in nearly every Rag ceremony asfollows:
“The circle stands for the circle of friendship of all YMCAs,and people around the world – wherever they may be. The squarerepresents the foursquare life of a true ragger: physical, social,spiritual, and mental. The triangle stands for strength because itis the strongest geometric figure known to man. Because of thisstrength – we have named the three points: Body, Mind, and Spirit –to remind you to keep the challenge that you have accepted foryourself. And at the center of our emblem and at the center of ourhearts – lies the cross. It appears so that we never forget thewonderful lesson that Jesus taught to us through His life – Hisexample and His words” (Brown Rag Ceremony, Page 5).
Different ceremonies require candidates to stand in differentportions of the emblem. It is tradition that no Ragger stand in theportion of the emblem that is reserved for other colored Rags.
Even though most ceremonies are conducted at Raggers' Point,there is no hard and fast rule that they must be. Ceremonies can beconducted anywhere where a Raggers' Emblem has been constructed.Out of respect for the emblem, the temporary Raggers' Point shouldbe deconstructed to prevent people from walking through it. ManyYMCA travel camps (or Caravans) construct a temporary Raggers'Point at a secluded, beautiful location during the trip. CaliforniaYMCAs have created Points in Yosemite, Sequoia, on beach overlooks,or desert camping spots.
References
'The Story of the Rag [1]', Retrieved2009-11-09.
Externallinks
- Camp Oakes Homepage A comprehensive resource forthe Rags and Leathers program. The site includes an extensivehistory of the program, copies of all the ceremonies and studyguides, and other miscellaneous resources.
- Christian LeadershipConference The Rags and Leathers program is administerednationally in the United States by the Christian LeadershipConference. The CLC website provides the current set of materialsfor download.
- The Ragger Online The one stop for all thingsChristian Leadership! Complete with Rag program supplies, YMCANews, and Christian Leadership information!
- Camp Oakes YMCA RaggersRetreat Join your fellow raggers for a weekend of fellowship,fun, and discussion