FAQ

Tennessee Aquatic Project and Development Group, Inc.

All youth aged 8-18 are welcome to join TAP. 

Youth who wish to go beyond swimming can learn lifeguard practices, snorkeling, and scuba diving, All students learn the skills and tools for wilderness survival, oral presentation techniques, and leadership skills.

TAP registration is $75 per student, and $45 for additional children in the same family. Families are also asked to contribute $5 each month for the 10 months it operates. These fees cover basic materials and swim lessons.

TAP works to secure grant funds for travel and scuba expenses, but if it cannot, those fees are paid by families.

TAP is comprised of 5 components, education, community service, training, wilderness survival and travel.

The Wilderness Survival Camping (WSC) program has four phases. It is taught on weekends entirely in the outdoors. The skills learned is the WSC program also prepare youth for disasters, emergencies, and other situations, where they may find themselves without the usual necessities and conveniences of life.

There are 2 phases in the fall/winter; and 2 in spring. Each phase is a Saturday morning through Sunday morning.
Phase I – sleep in tents in sleeping bags, no limit on what can be brought for comfort, learn to make fires, learn and review general outdoor safety, cook 3 meals
Phase II – learn to make knots, compass reading, first aid, limit on comforts
Phase III – learn to pack backpacks and about camouflage, further limits on comfort
Phase IV – no tents, make your own shelter, bring and cook your meals, bring only what can be carried

Each phase features a tour of the campgrounds, which are at parks up to 1.5 hours from Nashville. There are hikes during the day to identify wildlife and edible plants, and two phases have a night hike, to simulate what it was like for escaping enslaved Africans during the 1800s. Everyone must carry everything they bring during Phase IV’s night hike. Students (and parents) learn how, at each phase, to make and sustain fires. Each participant is in a team to fulfill a shift for one hour between 11 pm and 6 am to watch and stoke the main fire.

There are 4 meals provided for phase I, 3 meals for phase II, 2 meals for phase III, and no meals for phase IV. Campers cook meals for the group, and individuals must bring and cook the missing meals for themselves for phases II-IV.

WSC sometimes includes fishing, rock climbing, and nature crafts. The group takes advantage of the options in the various parks.

Students perform 20 hours of community service a year. TAP provides opportunities to complete 20 hours. Students are also welcome to volunteer in other community activities, which can count towards their hours.

Yes, we are a 501 [c][3].

We have been providing service since 1995. 

Students are expected to maintain at least a C average in school.

Parents must commit to bringing students each Saturday during the school year, and for each phase of Wilderness Survival. TAP understands that things come up (vacations, competitions, illness, etc.); however, attendance is critical to each component of the program, and for growth.