Why I Carry 93 Index Cards in my Backpack Every Summer

Written by Shaun Swartz

We have a lot of traditions at GoBeyond…

bringing a program flag with us everywhere we go and splitting it amongst the group when we leave, taking fun spinning-selfie videos in random locations, “the squeeze,” you get the idea. These traditions are integral to our experience and are a part of what makes an organization “thick,” as New York Times Columnist David Brooks calls it; but there’s one tradition that really sticks out as central to who we are:

Writing each of our travel mates an index card of positive memories from our time together.

This tradition, known simply as “cards,” started in 1986 with our founder, Jim Stoll, incorporating the index card notes into our sailing and scuba diving summer programs at ActionQuest. As is customary, these index card notes are written as part of our closing activities of a program while we divide and distribute our flag evenly and say our good-byes. Since the inception of this tradition, thousands of students and staff have written cards and shared memories, many of whom still have their card collection stored away in travel memory boxes from all those years ago.