STRUGGLING TEEN CAMPS

A therapeutic wilderness adventure camp is a very effective tool for initiating positive change among struggling teen-agers. Studies have shown that significant mental health improvements are demonstrated in up to 91.4% of struggling teen-agers that attend a therapeutic wilderness adventure camp. (Aldana, S.G.). Furthermore, when compared to traditional forms of treatment or other intervention methods such as juvenile bootcamps, a therapeutic wilderness adventure camp proves significantly more beneficial to struggling teen-agers. Our love of wilderness adventure and our conviction in its power to teach youth about themselves and about the world around them are the cornerstones of our programming.

At CanAdventure Education, we believe that struggling teen-agers are often individuals with vast untapped potential -youth that are simply not making the most of their abilities in their current school, social, or family situations. By offering an opportunity to separate from these environments, CanAdventure Education provides struggling teen-agers with a new start, one in which negative influences are no longer present and where positive new perspectives on their own selves and on the world around them can be developed. In a wilderness adventure camp, people learn that they must rely on themselves and their fellow participants to achieve goals and indeed survive. Proactive engagement in wilderness adventure camp activities is a requirement not of an authority figure but of the wilderness itself. By necessity, struggling teen campers find strength in themselves on long expeditions that they might not have otherwise realized. This increases self-esteem and confidence in one's abilities.

Struggling Teen participants also discover that requiring help from others and offering support to others without hesitation are positive experiences. Consequently, they learn to trust themselves and others and to enjoy the challenge of pushing their preconceived limitations. They learn that mutual support is essential to the success and survival of any group or community, thereby building communication and teamwork skills among those that may previously have approached challenging tasks alone.

CanAdventure Education's core struggling teens wilderness adventure camp curriculum is complimented by Therapeutic Focus Sessions, designed to provide interventions for struggling teen-agers experiencing behavior challenges and/or addiction issues. Sessions, which may include workshops on family issues, anger management, drug and alcohol abuse, physical and sexual abuse, and suicide and self-harm, allow the therapeutic value of the existing wilderness adventure camp program for struggling teens to be maximized. Therapeutic Focus Sessions are developed, delivered, and overseen by minimum Masters-level Registered Clinical Counsellors who are independent professionals working in private practice. Our Associate Counsellors visit CanAdventure Education regularly to help participants explore deeper therapeutic issues and to support the progress and effectiveness of our ongoing personal growth curriculum.

Our struggling teen Journey wilderness adventure camps offer a highly personalized approach, guaranteeing a 1:2 instructor to struggling teen ratio and a maximum group size of six participants. All struggling teen participants are provided with a full written report on their camp experience, including areas of achievement, focuses for continued growth, and suggestions for next steps on their path to a happy and fulfilling lifestyle. Struggling teen participants and their families also receive a full year of aftercare as part of our commitment to promoting and maintaining the success of our graduates.

Click here for more information on our struggling teen profile.

Struggling Teen Journey Camp:
Research indicates that progress achieved in a struggling teen wilderness adventure camp increases proportionately with the length of the wilderness program (Russell, K.C.; 2001). As a result, CanAdventure Education's recommended struggling teen camps are 32 days in length. In this wilderness adventure camp program, struggling teen participants not only initiate change but also develop strategies and ways of thinking that help those changes take root for the long term. Our experience indicates that most struggling teen participants begin to make their most significant progress in the second or third week of camp. A 32-day wilderness adventure camp encourages this process to run its full course, creating more permanency in the results that have been achieved. The extra two weeks also allow for an inspirational sea kayaking expedition and 24-48 hours solo outing, where extensive introspection and personal growth often happens.
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