Home      Login

Abstract: 

When traditional environments or methods of intervention fail, students and caregivers may pursue alternative modes. Time spent in unfamiliar environments, especially those that include physical exertion, lead participants to insights into their own development and identity. When the programs are designed to inspire, capture, and focus those insights toward non-risky, non-destructive behavior, the outcomes can be part of life-long change. But students need to be directed toward those successes. The same coaching and counseling that would occur in a traditional classroom setting must occur when the students are in the wilderness. This article explains how that happens and why it is so necessary to long-lasting change in at-risk youth.

Keywords: experiential learning, physical exertion and brain functioning, impulsiveness, peer bonding, healthy habits, supportive community

Affiliations:  1: Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center.