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The Project Extreme Adventure Education Program
Focus: The focus of PROJECT EXTREME is to help at-risk teens overcome destructive patterns, gain self-confidence and master survival skills by completing a rigorous wilderness program that includes rock climbing, rope courses, white water rafting, building fires, group discussions, and other challenging activities.
It is generally accepted that outdoor adventure programs are effective methods for helping youth realize their potential and turn their lives around. The wilderness setting removes them from negative influences and provides them with an atmosphere that is free from distraction. In such a setting, young men and women are free to explore their leadership and survival skills and discover themselves in a whole new way.
Structure: To ensure a comfortable, intimate atmosphere and high staff to participant ratio, a maximum of 18 boys and 12 girls are registered in each program. Since the issues young men and women grapple with can differ or involve the opposite sex, we have achieved the best success when the two groups are separated. Not only does this division enable the young women and men to express themselves more freely during group discussions, but the separation also fosters the development of positive peer relationships without the risk of sexual pressure.
Program Elements: "All the kids are stimuli junkies, so we try to stimulate and challenge them without having them do anything illegal." -- Chaim Winter, PROJECT EXTREME Drug Counselor
The rigors of outdoor living are integral to our program. Comparable to the thrill of reaching the pinnacle of a mountain, at the end of a trip our teens experience the exhilaration that comes with hard-won effort.
Counseling and Discussion Groups: After a busy, activity filled day, discussion sessions and learning groups are held to share lessons learned and what has transpired in the immediate past.
These informal sessions help to facilitate open communication and conversation among the participants and counselors and create an interest in issues and topics that are instrumental to redirect the paths of the participants. Session materials range from formal textbooks to informal materials that are picked up and discussed along the way.
Session Topics
- Anger management
- Coping with failure
- Creating opportunities
- Community issues
- Parent child communication
- Drug therapy and counseling
Motivational Speaker Series
A unique offering among wilderness education programs has been the addition of guest speakers along our route. In addition to the interesting people we meet in the campgrounds and at sponsored activities, presentations by well-educated, interesting speakers add tremendously to the PROJECT EXTREME experience.
In the summer of 2002, several formal discussions were led by Mark Moshe Bellows, a lawyer, life strategist, and actor/producer who has appeared in several high-profile television shows and films. Mr. Bellows led sessions on "Circumstance vs. Opportunity" and "Community Cultivation." In more informal sessions, he took walks with Participants, shared personal stories about his life and background and challenges he faced in the entertainment industry. The boys and girls of PROJECT EXTREME were inspired and interacted well with this high profile guest.
Mr. Israel Fried, an Assistant District Attorney from the Brooklyn District Attorneys Office spent 2 weeks with Project Extreme in the Summer of 2002. ADA Fried has committed to staffing the Summer 2003 program. Mr. Fried's incite and real world, hands-on experience with the criminal justice system has had a profound influence on PROJECT EXTREME participants.
Similar guest speaker visits are planned in future.
Recruiting Visits
Part of the PROJECT EXTREME effort to reintegrate participants is our invitation to recruiters who encourage and actively seek out participants for school programs in their own communities. It is our hope that the interest demonstrated by outside educational administrators will make participants more open to rejoining school and other educational pursuits.
Staff
All expeditions are staffed by highly experienced outdoor educators, certified as Wilderness First Responders, and trained at some of the most respected programs in the country. Each expedition includes a licensed social worker to guide our program's counseling element and a medical team consisting of a registered nurse and staff member trained in CPR.
All PROJECT EXTREME staff have outstanding credentials and are rigorously screened. They come from the fields of social work and psychology and are qualified to lead formal and informal sessions. In addition, the high staff-to-participant ratio ensures a level of attention and safety, which allows each child to succeed both as an individual and as a member of a working team.
PROJECT EXTREME provides an ongoing intensive training schedule for its staff. Several times during the year and additionally for one full week before each trip, counselors are required to attend in-depth seminars in how to respond to and detect the myriad of issues that can arise during the experience. In particular, staff members receive anti-violence training in, as well as instruction in CPR and drug testing. We will also provide additional training to meet the special requirements of the Extreme Wilderness Training Program.
Training includes but is not limited to the following topics
- Identification of behavioral or personal issues
- Depression
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Alienation
- Anger
- Family issues
- Trip Plans and Schedule
- Appropriate discussion topics
- Relating in a non-judgmental, supportive way to teens
- Project rules and regulations
- Record keeping and assessment of the Projecting experience
- Safety and security
A professional adventure guide is hired to lead the participants and staff in the extreme sports activities. Extreme sports are not only meant to entertain, but to build character. They carry an element of risk and are difficult and rigorous. The demands of the situation allow the guide(s) to impart skills and traits that help the participants gain control over it.
Ground Rules
The basic PROJECT EXTREME rules are no drugs, alcohol, or sex. For
safety reasons, a staff member must always accompany participants.
Violent behavior is not tolerated and general good manners must
be extended to participants, counselors and to everyone that we
come into contact with. Drug testing is conducted at the beginning
of each PROJECT EXTREME trip and occasionally during trips.
Active participation in all PROJECT EXTREME activities both sports and counseling, is purely voluntary. PROJECT EXTREME does not force/coerce any type of activity, participation, or religious observance. Although participants do not need to participate, attendance at events or activities is mandatory. Incentives are offered to encourage active participation.
Medical Care
Prior to each trip, all hospitals and clinics along the route are identified and a list is disseminated to the staff. Doctors and nurses in the communities we are visiting or passing through are contacted and a network has been established to provide healthcare 24 hours a day if necessary.
PROJECT EXTREME has a registered nurse and/or CPR/first-aid trained staff member on site at all times. Currently the majority of counselors have basic life saving skills, and in the near future, this training will be mandatory for all counselors.
Follow-Up And Support
PROJECT EXTREME doesn't end with the conclusion of a particular expedition - follow-up is a major part of the service that we offer. We evaluate the overall life situation of our students and make suggestions as to the appropriate course of action.
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