Adventure to responsibility: dealing with troubled youth - NRPA in Action

At-risk youth. Troubled youth. Delinquents. There are the names for young people in our society who somehow don't seem to fit in. These are some of the names given to young people who often cause problems for their school system or for society.

The cause is obvious--despair. It's not that they're afraid they won't make a million dollars and own a Mercedes Benz. Rather, they don't think they'll ever have a job of any kind; that they'll have to continue to steal cigarettes their entire lives; that their lives will not last long. Their self-esteem is nonexistent. The solution is not so obvious. In fact, it's one of the major social problems facing the nation today.

Several years ago, I attended an educational session by Rodney Ellis, from Florida International University. I don't remember the conference, but I do remember the presentation. It touched me like few things have. He talked about parents and their relationships with their children. He said that if a child has one adult in his life who loves him unconditionally and whom he feels comfortable to talk to, he's resilient to delinquency. That's interesting, when we consider the number of delinquent youth in our nation, and realize that the vast majority of these children don't have one adult in their lives. Ideally, of course, that one adult should be a parent. But when parents let their own children down, someone else needs to be there. But who?

Simplified, the issues come down to a positive adult influence and figuring out a way for the child to overcome despair. In Price, Utah, our attempt involves adventure recreation. We call our program Adventure to Responsibility. The idea is to take the kids on camping trips, hiking, river trips, backpacking, kayaking, snowshoeing, etc. We teach them how to take care of themselves in the outdoors and how to work together toward a common goal. Then we show them how to apply the things they learn in their daily lives. 

We're giving them the building blocks of life and, at the same time, getting them excited about living. In addition, we're putting adults in their lives who they learn to trust and respect, and with whom they build a relationship.

We have one full-time, permanent employee, Steve May. He's a recovering drug addict who has been clean for 12 years. His goal is now to give back to the community to make up for the things he took when he was younger. He is, beyond everything else, a professional mentor. He is there for these kids when no one else is there. We utilize high school and college students as additional mentors whenever possible. This shows our kids what is possible with a little effort.

After a seven-day Desolation Canyon river trip, the kids were talking in a group about their experience. One of the volunteer guides for the trip was a 15-year-old. One member of the group had become particularly close to him during the trip. During the group discussion, this boy said he was going to get his life together and graduate from high school. Steve replied that was an admirable goal and asked what it was about the trip that made him come home with renewed determination. The boy replied, "I want to be like him." He was so impressed that the volunteer guide, at only 15 years of age, could row a raft 84 miles like a professional river guide. It inspired him to turn his life around. Three years later he graduated from high school and is now a responsible member of the community.

Adventure to Responsibility is Carbon County Recreation's contribution to a joint effort between the school district and local mental health agency. The combined effort is known as The Lighthouse Life & Learning Center. Dozens of kids have graduated from high school or received a GED as a result of The Lighthouse. The goal of The Lighthouse is to deal with all the issues a child may have, from education to substance abuse. The recreation effort is a small but important piece of the puzzle. The success of The Lighthouse is very much contingent upon the success of the recreation component.