THE OPPORTUNITY

Every year good kids in our school systems are falling through the cracks. These kids don't have the grades to qualify them for honor role programs, or the disciplinary problems that send them to delinquent programs. These are good kids but they struggle with a variety of disadvantages that too often go unnoticed, or worse ignored, until it is too late: learning disabilities, low self-esteem, single-parent families, and low income households are just some of their struggles.

Kids who face these challenges are at-risk of becoming at-risk. Without any
outside help many of these "forgotten middle range kids" succumb to the powerful pull of peer pressure, low self-esteem, gangs, and drugs. The problem with the help that is extended to struggling youth is that it is reactive not proactive. Parents whose kids fall into this "forgotten middle range" category struggle with the harsh reality that help for their children will only come after their suspension, arrest, or addiction.

Each year millions of dollars are poured into reactive and often ineffective efforts to help kids that have already gotten into trouble. Youth correctional centers are spread across the country. The question arises, "Why does so much effort go towards treatment, and so little towards prevention?" If this trend continues the day may come when youth detention centers are as common as high schools.

More effort must be put forth to help these kids before they get into trouble. Every troubled youth was at one time a good kid who might have been saved if the right help had been given at the right time. The reality is that a little prevention can often accomplish what a lot of treatment usually can't. Few would argue with the fact that it's easier, and cheaper, to use sunscreen today to prevent skin cancer, as opposed to surgery tomorrow to cure it. The same preventative approach needs to be taken when addressing youth issues.

Kids who find themselves struggling with life's challenges need help now, not after it's already too late. They need to realize their own self-worth and that of others. They need to have the opportunity to learn how to lead and how to follow. They need to learn how to serve and be served. They need people who treat them not as who they are, but as who they can become. The question is who will provide these kids the opportunity to succeed?

 
THE VISION

  To answer to this question we have in cooperation with faculty and students from Brigham Young University developed Camp Wild. This summer thirty-six boys and thirty-six girls will have the chance to experience Camp Wild during two separate sessions. Camp Wild's two week summer programs, coupled with pre- and post-camp after school programs, is designed to meet the needs of these "forgotten kids" and to positively change their lives. The philosophy and design of Camp Wild can be broken down into four key areas: environment, challenge activities, leadership, and service.

 
Environment

There is something almost magical about the effect the outdoors has on individuals. There is a sense of renewal and revaluation that takes place in the wilderness that can't be duplicated any where else. Camp Wild's setting in Idaho's Salmon National Forest allows our boys and girls to reap the benefits of extended wilderness exposure. They get to exchange the pressures and stress they face on a daily basis, for the enriching environment of the outdoors. Instead of dealing with fitting in socially, difficulties in school and in the family, and constant peer pressure, kids who attend Camp Wild will be able to step away from those stresses and learn to appreciate themselves and the world around them.

In addition to changing the boys' and girls' external environment, Camp Wild will also immerse these youth in a positive emotional environment. Camp Wild's high staff to youth ratio (1:1.5) will allow for individual instruction, evaluation, and praise for each boy or girl. It will be a positive and enriching environment in which the boys and girls will be able to thrive.

 
Challenge Activities

Positive personal change and progression occur when life's challenges are faced and overcome. Unfortunately, for many of these kids, overcoming even their daily challenges is difficult. Camp Wild will give these kids a chance to face difficult challenges that they can overcome, and in turn gain greater confidence in their ability to conquer the challenges they face at home and school.

Camp Wild's kids will participate in a variety of challenging and enriching activities including whitewater rafting, backpacking, survival training, rock climbing, and environmental exploration activities. These activities, especially those perceived at first to be challenging, will help these kids expand out of their normal comfort zone into areas where change and progress is possible. They will be given the opportunity and encouraged to do things they never thought possible before.

Each boy and girl will be closely monitored so that their challenge experiences will be tailored to their individual abilities. We will assure the success of each individual so that they will all experience the satisfaction of overcoming challenges.

  
 

 Leadership and Service

Great leaders know not only how to lead, but also understand how to follow. They serve those they lead. They work together well in a team. They make the people around them better, both when they're leading and when they're following.

This image of leadership is unfortunately often distorted during the teenage years. Leaders are seen by many teenagers as those possessing power and popularity. These selfish "leaders" receive perks related to their position, and put themselves before others.

Camp Wild's mission is to replace this skewed view of leadership with that of leadership by example, selflessness, and service. The boys and girls will first experience what makes a true leader as they learn about history's great leaders, and also learn from the example of selfless leadership set by Camp Wild’s staff. The boys and girls will then have the opportunity to implement the characteristics of true leadership as they rotate through the Camp Wild  leadership program.

Camp Wild's youth will be divided into teams of six. Each day a different youth will have the opportunity of being a Team Leader. The Team Leader will work closely with the team's counselor to plan, carry out, and evaluate their day. They will be responsible for their team from getting them up in the morning to making sure the day's activities run smoothly. They will learn and implement the principles of great leadership. The next day a new leader will take over, and as this leadership rotation continues the boys and girls will learn through experience how to lead, follow, and succeed.

WHO WE ARE

Verle Duerden, owner of Action Whitewater Adventures and founder of the WILD Foundation, experienced the positive effect the wilderness can have when he started guiding rafting trips through the Grand Canyon during college. Now, after almost thirty years of successful whitewater outfitting Verle and his family wanted to give something back. It was this desire that fueled the creation of Camp Wild.

The principle members of the WILD Foundation have infused Camp Wild with the experience garnered through years of wilderness outfitting experience. This has allowed for unique program components, such as river guide training for the boys and girls, that isn't possible in other youth programs.

Brigham Young University's involvement in the development and implementation of Camp Wild adds academic expertise to the Wild Foundation's experience in outfitting wilderness trips and training wilderness guides. This partnership creates a unique combination of skills and backgrounds which have meshed together to give Camp Wild a solid foundation.

Another benefit of BYU's involvement is the research that is conducted during the camp. Faculty from BYU's Recreation Management Department research the effects of outdoor challenge activities on the boys and girls, and the positive effects associated with such experiences. This study adds valuable research to the field of recreational therapy, it also helps further the continual development of Camp Wild's programs and provides valuable internship and research experiences for university students working at the camp.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

 
The high cost of most commercial summer programs excludes many of the kids who most need such experiences. Camp Wild will give thirty-six boys and thirty-six girls, ranging in age from twelve to fifteen, a life changing experience which otherwise would not be available to them. We invite you to join with us in the exciting effort to help change and save the lives of these very special kids.

Best Regards
Verle Duerden

 

Contact Information:
Camp Wild
PO Box 1634
Provo , UT 84603
(800) 453-1482
info@journeyfoundation.com

Fill out an online Camp Wild Application