Building Character Through Adventure: How Adventure Activities Help Struggling Teens Get Back on Track
By Meghan Vivo
Teenagers live for thrills and chills. But when their craving for risk-taking isn’t channeled properly, some end up finding excitement in drugs, alcohol, reckless driving, parties, and other dangerous behaviors.
At some of the nation’s leading therapeutic boarding schools, adolescents who have struggled with emotional and behavioral issues have the rare opportunity to make healthy fun and adventure a way of life. At the Academy at Swift River, a private boarding school in New England, teens replace the “high” of risky behaviors with the exhilaration of rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, cross-country and downhill skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and canoeing.
An Internal Shift
Adventure activities can bring about an internal shift in some teens that can’t be easily replicated in other environments. For those who have struggled to understand the need for change or commit to the program at Swift River, sometimes the adventure activities are what “flips the switch.”
“When teens are doing something they love, they’re more invested in the process,” says Bill Killough-Hill, a Residential Supervisor at Swift River who spearheads the academy’s experiential education program. “For some teens, the adventure program is a way to focus on the work they’re doing in school and in therapy, and becomes an integral part of their personal growth.”
While adventure isn’t for everyone, several students have taken a mild interest and turned it into a new way of seeing themselves in the world, says Killough-Hill.
A certified kayak instructor, certified climbing instructor, and certified wilderness first responder, Killough-Hill has brought his own passion for adventure and the great outdoors to at-risk youth since 1994. “I love my work and I share that enthusiasm with the students,” he states. “I know adventure can make a difference because I have experienced it firsthand in my own life and in the lives of many teens over the years.”
Creating a Strong Personal Identity
During adolescence, young people are trying to find their identity and may latch on to a peer group or certain type of activity or lifestyle to define who they are. By offering adventure activities as an outlet for fun and self-expression, the hope of the staff at Swift River is that teens will adopt positive behaviors and pastimes as part of their identity.
Although many teens start out as novices, by the time they graduate from the program, many have become avid adventure-sport enthusiasts and continue to pursue their newfound passion at home.
Healthy, Sober Fun
Adolescents at therapeutic boarding school tend to be experts in talking their way out of things and manipulating the people and situations around them. But “you can’t talk your way down the river,” explains Killough-Hill. “Rather than escaping, students must accept the reality of where they are at the time.”
Teens struggling with defiance, depression, substance abuse, and other issues have learned to take all the wrong risks, says Killough-Hill. “Adventure sports are thrilling like drugs, but they aren’t illegal and their risks can be effectively managed. Through the adventure program, teens discover that sober life doesn’t have to be boring.”
At Swift River, teens find that there are all sorts of ways to make life healthy and enjoyable. Some teens like to bake, do yoga, or work on art projects. Adventure activities are just one more option that may resonate with them.
Adventure activities also provide teens with a short reprieve from the structure and intensity of school, therapy, and daily life. On the snow-covered mountains and white-crested waters, students can enjoy the silence of nature and bond with friends in a new setting.
Of course, participating in adventure activities is a privilege that is earned based on proven trustworthiness and good judgment. Teens learn that life isn’t all about work, nor is it all about play – there is a balance between effort and reward.
Strategic Risk-Taking and Natural Consequences
The adventure program at the Academy at Swift River gives teens a chance to test the skills and strategies they have learned in therapy in a hands-on, experiential environment.
“The challenges presented are undeniably real and the consequences of actions both good and bad are immediate,” says Killough-Hill. “Students make choices about risk and experience the outcome. They commit to something that pushes them to deal with their fears, beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses and then, at the end of the day, return to the academy to sort it all out.”
Sometimes taking smart, calculated risks can be more difficult than taking a drug-induced risk or making choices to fit in or look cool, notes Killough-Hill. Adventure activities help teens learn where to draw the line between how much risk is acceptable and how much is just plain unwise.
For example, paddling a kayak in whitewater allows students to see immediate and indisputable results from their choices about risk. A good choice means a clean ride, while a poor choice may signal the need to start over again – a little wiser and a little wetter.
“A key feature of paddling difficult whitewater is the ability to remain calm and focused amidst chaos,” states Killough-Hill. “Taking risks is unavoidable and the consequences should you make a mistake are immediate. Standing still is never an option for long and deciding how to address the water around you takes looking inside for what skills you have and what risk you can tolerate.”
Teamwork and Relationship-Building
While climbing mountains, skiing the slopes, and honing their skills in the water, the students at Swift River are able to have fun together. At the same time, they are learning to work as a team, support and encourage one another, and build healthy relationships.
Climbing, canoeing, and other sports require teamwork, trust, strength, and self-control. While beginners focus on developing trust and control, more advanced students work to perfect their technique and make critical decisions quickly and under sometimes stressful conditions.
“It is gratifying to see students take on climbers’ habits of pushing themselves and each other to excel and at the same time taking care of each other,” says Killough-Hill. “For every climber on a rope, there’s a partner on the other end of that rope, making it all possible by making it safe. Each time our students take hold of the rope to belay they get confirmation that they can be trusted with the most important thing. Every time they leave the ground tied to a rope and return safely, they know with certainty that they can trust others.”
During every adventure activity, the students have skilled staff and experienced outdoor professionals they look to for guidance and support. At the same time, they are being exposed to the broader culture of outdoor fun. With each new activity, they meet new people who are skilled at a sport, patient in teaching others, and serve as excellent role models of how to enjoy life in a healthy, positive way. Through these interactions, teens begin to appreciate how it feels to be part of a positive community.
The Joy of Personal Accomplishment
Rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, and other adventure sports are challenging to even the most courageous spirit. Mastering such difficult pursuits not only builds strength, poise, and balance but also self-confidence and a sense of personal power. This feeling of mastery over something as subtle and powerful as a raging river is a direct reward for determined and focused work – a trait with many benefits off the river, according to Killough-Hill.
“For our students, this visible, unquestionable achievement of something difficult, maybe even impossible for many, counts for much,” he says. “They have achieved something special. They are doing something many would not dare to try. Their hard work has literally gotten them somewhere.”
A Lifetime of Rewards
With 630 acres of New England forest and trails as their playground, students at Swift River have opportunities that few teens are fortunate enough to have. With a high and low ropes course and bouldering wall on campus and dozens of outdoor activities nearby, students enjoy a wide range of experiences while away at boarding school. After just a couple of hours in the outdoors, teens can have significant life experiences, overcome physical and emotional challenges, and create lifelong memories and friendships.
Whether adventure activities appeal to an adolescent because of a love for fitness, the outdoors, or the heart-pounding excitement, having fun and being active outdoors have both personal and therapeutic value. “And for those who continue to seek out adventure in their lives,” says Killough-Hill, “they will have gained a passion that produces a lifetime of rewards.”