| STUDENT INTERN - Wilderness Adventure Program |
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Challenge (Wilderness Adventure) Program at Thistledew Camp is a high adventure experience for all of the young men that complete our program. Groups of ten students complete Challenge during their last three weeks of an approximate fifteen week stay at Camp. About seventeen groups per year complete this experience. The Challenge Program is designed to build self confidence in young men through experiences that are perceived to be high risk and very exciting. Through being successful in these experiences, these young men build feelings of self-pride and esteem that will help them deal with problem situations in the future. The Challenge Program is broken up into several different phases during the students' three week involvement. These are as follows:
TRAINING:
The training aspect of the Challenge Program contains several individual skill programs and lasts four days. The student will leam basic survival skills, shelter and fire building techniques and the philosophy of why they are completing this type of course in confidence building. There are generally two staff members involved in the training activities.
Students will participate in initiative games including, but not limited to, the high ropes course, trust falls and group development games. They will also receive training in the areas of rock climbing, including the how and whys, checking and maintenance of equipment used and knots and commands used during the actual rock climbing experience.
They will be informed as to the rules and expectations of the solo camping experience.
They will be trained in the basic first aid treatments of hypothermia, bee stings and blisters and also taught how to deal with possible potential emergency situations. They will have wilderness expedition training including but not limited to pack loading and usage, shelter/tent usage, canoe handling and portaging, cross country skiing, general outfitting and low impact camping skills. |
ROCK CLIMBING:
The students have been trained during the training portion of the program on what is expected of them and what they should expect. Four staff members are assigned duties in the actual climbing of rock faces in the Ely area. We usually spend a twelve to fourteen-hour day involved in this activity. This includes transportation to and from the climbing site.
As an altemative during the winter season, the students do the rock climbing at the gym at the University of Minnesota-Duluth Campus. We rent the gym for three hours and each student will normally be able to do four or five climbs ranging from easy to very difficult. |
SOLO CAMPING EXPERIENCE:
The students participate in a four-day and three-night solo camping experience. During this time, as individuals, they are given rationed food and the proper clothing, and shelter to combat the elements of the given time of the year. They are expected to leam to depend upon themselves for the necessities in life using the training provided them earlier during the Challenge Program. The Challenge staff have the responsibility for the well-being of the students during this time period. The students are checked on a regular basis for needs by the Challenge staff and one other assigned staff member. Each staff member works an eight hour shift per twenty-four hour period and the Challenge Director is on twenty-four hour call plus covering an eight-hour shift. |
WILDERNESS EXPEDITION:
The students participate in a seven-day, year round, camping activity called the Wildemess Expedition. They can be assigned one of several types of wilderness expeditions dependent on the time of the year. They include but are not limited to, hiking, cross country skiing, canoeing and snowshoeing. Two staff members are assigned to lead the seven-day wilderness expedition. They will be the ultimate guidance and authority during the seven-day activity. The students must function under adverse conditions and join together to accomplish duties assigned by the staff members using the knowledge gained during Challenge training. |
OUTFITTING:
This area of the program covers all the necessary equipment, food provisions, reservations, permits, etc. necessary for the completion of the wilderness expedition. The Challenge staff fits the students and two assigned staff with the proper clothing and equipment determined necessary for the time of the year. The two assigned staff members are picked by rotation from the employee pool assigned temporary Challenge duties.
The Challenge staff also make all the necessary arrangements with the outfitters in Canada, the Park personnel in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the Lake Superior National Forest Trails for permits, transportation, etc.
A significant amount of time is spent by Challenge staff purchasing and maintaining all the necessary clothing and equipment and up keep of buildings, grounds and off site cabins. Food inventories are also maintained. Time is also spent on program planning and development to build new ideas and maintain a strong reputation for safety and professionalism. Adequate staff training is also paramount to program safety and an on-going awareness of new developments in the area of high adventure programming. |
GRADUATION:
The graduation is the final step in the student's involvement in the Challenge Program and our total program at Thistledew Camp. The ceremony takes place after the students retum from the wildemess expedition and during the aftemoon of their final day in Camp. The students' various activities are highlighted by the staff members they have worked with in Group Living, the school, the kitchen and in Challenge. Awards and certificates are presented in recognition of accomplishments in all program areas. Parents, probation officers and social workers are encouraged to attend these ceremonies. The purpose of the graduation is to create a climax to our program and impress upon students the importance of their personal and collective accomplishments. |
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