Jump to:
a. CHALLENGE ADVENTURES TRIPS FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED
b. ADVENTURE GROWTH, RESPONSIBILITY DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COURSE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
c. CHALLENGE ADVENTURES THERAPEUTIC TRIPS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

CHALLENGE ADVENTURES TRIPS FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

Philosophy
People who are developmentally disabled often have not had the opportunity to learn how to recreate in the outdoors. They also often are working on forming concepts of accomplishment, belonging, responsibility and leadership, concepts necessary for living a successful life. They and their families are so busy getting through the day and doing all the things that need to be done that there is little time left over.

Challenge Adventures adventure trips for persons with developmental disabilities has the twin goals of teaching people how to recreate in the outdoors and mover further on forming these concepts that will be helpful to them. The activity most often used by Challenge Adventures is a wilderness journey taken in the company of pack llamas. The wilderness journey is a metaphor for the person's journey through life. The relationship of the person to the llamas is a metaphor for their relationship with other humans. The professional staff who are on the journey help the people use the metaphors to change themselves. At the same time, while the person is on the journey, the family has a chance to "take a breather" so they can get new energy to continue helping their child when he or she returns.

Clients and Staff
Challenge Adventures provides adventure based and animal assisted therapy for groups of persons with developmental disabilities of all ages who have the physical ability to walk on the trails in the mountains. To make it possible to work with groups that have some physical limitations, Challenge Adventures depends upon llamas to carry equipment, mature and well-trained staff to guide and mentor, and the cooperation of the organization that usually serves the people.

Challenge Adventures wilderness journeys usually include six or seven people with developmental disabilities, two Challenge Adventure guide/therapists, a counselors or volunteer from the organization sponsoring the young people and six or seven llamas. The US Forest Service and US Park Service regulate the size of groups. Journeys are from two to five days long, depending on the age, abilities and needs of the people. The typical journey is three days long.

Most Challenge Adventure journeys take place in congressionally mandated wilderness areas on the Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest in the mountains of North Carolina. During the winter months, journeys can take place on federal and state designated wilderness islands on the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. Coastal journeys do not include llamas, but groups as large as 15 people can go to the islands.

Challenge Adventures staff are master's level human service professionals, or persons working on master's degrees. The mean age of staff is 45. All staff meet certification requirements of the US Forest Service for professional wilderness guides and professional licensing requirements of their home state.

The Use of Wilderness and Llamas
Challenge Adventure journeys are planned and supervised to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the journey to form the concepts of accomplishment, belonging, responsibility and leadership. The opportunities which are unique to this form of adventure therapy are the wilderness and the llamas.

In the wilderness, there can be no avoidance of responsibility to self or community without immediate, natural consequences. If you don't do your part in putting up the tent properly, you and your teammates get wet. If you don't do the cooking chores, no one eats. If you lose your spoon, you have to make do. In the wilderness, everyone learns to belong to the group. Nothing can be accomplished without working together. In the wilderness, the individual's safety and welfare is dependent on the behavior of everyone in the group. Some of these behaviors require leading and some require following. Everyone gets a chance to do both. In the wilderness, getting from one place to another and simple survival are an accomplishment, a real accomplishment which is obvious and hard bought.

Llamas are group oriented and have a strong social structure. Mature llamas living in a natural group exhibit their senses of accomplishment, belonging, responsibility and leadership in simple ways that are easy for young people to identify. Llamas belong to their herd in a profound manner. If they are away from their herd, they become very upset. When on the trail, the lead llama and the others will communicate through humming, keeping track of one another when out of sight. They have many other ways in which they display this sense of belonging.

Llamas exhibit a sense of accomplishment in doing their jobs. The job of the Challenge Adventures llamas is to pack and to protect the young people they work with. As soon as their packing gear is on them, they will go until they are told to stop, run into something which they can't surmount or collapse. They look out for their young people by getting between them and danger, showing a willingness to sacrifice as part of their work. Llamas exhibit a sense of responsibility by each taking an essential role in the herd and carrying it out. For example, one llama is the trail leader. He is the llama the others have confidence in to lead them down a trail. If he isn't in front, they either won't go or will go only reluctantly. He accepts the responsibility that the others give him. Other llamas have other roles that they play and which the young people can observe and take part in with the llama they choose to work with.

Llamas lead when the role they are in requires leadership and follow otherwise. They have a sense of when it is correct to be "in charge" and when it isn't. The herd leader, for example, is chosen by combat among the llamas and has the job of protecting the others. When there is danger, he takes the lead and the others follow. But when on the trail, the trail leader takes charge and the herd leader follows along with all the other llamas.

Methods
Prior to the journey itself, Challenge Adventure staff and sponsoring organization staff communicate to discuss the people who may possibly go on a journey. The staffs screen the possibilities to make sure the people are appropriate for a journey and also develop specific plans for the individuals. If possible, Challenge Adventure staff likes to meet the people before the journey.

The first two hours of journeys in the mountains is spent near the trailhead meeting the llamas, choosing which llama they will work with and learning the skills they will need to be on the trail. The days between one and the last day are centered on overcoming obstacles and having a good time at the end of the day- wading in a creek or climbing to the top of a high mountain.

The routes that are followed depend upon the abilities of the group and are chosen to be challenging and difficult, but not impossible. The people with the help of the counselors develop a specific behavior code. If anyone breaks the code, the entire group deals with it. Nothing else happens until the matter is settled. There are also problems on each route that the people will have to overcome. Streams have to be crossed, steep inclines have to be gone up, and so on. The people, under the guidance of the counselors, have to decide how they are going to do these things. And there are always natural problems that come along that have to be solved. Perhaps it's a thunderstorm that gets everything wet, or a washed out place on a trail that needs to be negotiated.

On the trail and in camp, the people are responsible for working with their llama. They must lead him, load and unload him, feed and water him and keep an eye out for problems the animal may be having, like getting too hot. The llama in turn carries the heavy things that make it possible for the humans to stay out on the trail. The people learn to use the wool that they gather each evening from their llamas by hand spinning it and making bracelets and other jewelry.

The people take turns carrying out six different jobs. These are- the scout (who leads the group with compass and map); the environmentalist (who makes sure that no damage is done to the environment and leads an environmental discussion each day); the sweep (who follows at the end and lets people know if anything is dropped or if llama packs are slipping, or anything similar); the recorder (who keeps track of important events, like seeing an eagle); a first aid assistant, (who assists if first aid is necessary); and a safety person, (who leads the discussion of what is the safest way to do things when a problem arises).

They also choose which of the three permanent work crews they want to be on- the cooking crew, the water crew or the llama picketing crew. In addition, they rotate llama dung clean up crew, which everyone must do, and are part of a personal crews- their tent mates. Tent mates put up their tent, keep track of group equipment and look out for one another.

Three processing/therapy groups are held each day, centered on meals. An individual session is also held with each person each day, usually in an informal way. There is time structured into each day for writing or drawing in a journal. A solo experience, where the person spends a few hours by themselves, is carried out during the journey. Photographs are taken during the trip, and a few weeks after the end of the trip, each person receives a personal album. On the last day of the journey, the people write or draw a letter to themselves, which is mailed to them along with their photos.

The entire group also takes part in a service project while on the trip. This usually includes cleaning up after other campers, like picking up their trash and breaking up fire rings in the wilderness where fires are not allowed. Return to Top

ADVENTURE GROWTH, RESPONSIBILITY DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COURSE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Introduction
Since Challenge Adventures began in 1989, we have worked with more than 3,700 young people. Organizations in the Southeast have returned repeatedly to us because they trust our professionalism and safety record. Challenge Adventures primarily provides llama trekking as its method. However, we also do day camps and have developed a curriculum in for use in South Carolina without llamas on the public or private property.

George W. Appenzeller and Sarah L. Meadows, who founded Challenge Adventures, have been conducting adventure programs for 15 years. George and Sarah are married to each other and have five children and four grandchildren. They have worked with young people for a combined total of 60 years as teachers, leaders, and therapists. They both have their masters degrees in social work and are licensed by the State of South Carolina and Vermont. Both are certified in Wilderness First Aid by Wilderness Medical Associates and meet qualifications set by the USDA Forest Service. George and Sarah train all staff and actively conduct much of the work themselves.

All Challenge Adventure staff are at least 21 years old and have at least a Bachelor's degree. Most are teachers, school counselors or school social workers who work with Challenge Adventures during the summers and on a part-time basis.

Making Responsible Decisions, A Course for Middle School Aged Young People
Making responsible and appropriate decisions is an essential skill that young people must master in order to have a successful life. Unfortunately, many young people have not had the opportunity to learn this skill. Challenge Adventures has developed a course which teaches these skills in a three day outdoor/indoor urban or rural camp setting. This course is designed for at-risk and pre-adjudicated young people between the ages of 12 and 16.

The Group Learning Segment
During this segment, the young people will learn:

• responsibility
• team work
• leadership and followership
• a sense of accomplishment
• how to have fun without hurting anyone or anything

During this segment, the young people will learn through:

• group exercises
• experiential activities
• learning by doing

The Choices Segment
The Choices curriculum was developed and is owned by SWS, Inc., the home company of Challenge Adventures. The Choices curriculum is grounded in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles, using structured activities to modify the negative thinking and behaviors that often lead youth to act out. The Choices curriculum is designed to be used as an integrated whole. Each activity reinforces the learning points in the other activities. Content sections should not be used separate from the entire curriculum, as activities are designed to build upon each other.

The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of youth who have problems managing their anger, such as those who are experiencing inter-personal conflict, students who express anger inappropriately, who have verbal flare-ups with teachers or peers, or who have similar problems with impulse control. Participants should have basic reading skills; the handout material is written on a 5th grade reading level. Students should be able to function adequately in a community group setting.

The full program takes six hours. It is preferable for parents or guardians to be involved in the last hour.

The goals of the program are:

• to promote youth taking responsibility for their actions, rather than blaming others.
• to increase awareness of feelings and internal cues.
• to improve understanding of the consequences of one's actions.
• to increase awareness of internal cues that precede problem behavior.
• to make students aware of the connection between thoughts and actions.
• to encourage discussion between students and parents of problem situations and possible alternatives.
• to equip youth with some basic skills to avoid conflicts in the future.

Learning objectives:
At the end of the experience, students will be able to

• See a link between their negative behavioral choices and the consequences
• Identify internal warning signs of anger
• Understand how their thinking affects their behavior
• Recognize some of their own thinking errors
• Know how to use positive counter-thoughts to keep in control when they have strong feelings
• Use some calming skills
• Apply steps for problem-solving

Logistics and Cost
Challenge Adventures provides the two segments over three day periods. The two segments can also be delivered separately and can stand on their own. The site for the experience should be reasonably close to the homes and schools of the participants. Lunch and snacks would be provided by Challenge Adventures. Transportation and the site are the responsibility of the sponsoring organization. Return to Top

CHALLENGE ADVENTURES THERAPEUTIC TRIPS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Philosophy
Young people who have behavioral problems have often had little time to finish forming concepts of accomplishment, belonging, responsibility and leadership, concepts necessary for living a successful life. They and their families are so busy getting through the day and doing all the things that need to be done that there is little time left over.

Challenge Adventures activities are designed to help young people overcome their self-defeating behaviors and form these concepts they need to move into adulthood. The activity most often used by Challenge Adventures is a wilderness journey taken in the company of pack llamas. The wilderness journey is a metaphor for the young person's journey through life. The relationship of the young person to the llamas is a metaphor for their relationship with other humans. The professional staff who are on the journey help the young people use the metaphors to change themselves. At the same time, while the young person is on the journey, the family has a chance to "take a breather" so they can get new energy to help their child when he or she returns.

Children and Staff
Challenge Adventures provides adventure based and animal assisted therapy for groups of young people between the ages of eight and 13. To make it possible to work with groups this young in wilderness settings possible, Challenge Adventures depends upon llamas to carry equipment, mature and well-trained staff to guide and mentor, and the cooperation of the organization that usually serves the young people.

Challenge Adventures therapeutic wilderness journeys usually include six to eight young people, two or three Challenge Adventure guide/therapists, one or two counselors from the organization sponsoring the young people and five or six llamas. The US Forest Service and US Park Service regulate the size of groups. Journeys are from two to fourteen days long, depending on the age, abilities and needs of the children. The typical journey is five days long.

Most Challenge Adventure journeys take place in congressionally mandated wilderness areas in the mountains of North Carolina. During the winter months, journeys can take place on federal and state designated wilderness islands on the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. Coastal journeys do not include llamas, but groups as large as 15 people can go to the islands.

Challenge Adventures staff are master's level human service professionals, or persons working on master's degrees. The mean age of staff is 45. All staff meet certification requirements of the US Forest Service for professional wilderness guides and professional licensing requirements of their home state.

The Use of Wilderness and Llamas
Challenge Adventure journeys are planned and supervised to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the journey to form the concepts of accomplishment, belonging, responsibility and leadership. The opportunities which are unique to this form of adventure therapy are the wilderness and the llamas.

In the wilderness, there can be no avoidance of responsibility to self or community without immediate, natural consequences. If you don't do your part in putting up the tent properly, you and your teammates get wet. If you don't do the cooking chores, no one eats. If you lose your spoon, you have to make do. In the wilderness, everyone learns to belong to the group. Nothing can be accomplished without working together. In the wilderness, the individual's safety and welfare is dependent on the behavior of everyone in the group. Some of these behaviors require leading and some require following. Everyone gets a chance to do both. In the wilderness, getting from one place to another and simple survival are an accomplishment, a real accomplishment which is obvious and hard bought.

Llamas are group oriented and have a strong social structure. Mature llamas living in a natural group exhibit their senses of accomplishment, belonging, responsibility and leadership in simple ways that are easy for young people to identify. Llamas belong to their herd in a profound manner. If they are away from their herd, they become very upset. When on the trail, the lead llama and the others will communicate through humming, keeping track of one another when out of sight. They have many other ways in which they display this sense of belonging.

Llamas exhibit a sense of accomplishment in doing their jobs. The job of the Challenge Adventures llamas is to pack and to protect the young people they work with. As soon as their packing gear is on them, they will go until they are told to stop, run into something which they can't surmount or collapse. They look out for their young people by getting between them and danger, showing a willingness to sacrifice as part of their work. Llamas exhibit a sense of responsibility by each taking an essential role in the herd and carrying it out. For example, one llama is the trail leader. He is the llama the others have confidence in to lead them down a trail. If he isn't in front, they either won?t go or will go only reluctantly. He accepts the responsibility that the others give him. Other llamas have other roles that they play and which the young people can observe and take part in with the llama they choose to work with.

Llamas lead when the role they are in requires leadership and follow otherwise. They have a sense of when it is correct to be "in charge" and when it isn't. The herd leader, for example, is chosen by combat among the llamas and has the job of protecting the others. When there is danger, he takes the lead and the others follow. But when on the trail, the trail leader takes charge and the herd leader follows along with all the other llamas.

Methods
Prior to the journey itself, Challenge Adventure staff and sponsoring organization staff communicate to discuss the young people who may possibly go on a journey. The staffs screen the possibilities to make sure the young people are appropriate for a journey and also develop specific plans for the individual young people. If possible, Challenge Adventure staff likes to meet the young people before the journey.

The first day of journeys in the mountains is spent near the trailhead meeting the llamas, choosing which llama they will work with and learning the skills they will need to be on the trail. The next day they enter the wilderness. The days between one and the last day are centered on overcoming obstacles and having a good time at the end of the day- wading in a creek or climbing to the top of a high mountain.

The routes that are followed depend upon the abilities of the group and are chosen to be challenging and difficult, but not impossible. The children with the help of the adults develop a specific behavior code. If anyone breaks the code, the entire group deals with it. Nothing else happens until the matter is settled. There are also problems on each route that the young people will have to overcome. Streams have to be crossed, steep inclines have to be gone up, and so on. The young people, under the guidance of the adults, have to decide how they are going to do these things. And there are always natural problems that come along that have to be solved. Perhaps it's a thunderstorm that gets everything wet, or a washed out place on a trail that needs to be negotiated.

On the trail and in camp, the young person is responsible for working with their llama. They must lead him, load and unload him, feed and water him and keep an eye out for problems the animal may be having, like getting too hot. The llama in turn carries the heavy things that make it possible for eight to 14 year olds to stay out on the trail for a week. The young people learn to use the wool that they gather each evening from their llamas by hand spinning it and making bracelets and other jewelry.

The young people take turns carrying out six different jobs. These are: the scout (who leads the group with compass and map); the environmentalist (who makes sure that no damage is done to the environment and leads an environmental discussion each day); the sweep (who follows at the end and lets people know if anything is dropped or if llama packs are slipping, or anything similar); the recorder (who keeps track of important events, like seeing an eagle); a first aid assistant, (who assists if first aid is necessary); and a safety person, (who leads the discussion of what is the safest way to do things when a problem arises).

They also choose which of the three permanent work crews they want to be on- the cooking crew, the water crew or the llama picketing crew. In addition, they rotate llama dung clean up crew, which everyone must do, and are part of a personal crew- their tent mates. Tent mates put up their tent, keep track of group equipment and look out for one another.

Three processing/therapy groups are held each day, centered on meals. An individual session is also held with each young person each day, usually in an informal way. There is time structured into each day for writing in a journal. A solo experience, where the young person spends a few hours by themselves, is carried out during the journey. Photographs are taken during the trip, and a few weeks after the end of the trip, each young person receives a personal album. On the last day of the journey, the young people write a letter to themselves, which is mailed to them along with their photos.

The entire group also takes part in a service project while on the trip. This usually includes cleaning up after other campers, like picking up their trash and breaking up fire rings in the wilderness where fires are not allowed. Return to Top