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Our Instructional Approach
Our PADDLER© curriculum is designed to help youth who are struggling at home, at school or in their community. Throughout the 51-day adventure we work with each participant to help them realize their strengths and challenges in a supportive and nurturing environment. Our
expedition model of traveling with specific goals and a destinations provides a metaphor for finding direction and purpose in achieving goals in life.
We teach skills that help youth gain a sense of control over their behavior and find sources of self-confidence. The simple acts of learning skills for living outdoors, cooperating with peers, and contributing to group tasks such as loading boats, cooking meals and paddling as a team, are used
as teachable moments illustrating responsibility and ownership of personal behavior.
Daily instruction also takes place in the form of discussions, journaling, and initiative activities. Initiative activities build teamwork and teach that working together and communicating effectively is beneficial to achieving both personal and group goals. We also apply the lessons of daily
experiences to life "back home," sharing and working to resolve the frustrations, fears, angers, and perceived inadequacies that a participant may feel.
PADDLER© Curriculum
PADDLER© is more than just the root of our program. It is an acronym that reflects the framework of our skills-based program. Each of the seven letters stands for a concept that is explored and a skill that is developed throughout the seven weeks of program. Each of these
skills is a key element for addressing behavioral challenges that cause difficulties for many teens. We use the following "I" statements to reinforce these key elements of the PADDLER program curriculum:
Purposefulness
I am purposeful in my actions considering both the positive and negative consequences of how I live and act.
Affiliation
I will align myself with positive and community and activities.
Discipline
I can control my actions and behavior.
Direction
I know where I want to go and I am prepared to learn the skills required to get there.
Leadership
I am prepared to be a positive leader and understand that true leaders lead themselves before they lead others.
Efficacy
I believe that I am a good person who can direct the course of my own future.
Resiliency & Risk Reduction
I can spring back from and successfully adapt to adversity in my life. I will make low risk choices about substances.
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