Youth Odyssey Inc

Youth Odyssey helps over 700 at-risk boys and girls between 10 and 17 years of age each year. We provide between 20 and 25 Adventure Wilderness Trips each year. Up to 13 youth join staff and volunteers at various Texas State and National Parks for 3 to 5 days of outdoor activities such as rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, etc. We also provide between 35 and 40 Ropes Challenge Course Sessions each year.  

Our Outdoor Challenge Programs are memorable experiences. A willingness to challenge oneself physically and emotionally is an integral component of Youth Odyssey’s programming. Pushing oneself this way enhances self-reliance, self-confidence, leadership skills and communication skills.

Programming Sessions last 6 – 9 weeks and comprised of the following levels:
Level One: Portable Ropes Course Challenge Sessions that will serve a max of 15 youth per session. The onsite activities are two-hour sessions.

Level Two: Ropes Course Challenge
LOW ELEMENTS
Sessions that will serve a max of 12 youth per session. These are from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 the focus is on the team. Activities draw on the knowledge and ideas of every group member and require the participation and cooperation of the entire team. Activities are performed on or close to the ground, gradually increasing in difficulty so the team can learn from its successes and build trust and confidence as obstacles are overcome.

HIGH ELEMENTS
The High Elements of a Ropes Course emphasizes individual challenge and accomplishments and is built on the team development and trust established on the Low Elements. The High Elements are an extremely
powerful developmental tool because of the perceived risk of each activity. The High Elements allow the youth to expand their comfort zones and overcome fears that can block personal development and achievement.

Processing at the closure of each experience includes reflection, evaluation and goal review to help the youth derive meaning from the experience and how it applies to their lives.

Level Three: Adventure Wilderness Trips
The wilderness is a place where nature is dominant and situations and their consequences are real. Camping in these conditions, away from the distractions of modern civilization fosters self-reliance,
respect and a sense of responsibility for youth’s own actions. Youth Odyssey’s programs are designed based on the nationally recognized National Outdoor Leadership Schools (NOLS) and Outward Bound.

Through the outdoor experience, in addition to learning outdoor skills, teens respond to physical challenges and learn to overcome obstacles through problem solving. Youth are guided through
activities, which enable them to build self-esteem, self-confidence, cooperation, leadership skills, and team building. Teens expand their horizons beyond concrete and asphalt and to learn about themselves, nature and their environment. Each youth spends 3 days with caring adults in an environment that
teaches them more effective ways of relating to others and healthier ways of valuing themselves.

Evaluation and goal review to help the youth derive meaning from what they have experienced and how the experiences apply to their lives. Also, the whole team processes the entire day’s refection on Saturday night around the campfire and this is reported as one the youth’s favorite part of the trip.

Whether on an Adventure Wilderness Trip or on a Ropes Challenge Course, youth progress through carefully planned activities that build leadership, problem-solving skills, trust, teamwork, self-confidence, communication, empathy, locus of control, positive coping methods, advocacy, and more.

 Learning and development follows a sequential
process and the effectiveness and mastery at one level contributes to each
subsequent level. They are:

Goal Setting – Goal Setting is a critical component since it provides a source of measure.

Awareness – Awareness activities are designed to assist youth in feeling more comfortable in their group environment and to appreciate the relationship between peers and adults.

Trust – Trust activities focus on one-to-one as well as group trust.

Cooperation – The activities at this level gives the youth a sense of accomplishment through cooperation

Group Challenge – Activities are “problem-solving” in nature and experiences are related to real life

Leadership – Leadership activities assist youth in developing leadership skills and experience following a leader.

Application – A follow-up program at the closure of the on-site experience, through a final process session. Reflection, evaluation, and goal review.