Team Adventure and the Covington Century

The 20th Annual Covington Century Bike Ride was a huge success with over
1,100 cyclists attending the 30 to 100 mile ride!

Leading the cyclists for the first time ever in the history of the ride, was "Team Adventure", 30
youth and staff from Project Adventure Kids (PAK). All proceeds from the ride benefited PAK.

Dick Prouty, Executive Director of Project Adventure (pictured from left to right), and Aaron Nicholson, Assistant Director of Project Adventure Kids , Jonathon Belt (former student, current college student and part time PA Kids staff person), Kim Boykin (program director) and Tom Shumaker (staff person) rode with the "Team Adventure".

In the past 19 years, the kids have always just worked
the rest stops at the ride. To be on the first cycle team at PAK, the kids
had to earn the right through positive behavior. Many of these teens have spent their
entire lives in foster care and had not ever ridden a bicycle.

The Atlanta and Covington cycle teams pulled together to teach these kids a healthy
hobby that the kids can carry with them into their adult lives. Thanks to
the many cycle volunteers, the kids received new bicycles and cycling
clothes. They even got a cycling coach who taught them the rules of the road
and took them on practice rides.

Being in foster care, you are always riding in group vans, so that made the thrill for the kids of riding a bicycle on the road that much more exciting. It was a great day not just for the kids
riding in their first ride but also for all of the 1,100+ cyclists who realized they were riding to make a difference in these kid's lives!

Students Prepare for High School on Prairie View Hospital's Challenge Course in Newton, KS

Teachers and administrators from Hutchinson High School in Kansas work to make the transition into high school as seamless as possible for students. According to an article on Hutchinson News On-line, a group on incoming freshman spent two weeks preparing for the challenges of high school through environmental programs, outdoor education and challenge course activities.

Prairie View Process Solutions is a Project Adventure partner offering direct-service challenge course programs and professional development services in the use of Project Adventure's Behavior Management through Adventure program in and around Kansas.

Assistant Principal Patterson is quoted as saying, "We are trying to build positive student/teacher relationships". And believes that this gives students an early chance for success.

One teacher is quoted as saying the challenge course program was "especially" effective for teambuilding. Hutchinson High School staff and administration are hoping to grow the program in future years.

Outdoor Education makes front page news!

The lawmakers, policy makers and newspapers are finally catching onto what Project Adventure, The Association for Experiential Education, The American Camping Association and thousands of educators, counselors, teachers and more have known for years.....

Good mental health, physical health and time in the out-of-doors...all go hand in hand.

See the headline news article in USA Today

There is even hope for $500million over five years to be included for outdoor education in the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

It is exciting. And great news. The best programs, of course, will be ready with solid, standards-based curriculum, data collection and evaluation. Remember, Project Adventure's curriuclum consulting team can help you get there!

Challenge Course Management

Reflects by Angel Krimm, PA trainer and former challenge course program manager.

Over the course of the past 3 years, I have seen a dramatic increase in the attendance at the Adventure Program Management workshop. Perhaps it is due to field staff becoming seasoned professionals, or due to the awareness that program managers need to know more that just how to perform technical maneuvers on the challenge course.

The workshop held at Moraine Farm this July was no exception - with 12 participants spanning experience levels of brand new to over 20 years in the Challenge Course industry, and representing just about every client base we serve - PE departments at schools, therapeutic agencies, a camp and conference center, and a military training program.

Together we explored topics of risk management, including staff hiring and retention, medical forms and liability releases, intentional programming (yes, the intentionality that an organization puts towards their program does impact safety!), new regulations and industry standards,and understanding Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and how to write Local Operating Procedures (LOPs) among other topics such as marketing and grant support of programs.

Most of PA's trainings are extremely active and experiential...an immersion approach to learning. And although this workshop differs by being content heavy, we kept it light with a few games to aid in the learning. We are experiential educators after all!

The overall consensus throughout and at the end of the workshop is that the information is valuable (though somewhat overwhelming), and participants have a clear sense of the next steps for their organization. Some head home with the intention of getting that Local Operating Procedure manual finished, while others were thinking of ways to get the word out in the community about the great work they are doing. And for one client, regulations really got him thinking as he discovered his home state is considering adopting regulations for zip wires.

The book used extensively through out this workshop is the book that we refer to internally as "Bob's Book"... The Guide for Challenge Course Operations, by Bob Ryan.

If your Challenge Course staff is wishing to pursue ACCT's Challenge Course Manager certification, this workshop, in addition to the related field hours and additional training, and having obtained Practitioner Certification Level II will get them there.

October 24-26, 2008, Covington, GA

January 22-24, 2009, Beverly, MA

March 6-8, 2009, Covington, GA

July 13-15, 2009, Beverly, MA

October 23-25, 2009, Covington, GA