How is the weather?
What can be said, the weather is the weather and Mother Nature is in
charge. In the high-country, (Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana,
Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, California Sierras) you can count on the
snows, rains and winds to stay with us throughout mid-summer. In the
South-West, (South Utah, Arizona and California) the sun will
dominate providing better chances of mild to warm to hot
temperatures. All that being said, Mother Nature is still in charge
so, be prepared for the most extreme. We will give you a supplies
list for your Treasure Hunt, so you can be prepared.
How about the social climate?
Social climate, Group dynamics, Personality traits, Medication,
Willingness, Attitude … where do we begin? We find that most groups
go through the traditional phases of group dynamics,
‘storm-form-norm’. All participants design the ‘guidelines’ (rules)
for each different group and they hold themselves to their
agreements. As a staff, we hold the safety rules very tight and we
support the Law of Respect – Respect Self, Respect Others, Respect
the Earth. So again, ‘social climate’ is like the weather,
unpredictable
Is there religious observance with ALIVE Adventures–YES!
Faith, Religion and Spirituality are very important aspects of our
society, community and of ourselves. As a non-secular organization,
ALIVE adventures – YES! Does not affiliate with any organized
religion nor are we supported by any certain faith. At the same time
we do encourage thought and conversation about similar topics that
happen to pop up. We do teach respect the earth, the animals, the
elements, the plants and the people that live on this planet. In a
nutshell, we give participants the opportunity to discover more
about what they believe by spending time with Nature without
implementing any direct implications toward any specific religions,
faiths or spiritual paths.
How do you keep parents informed?
Prior to the outing, we will communicate through e-mail, telephone
and written information. We will host Parent meetings prior to
departure.
During the journey, we will not communicate with the parents. If
there is an emergency, we will contact the parent’s immediately and
inform them of the situation. If we are near a land-line phone we
will use it, if we are in range of the cellular phone, we will use
the cell-phone, if we are out of range of the cellular phone
service, we will use a satellite phone service.
After the adventure, we will usually host a celebration.
Post-celebration we will keep in contact with the families via
e-mail, telephone and written information.
What about health services?
Each mentor is certified in CPR and First Aid and some of the
mentors hold EMT and Wilderness First Responder certificates.
Depending on the location, we will have knowledge of the nearest
Sheriff, Life-Flight and Medical facilities that are available.
Can families visit? Every program is different. The families can participate in the
orientations and drop-offs, sometimes the ‘acknowledgement’ and
“separation” phase and usually the “celebration” phase. The families
are obviously invited to Family Camps, Mother-Daughter, Father-Son
Retreats … but if this is a Solo or group Rite of Passage or an
Adventure Camp or Outing, the families get to stay at home.
Is there a waiting list?
Every monthly mentoring program, camp, Vision Quest, Rites of
Passage Journey, Family camp and … is different. Sometimes there are
waiting lists and other times there are not. Our advice is to get
signed up as soon as possible.
What do the fees cover?
Fees cover the mentor’s time and expertise, preparation, sometimes
food, transportation, activities, lodging, fuel, trainings and
profit.
What do the parents provide outside of the fees?
#1 is Emotional Support and on top of that … Wilderness clothing,
camping gear, sometimes food, some crafts and various other
supplies, dependent upon the journey.
Are the ALIVE adventures–YES! programs educational?
YES! we are educators of life. We use nature, culture, teachings,
survival skills, adventure, risk, relationship, techniques and
passion to teach life enriching lessons. We are not a school and we
do not focus on academics. We use experiential education and
adventure-based learning to facilitate personal growth.
How is the food?
We are usually outdoors or camping. We turn grains, vegetables and
cheeses into pizza, cook rice, lentils and mac over the open fire.
We eat dried fruits, nuts, oatmeal and peanut butter pitas. We eat
natural foods, organic foods and whole foods AND we also sometimes
slip treats into the mix. There is a lot to eat, it all depends on
how much we want to lug around with us. One thing for sure, it is
balance, nutritious and good food.
What is the best age to come to our programs?
The programs work in different age groups. The youngest group is a
9-11 year old, these groups are called the “WILD Boys”. The next age
group is 12-15 years old … the “COYOTE Boys” followed by the
“BUFFALO BOYS ~ BOYS in the FIRE” who are aged 16-25. The College
Success Camp is designed for Jr. and Sr. in High Schools and College
students. Once a participant has completed the Rites of Passage
Journey and the Vision Quest he become “EAGLE” and are treated as
Junior Mentors.
Obviously, the Family camps, Mother-Daughter, Father-Son Retreats
are for all ages and the Executive-Corporate clients can be any age
over 25.
All of the journeys are age specific, gender specific or theme
specific and each is different.
