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| A colorful mural illustrates life during the Yulee Outward Bound STEP program, where students learn life skills by wilderness canoe trips. Educational Coordinator Heidi Skogman and Program Director Carlos Chaves-Tifur stand at the lip of the wetlands next to the Outward Bound base camp in Yulee. Canoes await the next group of students to be challenged by the Outward Bound STEP program in Yulee, one of only three such programs in Florida. Photos by Angela Daughtry/News-Leader
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Outward Bound for wayward youths
By Angela Daughtry, News-Leader
Most people in Nassau County may not know about it, but there is a national wilderness program, known as Outward Bound, located in the backwoods and wetlands of Yulee.
One of only three Outward Bound programs in Florida, the Short Term Expedition Program (STEP) has been in the area for about 35 years, beginning in a warehouse on South Third Street in Fernandina Beach. The other two Florida Outward Bound programs are in Scottsmoor, south of Daytona Beach, and in Key Largo.
Program Director Carlos Chaves-Tifur, who has been with the Yulee program for 10 years, says it is part of the Nassau County school system and employs only certified teachers for its instructors. The program is funded by the state Department of Juvenile Justice, and students are referred by parents, social service agencies, school counselors or judges.
But, says Chaves-Tifur, it is a low-risk program with no barbed wire, for non-violent teenagers only - most of whom have been charged with misdemeanors and low felonies. They are referred to the program with the hope that it will permanently keep them out of the juvenile justice system. Participants come from all over the state of Florida.
The 30-day Outward Bound STEP program emphasizes learning life skills through challenging wilderness activities, and the program in Yulee uses canoe trips on the St. Marys River, Suwanee River and the Intracoastal Waterway to teach those skills. Other programs may use backpacking, rock climbing, sailing, mountaineering, whitewater rafting, sea kayaking or even dog sledding.
Each expedition, or "course," is made up of eight to 11 students, with two to four instructors, with boys and girls separated. Instructors stay with their groups 24 hours a day. Students must pass a physical exam to be admitted to the program, and they must not have a fear of water. The Yulee facility brings 22 boys' groups and 11 girls' groups through the program yearly. "Every group is a unique family," says Chavez-Tifur.
"All the dynamics of being a teenager will come out here," says Chavez-Tifur. "It's the catalyst that brings students to what they need to work on."
The highly structured program's principles are meant to develop character, leadership skills and social responsibility in the young people. It is also hoped that those life skills are taught to families once the teen returns home. Students are given individualized performance plans at the beginning of the program, in which goals are based on something they are already good at. Students are also given "behavior contracts" to help them be more invested in their own development and growth.
Before beginning their canoe trip, in which students may log up to 250 miles, they must first meet challenges at the Yulee camp, including climbing and swinging off a 30-foot wall. This first challenge gives students a big sense of accomplishment, says Chavez-Tifur, and they walk away with a feeling of success and high self-esteem. Students, who sleep in tents through the whole program, also learn to set up a campsite and take care of their own gear. Every base camp has designated areas for instructors and students, plus cooking and meeting areas.
According to Educational Coordinator Heidi Skogman, students must go through three phases before they can graduate from the program. The first phase is when students learn skills such as canoeing, camp cooking and creating a camping area. The second phase is after they have been on the river for a while. Here, they gain privileges along with responsibilities, and instructors step back to let them figure things out for themselves. In the final phase, instructors will let the student "run their own show" as they demonstrate that they can do their chores without reminders and resolve conflicts on their own.
On a typical day, says Chavez-Tifur, students will get up at 7 a.m., break down their tents, have a snack, go for a run, eat breakfast, clean the campground, have a morning meeting and finally jump into the boats for a day of canoeing. Groups stay at public camping areas and a few privately owned spots that allow them to stop there. They may canoe anywhere from two to 40 miles a day. If they don't make it to the campsite in time, students may be forced to tie up the canoes and sleep in them as a consequence.
Students are also required to read 30 minutes and day, and to keep a daily journal, as part of the educational requirements. The program, says Chavez-Tafur, is also "very strong on craftsmanship," which means students must make a perfect campsite and keep everything neat and orderly, another part of the "choices and consequences" lesson. KBAR, or "kick back and relax," time is also allowed, dependent on when students get to the campsite. When time allows, students may play games or even go "canoe surfing."
Two of the most intense challenges of the program are the 7.6-mile run at Fort Clinch, which all students must finish without walking, and the "Solo," in which the student is left alone for up to three days. Students must complete both these challenges before graduation. The Solo challenge means a student is placed alone in a designated area with a bag of food for 72 hours. This gives them time to think about their life with no distractions, and can be a turning point, says Chavez-Tafur. During this time, instructors will spend one-on-one time with the student, to help them think about where their life is going, and work out how to become more successful when they leave. "Ninety percent of the time, it works," says Chavez-Tafur.
According to a 2005-6 study by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the STEP program is the most effective one in the state for girls, and the third most effective for boys. It is also the lowest-cost program at around $6,500 per student, compared to up to $66,000 for the most expensive low-risk residential program.
"It's an incredible odyssey," Chavez-Tafur says. "It's an elite group of people that have graduated from the course."
Chavez-Tafur said that, although the Outward Bound program has been in Yulee for many years, he hopes to become more involved with the community, by taking young people on short wilderness expeditions. Although funding is a problem, he said he would like to bring the program to schools for sports teams, or for non-profit groups like Communities in Schools and the Boys and Girls Club. "We're in the business of enhancing life," he says. "We would like to enhance the lives of other kinds of kids."
For more information on Outward Bound programs, go to www.outwardbound.org. For information on the Yulee STEP program, call 277-7290.
adaughtry@fbnewsleader.com
Story created Mar 09, 2009 - 12:15:17 PDT.
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