Summer Retreat Program
The Summer Retreat Program consists of a series of workshops, counseling sessions, team building, self-esteem enhancing and problem solving exercises, as well as recreational activities. One of the central themes of the program is to remove the individual from outside negative influences. In an effort to accommodate that goal, participants are asked to have minimal contact with their friends during this week of program activities. Cellular phones are not allowed and there is no television viewing. The participants move into the retreat house on a Monday morning and leave the following Saturday. Each day will consist of reflection time, workshops, outings/recreational activities, and journaling time. To understand the emotional and attitudinal state of each participant and her growth during the retreat, each program participant will be given a pre-and-post test assessment to measure her attitudes, opinions, and patterns of behavior. The summer program seeks to provide a safe retreat for program participants, away from family members, friends, and other social influences, in a short term, intensive setting, to develop more effective anger and frustration management skills, and to address healing, forgiveness, relationship building dynamics which can bring about more positive, personal empowerment.
The Summer Retreat Program is staffed with qualified professionals who address the needs of each program participant. The program has the following goals:
- To reduce the levels of anger and frustration among program participants,
- To assist program participants in identifying and addressing the root causes of their anger and frustration,
- To develop anger management skills and alternative response strategies,
- To institute a plan of forgiveness and actions steps to release past hurts, and to understand the importance of having a belief system.
- To assist the participants to better understand the ingredients and value of healthy relationships,
- To develop team building and problem solving skills,
- To understand the importance of establishing respectful personal boundaries, and
- To assist program participants to better understand how their attitudes affect their personal interactions with others.
YLOT accomplishes these goals by providing a safe environment for program activities that focus on developing life skills, adjusting attitudes, and establishing healthy relationship, and role modeling. The Summer Retreat Program consists of six one-week retreat sessions for 7 participants per week for six weeks, serving 42 program participants per summer. YLOT provides program participants with the necessary tools to equip them to begin to responsibly face life’s many difficult challenges, foster and maintain a positive, personal attitude, accept personal responsibility for past behavior, make better decisions, change negative behavior patterns, and transition successfully into womanhood.
Research has shown that anger and frustration are key contributing factors to juveniles’ involvement in delinquent behavior. YLOT has found that most of its program participants have major issues with anger and frustration; some of which are rooted in past victimizations, disappointments, and the pain of being exposed to too many negative situations too quickly. When an individual has experienced trauma early in life, it is difficult for her to establish healthy relationships and she often acts out from a state of constant anger and frustration. YLOT believes that if these girls can change their thinking, this dynamic will change their attitude, which in turn will bring about a positive change in behavior. The Summer Retreat Program assists the participants in developing appropriate, effective ways of handling life’s challenges that empower them to make beneficial changes in their lives.
