Youth Odyssey programs promote the personal growth of at-risk teens by fostering leadership skills, self-confidence, problem-solving skills, communication skills, teamwork, and trust. Everyday our youth face challenges that depend on adequate basic life skills. The ability to set and achieve goals, cope with and defeat, communicate, make decisions, and solve problems. Through Youth Odyssey's challenge programs, such as rock climbing or kayaking, there are opportunities to develop relevant life skills. Their feelings of inadequacy and despair are redirected into hope, vision, resiliency, and positive self-esteem. Youth Odyssey annually brings 500 of Nueces County community's boys and girls between 12 and 17 into adventurous, exciting outdoor challenge activities at no cost to these young people and their families. Programs focus on youth development instead of punishment as a deterrent to gangs, drugs and other anti-social behavior. The adventure challenge activities are exciting and hands-on which allow the youth to make a direct physical, mental and emotional connection between these activities and learning how to navigate their own life. |