Eckerd Academy at Deer Lodge will offer its first summer program for boys ages 13 - 17 this year, announced EYA Director of Division of Private Academies Angie Senic.
The Summer Adventure Camp is not just focused on kids having fun in the great outdoors, but also on helping youth overcome significant issues, she said. The eight-week residential therapeutic camp will be held June 18 - August 10 and will emphasize personal growth through outdoor adventures
"We have had many requests from parents for a summer program," Senic said. "As an organization dedicated to helping kids succeed, we felt it was important to expand our services to include a short-term program focused on emotional growth for teens who are just beginning to experience some behavioral problems."
The camp is ideally suited for a child who is perhaps "on the brink" of more serious trouble; such as a youth who is probably passing classes, but getting in trouble for skipping school. Other youth who may benefit are those who are beginning to have communication problems with his family and those who are becoming withdrawn.
"It is designed for a youth who has not been in real trouble yet, but seems to be headed that way whether that trouble comes from school, with the law, with drugs or alcohol, or with the family system," Senic said.
The focus of Eckerd Academy's Summer Adventure Camp is to help boys develop problem solving and relationship building skills, and learn how to accept personal responsibility and make better decisions.
Boys will mountain bike and backpack through breathtaking forests, canoe down scenic rivers, and fish for small mouth bass in some of Tennessee's best fishing holes. Along the way, they'll develop increased self-awareness, reliance and confidence. They will learn the value of teamwork and being responsible and will discover they can overcome any challenge by believing in themselves.
Founded in 1988 as E-Sun-Alee (meaning "Their Tomorrow" in the Muskokee Indian language), Eckerd Academy at Deer Lodge is a nurturing, positive outdoor therapeutic program that specializes in helping troubled teens turn their lives around. Special emphasis is placed on helping teens develop appropriate coping, self-help, socialization and problem solving skills so long-lasting changes in attitudes and behaviors can be achieved.
For more information about Eckerd Academy or the Summer Adventure Camp, call 800-914-3937.
About Eckerd Youth Alternatives Eckerd Academy is one of 18 outdoor therapeutic programs operated by Eckerd Youth Alternatives (EYA), one of the nation's leading providers of services for troubled and at-risk youth. Eckerd Academy at Deer Lodge and Eckerd Academy at Brooksville are dedicated to serving the needs of privately referred youth and their families. Founded in 1968 by philanthropists Jack and Ruth Eckerd, EYA is a private not-for-profit organization that serves nearly 10,000 children each year. Since its founding, EYA has helped more than 70,000 young people through a range of six program models in more than 40 locations in nine states: Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. To learn more or refer a child to Eckerd Academy, call 1-800-914-3937 or visit the Web site at www.eckerd.org.