What do you need to teach a kid to succeed? If you ask Daniel Kadwell, he might say an action-packed adventure in the outdoors.
Between finding a summer job and just dealing with the day-today pressures of growing up, certain skills are needed to navigate through life’s hurdles. Kadwell, program director of YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga’s BOLD/GOLD Wilderness School, says those skills can be learned through outdoor adventure with a peer group, an experience his program is offering to Chattanooga teens.
Pick Your Trip
July 10-17 – BOLDBrotherhood of the Rope9th-12th gradersCost: $400Young adventurers will explore Pisgah National Forest and climb the side of Looking Glass Mountain with the help of experienced climbers.July 22-26 – GOLDThe Great Tennessee Blueway Paddle9th-12th gradersCost: $200This all-girl group will paddle 50 miles from Greenway Farm in Hixson, through downtown Chattanooga, to Nickajack Dam.August 4-10 – BOLDBig South Fork Backpacking6th-8th gradersCost: $250Younger teens can learn the essentials of backpacking while witnessing the beauty of waterfalls, gorges, rock formations and rivers at Big South Fork.
“It’s so easy to have these amazing experiences here, from the Tennessee River to the state parks to the climbing,” he says. “That opportunity for them to experience something new, it might change their life.”
Through the BOLD (Boys Outdoor Leadership Development) and GOLD (Girls Outdoor Leadership Development ) programs, area teens get the chance to paddle the Tennessee Blueway, scale the side of Looking Glass Mountain and backpack through some of the region’s wildest locations all while learning valuable and multicultural leadership skills that can be taken to high school, college and even further. The outdoor treks allow teens to learn how to communicate effectively and collaborate as a team as they make lasting friendships.