Why Wilderness Works

hildren growing up amid challenging life circumstances often struggle with issues of low esteem or abandonment. Such children are desperate for love, attention and a sense of worth. Children in despairing, neglected circumstances find any attention – positive or not – to fill the gap. 

Wilderness Works is a needed positive alternative.

Children in Wilderness Works programming are quite eager to return to the next camp weekend or field trip. Wilderness Works is busy generating great enthusiasm. Curious, excited campers make for more engaged, receptive students. The result is Wilderness Works equipping and preparing children with character development, cultural enrichment, experiential education and face-to-face relationship building.

Children participating in Wilderness Works programming are more interested in and better prepared for school. Our camapers show improved school attendance, more academic aptitude, better grades and improved classroom behavior. Additionally, these children show improved relationships with adults, a new sense of options for their future and an improvement in self-control and their ability to express their feelings. Children in Wilderness Works programming exhibit increased self-confidence and a heightened interest in hobbies.

With continued experiences in a positive setting with caring chaperones and mentors, disadvantaged children develop a sense of self-worth and hope for the future. Children who might otherwise be tempted by negative influences – substance abuse, truancy, delinquency and disruptive behavior – now make better choices that benefit themselves, their schools and the community.

Wilderness Works is an indispensable community resource as it effectively channels children, especially at-risk or economically disadvantaged children, toward a bright and productive future.