Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Winter 2002)
TOPIC: Through adventure, teens discover potential
 
by kathy hayes

Students who participate in Educo’s Teen Leadership Programs find that they have more in them than they’d ever realized.

“I learned that I have a lot more courage than I thought I had,” says Educo graduate Madison Higbee. Classmate Erika Carlson says she had little self-confidence before, but now can do anything she puts her mind to.

The Educo School of Colorado is a nonprofit organization that provides youths with outdoor learning experiences that challenge them to grow in new ways.

Participants learn through activities such as rock climbing, ropes courses, backpacking, camping and snowboarding. “We connect wilderness experiences and environmental education to foster internal assets, such as positive self-esteem, compassion, and sense of purpose,” says Shane Butterfield, assistant director. “Through team-building activities and wilderness challenges, our students walk away with a new sense of leadership.”
Experienced wilderness guides use wilderness experiences and community service projects to teach students about enjoying the environment without damaging it.
Last spring, students adopted and cleaned up Magpie Meander Natural Area. “I think nature plays a huge role in my life,” says Anjulie Rao, who participated in the cleanup. “I really liked how we were helping the community.”
about educo
The Educo School of Colorado
406 N. College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
(970) 494-0785
www.educointernational.org
 
Quick Facts
• Pronounced eh-DOO-ko; derived from Latin, meaning “I lead forth”
• Founded in 1969 in British Columbia; expanded to Colorado in 1988
• Funded by local and national foundations and through grants and
paid courses. Presently, the Sierra Club funds Educo’s Teen
Leadership Programs, making them free to students.

After School Programs
• Outdoor Adventure Program, Fort Collins and Loveland, ages 12-14
• Adventures in Leadership and Teen Outreach, Fort Collins and Loveland, ages 14-17

Other Educo Programs
• Wilderness-based summer leadership programs
• Customized multicultural team-building and leadership courses
• Collaborative programs with Northern Colorado youth organizations, agencies and schools

Educo’s Adventures in Leadership and Teen Outreach (ALTO) program also includes an art component. Among other activities, students tour museums and studios, learn from visiting artists, and use art as a medium to process and share their wilderness experiences. The mountain landscape mural painted inside Northside Aztlan Community Center is the collective artistic expression of teens who participated Educo’s ALTO after-school program last year.

“It can be a challenge at that age for students to verbally express themselves,” explains Butterfield, “but through art, they can make a statement about who they are and what they stand for.”