| Often when educators, parents, and youth workers | | | | building training typically focuses on smaller groups of |
| are dealing with particularly difficult kids, their first and | | | | troubled youth. For this type of training, kids may |
| strongest instinct is to say, "Fine! Have it your own | | | | work with either close friends or complete strangers |
| way, and ruin your life if you want to!" The | | | | to reach a common goal. Under the direction of a |
| frustration that comes from trying to reach troubled | | | | professional facilitator, the group learns to cooperate, |
| youth and children makes giving up seem easy and | | | | communicate, and appreciate one another's unique |
| even logical; however, there are many creative | | | | talents and gifts. Team building training can last for |
| interventions for troubled youth out there, so if | | | | several hours or several days, but, either way, |
| you're struggling to help a child or teenager who is | | | | troubled youths who are led by a qualified facilitator |
| getting into trouble, here are a few of your options: | | | | usually come away from the experience with a |
| 1. Wilderness Camps: These outdoor camps are | | | | greater understanding of themselves, some lifelong |
| quickly becoming one of the most popular creative | | | | friends, and plenty of new life skills. |
| interventions for children and teenagers who are | | | | 3. Residential Treatment Centers: These types of |
| struggling with any number of problems. These | | | | programs are usually meant for youths who are |
| camps normally take place in extremely rugged, | | | | endangering themselves or others with their choices |
| remote areas of the country - in mountains, deserts, | | | | and actions. While many people think of these |
| or vast forests. They typically involve a small group | | | | treatment centers as cold, lifeless rehabilitation areas, |
| of troubled youth and a few well-trained counselors; | | | | this isn't always the case. Many compassionate |
| this group will go out into the woods for days or | | | | not-for-profit organizations run residential treatment |
| weeks at a time, learning vital backwoods survival | | | | centers for troubled youth, and these centers target |
| skills, talking about their problems, and resting in the | | | | everything from criminal activity to eating disorders, |
| natural world. Although this type of intervention might | | | | making them hard to define as in generalities. For the |
| seem irrelevant for youths who are struggling with | | | | most part, residential treatment centers will work on |
| addictions, juvenile prison sentences, cutting, eating | | | | development of the troubled youth's self-image and |
| disorders, depression, or any of the other serious | | | | life skills, and they'll typically have very strict rules |
| problems afflicting troubled youth today, it actually is | | | | about what is and is not allowed and when a youth |
| incredibly helpful because it takes youth away from | | | | can leave the treatment center. If no other |
| the negative influences of their typical environment, | | | | intervention - counseling, group therapy, team |
| helps build self-awareness, and links them with a | | | | building, etc. - has worked for your troubled child or |
| support group of other kids like themselves. | | | | teenager, a residential treatment center might be |
| 2. Team Building Training: Like wilderness camps, team | | | | just what he or she needs. |