Today, we move our clocks ahead in one of the first rituals of spring. The streams and rivers are beginning to surge with the melting snow and tree buds are readying themselves to burst out in new growth. In similar fashion Wendigo Lake’s staff is springing into action for one of the most exciting years in our forty year history.
Our admissions team is busy preparing to respond to the annual surge of referrals to our REACH, Project DARE and ACHIEVE programs. We’re excited about our new approach to managing referrals which draws on our expanded leadership team to ensure we provide a timely response to every referral.
Speaking of expansion, we are particularly excited about adding eight new spaces to our residential adventure therapy REACH program on June 1st. This new capacity will improve our ability to welcome new students while allowing us to reduce the maximum size of each student group from ten down to nine as one more way to improve the quality of care.
Each group of REACH and Project DARE students will continue to be served by a direct service staff team that exceeds a 1:1 ratio to students – a program supervisor, masters level therapist, teacher, and at least eight Instructors. Supporting the direct service teams are more than twenty additional management and support staff whose task is to ensure our clients receive the consistent high quality service on which our forty year reputation is built.
Speaking of reputation, we are excited that 2011 marks the year we are up for our third term of accreditation by the Association for Experiential Education, which is complementary to the two annual licensing reviews conducted by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
Our ACHIEVE program unit is looking forward to a busy year with bookings already in place for a number of new and returning groups from secondary schools, colleges, universities, and community agencies. We are also excited to be offering some therapeutic wilderness canoeing adventure experiences for both male and female groups of youth.
In August we will be hosting the return of scores of past staff and students as they join us in celebrating the 40th anniversary of our Project DARE program – making us one of the oldest continuously operating wilderness therapy programs in the world. In October, we will be co-hosting the 3rd Canadian Adventure Therapy Symposium.
So, we have an exciting year ahead of us, and I hope you’ll be part of it!
- written by Stephen Glass - CEO
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