A Troubled Young Boy Finds His Way Through
Self-Reliance
 Dear United Way,
I want to extend my gratitude for the support we have been receiving
from United Way over the past few years. Your support has been
instrumental in maintaining our services to economically disadvantaged
families in our community. We have used your funds wisely in providing
transformative programs for youth who need our unique mentoring approach
the most.
Earlier this week I spoke with a caseworker from a local child
abuse-counseling agency that shared a story about a boy who had come
through our Young Eagles program and who went on to our Peacemaker's
Journey program this past year. He was a boy of 11 years of age who was
finding it very difficult to succeed in school and in his relationships
with his family. His life at home had once included his mother's abusive
boyfriend and eventually he moved in with his grandparents to have
safety and stability.
The caseworker spoke of how this boy was afraid to try anything new and
was becoming increasingly unsocial at the time when he was referred to
Wilderness Youth Project. The caseworker shared that the boy's life
literally turned around after just a few short weeks with our program.
He said that one of the most fascinating and appreciated aspects of our
programs was the teaching of self-reliance through survival skills
training. This particular boy felt safe in trying a new skill when it
was new for all the kids. This situation was unique for the boy who had
previously defaulted to extreme self-consciousness and fear of failure
rather than venture out and learn new things. This was the beginning of
his transformation to a healthier interaction with the world.
The survival skills, like making hand-drill fires, weaving cordage,
making baskets, building a shelter, flint knapping, and the awareness
training, allowed for community skills to surface around talking circles
and motivated the need to assist one another in creating a "village" in
which to survive. This boy flourished and excelled in all of the skills,
including the sharing circles. He began to share his life history and
dreams for his future as he learned valuable communication skills. A new
confidence began to emerge within him.
The caseworker said that the boy's grandmother has recently passed away
and so the boy has moved out of state to live with his aunt and uncle.
The coping skills he learned at Young Eagles were key for him to make
the huge transition of moving away from his home of many years and for
him to find a way to appreciate and cherish the memory of his
grandmother. The caseworker
also shared, with tears in his eyes, that the boy had made it to the
honor role this last quarter at school, had joined the school basketball
team and had become popular among his peers as a good listener and a
fun-filled friend. The caseworker thanked me and offered all the
volunteers and staff at Wilderness Youth Project the appreciation that
only comes when a child's life is nurtured
to a place of genuine hopefulness.
We are grateful to be able to share this story of how your supporting
funds have been sensibly spent on the youth of our community who need it
most. Thank you for continuing to believe in Wilderness Youth Project
and our instrumental work that touches many lives with real and very
tangible results. We are serving 35% more kids this year than last with
over 85% of them needing some form of scholarship. Your foundation has
allowed us to maintain our pace in growth to meet the increasing demand
for our unique and innovative programs.
Warren Brush
Executive Director |
