Today is the first official day of spring, and despite a mild and unpredictable winter--lack of snow forced Instructors to be pretty creative out there--we are anticipating a busy new season.
Spring signals both renewal and change. Last week, I met four courageous women who are determined to change. Voyageur Outward Bound School is a sponsoring member of the Youth Intervention Programs Association, and these brave women were guests at YIPA's quarterly meeting. Here in Minnesota, like our friends across the country, we find ourselves at an uncertain crossroads in terms of support for high-impact programs for people in need; many of our partner
organizations are preparing to protest de-funding by rallying the troops around legislative support; the four panelists were there to "scare us straight" with narratives of neglect-- but they achieved much more.
These women are part of an application-only program at the Minnesota Correctional Facility for Women in Shakopee: Challenge Incarceration. These non-violent offenders took the stage to tell personal stories of life without the benefit of intervention. Each woman was once a girl on the fringes, a girl who struggled with overwhelming poverty or unspeakable abuse or relentless addiction. The thread running through each story was neglect. No safety net, no support, no intervention-- until today. These women were summoned to help a room full of youth advocates imagine a world without intervention; they painted an all-too-vivid picture of deficit, and they did something more: they demonstrated the power of intervention too. They stood in front of strangers and told the truth about their lives yesterday and today. They shook, shivered, sweated and cried through the truth in order to claim the future and name their desire to change. Surely these repeat offenders could not stand and lay claim to
change without support -- in this case the support of a strong program. So the real story is that it is never too late to discover potential, never too late to change, never too late to succeed, never too late to grow. Youth intervention is key, and so is intervention at any age. We all deserve spring.
Yes, renewal and change. This month we have a
new website, and some new staff too. Perennial partners, Ujamaa Place, Youth Link, New Lens and River's Edge Academy will again be heading out for annual for spring Expeditions. And this season we inaugurate partnerships with Washington Tech, The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Upward Bound. Staff now begin an intense period of re-certification, training, reconnaissance and planning. Instructor development is a rite of spring, strengthening our purpose and preparing us for excellence all summer and fall. And, while our
Program Calendar is filling quickly, we still have openings for both Expeditions and Insight days-- spring, summer or fall-- we still have time for challenge, adventure...and change.
Speaking of calendars, please save the date and join us for:
