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Gateway Academy’s Outdoor Experiential Education program is designed to use outdoor adventures as a means to solidify therapeutic gains and foster personal growth. Individual and group interventions and challenges are intentionally engineered to allow students to test clinical gains and to grow emotionally, intellectually and physically. Gateway’s experiential challenges and interventions afford each student the ability to see firsthand how his choices and behavior influences the group’s common goals.
While some students are comfortable with the daily schedule, they may struggle while participating in the outdoor program because it requires more physical and social risk taking. On the other hand, many students excel in the Outdoor Experiential Education Program, yet struggle to maintain focus when asked to follow a set schedule. Gateway students benefit tremendously from engaging in such contrasting and complementing therapeutic experiences.
Competition against self and nature rather than peers . . .
Gateway’s program allows students who may have struggled to excel in athletics to test themselves against nature — competing with the rock, the mountain or the river — and against themselves rather than their peers. Students experience success and failure while learning to push themselves to meet individual goals. Accomplishments in this dynamic, ever-changing and challenging environment foster problem solving, decision-making, resiliency and the ability to face anxiety, fears and most importantly, future obstacles down the road.
. . . Facilitates positive life skills . . .
Gateway Academy integrates outdoor experiential education within its residential treatment programming. Utilizing the dramatic Utah landscape, Gateway facilitates a culture in which students use social skills learned in treatment to build trusting, positive relationships and communication skills, to mediate conflicts and to develop teamwork skills, leadership and self-reliance. After participating in outdoor adventure activities, students return to the weekday clinical program with insight into their own thoughts, feelings and behavior that facilitates their progress in therapy. Respect for wildlife and the natural world also reciprocates back toward family and peers with gains made in interpersonal competence.
. . . Group adventure, skilled-based, activities.
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Our Outdoor Experiential Education program intentionally combines several group adventure-based activities including:
- Rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and kayaking
- Canyoneering and wilderness backpacking
- Skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing
- Cultural activities and community service
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Promotes self confidence and healthy lifestyles . . .
Gateway’s Outdoor Experiential Education program utilizes a module system to assist students to learn skills in a season-specific outdoor pursuit. Students learn new skills from our expert, therapeutic staff of instructors. As students progress through the module, they are given opportunities to demonstrate competency and leadership related to their particular activity of interest. Outdoor activities range from local day trips to overnight excursions. Overnight excursions are designed to provide the students with the opportunity to demonstrate and advance their skills while practicing positive peer interaction and leadership development. Students leave Gateway with a skill set that not only promotes self confidence, but also constructive use of their time and healthy lifestyles.
. . . Academic lessons brought to life . . .
The Utah outdoors additionally provide a unique setting where students see academic lessons come to life. The Academic team and the Outdoor Experiential Education program are integrated so that students internalize lessons learned whether in the classroom or the outdoors. Students can study the geology, history, and/or literature of a particular area prior to visiting these select locations, resulting in an enriching academic experience.
. . . Growth through service and cultural opportunities.
 Students also gain empathy and an increased connection for their communities by participation in monthly service activities and learning projects such as international refugee service, Sub for Santa, senior yard clean-up, community gardening and tree planting, and local and National park trail building and clean up projects. Gateway Academy youth also enjoy participation in local cultural and educational experiences. Off-site visits include museums, historical sites, National and State Parks, concerts, plays, festivals, sporting events and other experiential community exercises.
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