International & Outdoor Adventure Trips
Our Outdoor Experiences Program offers international service opportunities and intentional outdoor experiences designed to deepen recovery, build resilience, and foster leadership in adolescent males—while giving parents confidence in structure and safety.
International Service Expeditions
Earned Experiences That Change Perspectives
Purpose & Eligibility
These trips, ranging from Peru and Nepal to South Africa and Tanzania, are reserved for students who have demonstrated consistent leadership, academic effort, and commitment to sobriety. Trips are earned, not given.
What They Look Like
- Fundraising, research, essays, service planning, and school credit
- Cultural immersion, safari, trekking, and community building
- Contribution to orphanages, clinics, or educational facilities
- Reflection on gratitude, privilege, and global responsibility
This blend of service and recovery reinforces humility, purpose, and team-based growth.
Outdoor Adventure & Experiential Challenges
Each activity includes framing and debriefing to tie experiences back into recovery challenges: facing fear, practicing responsibility, and leaning on community.
Therapeutic Benefits
These trips support emotional development, self-awareness, persistence, and peer accountability—critical components of long-term recovery.
12‑Step Connection in the Field
Our teens continue working their recovery while traveling, attending Young People in AA conferences and international AA meetings when abroad on expedition. It's all about seeing the extent of recovery across the planet and connecting with a youth culture that celebrates their sobriety.
Clinical Processing & Reflection
Every excursion includes structured opportunity for therapeutic processing, guided by behavioral health professionals to help students integrate failure, triumph, trust, and purpose.
Designed for Young Men in Treatment
A Safe, Single-Gender Experience
All expeditions mirror our campus culture: single-gender groups, peer-based leadership, and strong staff support ensure emotional safety and strong brotherhood.
Growth & Belonging
Recent participants describe these trips as deeply transformative:
"Being of service in a war-torn, impoverished country made me really grateful for what I have in life and made me appreciate the little things. Changed my life."
"The horses and the horse trek was one of my favorite experiences sober. Being out there with my horse, without a worry in the world at that moment was so serene and peaceful."
"My favorite trip was the level four trip. I felt like a leader for the first time in a while and felt I was capable of leading others."
Why Adventure Matters in Recovery
Physical Movement + Emotional Insight: sport, nature, and therapy merge to regulate mood and reduce cravings.
Service Over Self: caring for others reduces isolation and builds character.
Authentic Peer Community: trust, accountability, and belonging are built alongside adventure.
Proactive Identity Shift: moving from addiction-driven values to values of leadership, empathy, and growth.