Oregon Rafting for Grieving Teens
This seven-day Oregon rafting course for teens is a unique program specifically designed for grieving teens coping with the death of a loved one. During this transformational adventure, participants experience powerful grief-work activities woven into the context of the traditional Outward Bound curriculum.
Additionally, this course offers students an opportunity to join with a team of others in challenging themselves while exploring some of Oregon’s most renowned wilderness areas. Students will cross rugged, beautiful terrain, and will need to dig deep and discover hidden strength. The journey begins the moment you are picked up at the Redmond Airport. You will head straight to the wild and scenic Deschutes River where the first days of your trip will be spent building critical skills in teamwork and camp craft. This learning will serve as a foundation and carry over through the remainder of your journey. The wild and scenic Deschutes River will offer your team the chance to learn paddling skills, river hydrology, raft captaining and safety.
UPCOMING COURSES
This course is closed for the season. 2021 courses coming soon.
Grieving Teens Expeditions
Course price reflects reduced tuition made possible through the generous support of our donors and the Leadership support of The New York Life Foundation. Additional need based scholarships are available. To learn more about additional need based scholarships, click here.
Grieving Teens expeditions are designed to help students build confidence and resiliency, acquire coping skills and create a network of ongoing of support. The grief work that is woven into the curriculum helps young people share in a relevant healing experience with real-world outcomes. And in a time and space set aside just for them, grieving teens realize they are not alone.
- Build core skills: Instructors provide students with hands-on training on expedition and personal skills. As they learn to live and travel together, students create an inclusive, supportive crew, sharing through discussion circles and grief rituals.
- Practice Outward Bound values: Students learn to incorporate Outward Bound values into everyday life by pushing their own limits and seeking challenge as an opportunity for personal growth and healing.
- Process and reflect: Journaling, one-on-one conferences and discussion circles help students understand how Outward Bound successes might translate to coping skills back home.
- Demonstrate mastery: As the course nears the end, students tackle an expedition challenge, and pause to share and honor their losses.
- What you’ll learn: Students return home with healthy support mechanisms and a positive network of peers they can count on in the future.
Whitewater Rafting
Students will travel on the river in four to six person paddle rafts, and learn to “captain” (maneuver) their paddle raft team through Class II and III rapids. After lessons in basic river travel and safety, students will progress into learning to read currents, anticipate obstacles, scout rapids, and negotiate technical portions of the river. Students will also learn river hydrology, swimming in currents, paddle techniques, and expeditionary travel. While on the rafting expedition, there may also be an opportunity for short day hikes.
Course Area
Deschutes River, Oregon
The Deschutes River is part of the national Wild & Scenic Rivers System. The river flows north from the Oregon Cascades, feeds into the Columbia River, and ultimately to the Pacific Ocean. The Lower Deschutes is a popular river for whitewater rafting since the river is spring-fed, which results in an unusually constant flow of cold water. Excellent geologic evidence is present all around this area. Courses generally travel anywhere from fifty to one hundred miles along the Lower Deschutes. The rapids on the Deschutes are rated to Class III, and are excellent for learning paddle skills and teamwork. The group camps each night along the banks of the river. The Deschutes region has a colorful human history, and a railroad borders much of the length of the Lower Deschutes.
Getting Started
If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.
To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $300 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee.
