JobTrain Camp

“We want more control over decisions about freedom, money, and relationships,” said high schoolers attending a life skills camping weekend co-sponsored by DEF and several other community organizations. Chris Spetzler, DEF program director, asked the campers to think about decision areas in their lives where they felt relatively powerless (or unprepared). After personal freedom and money—the top scoring areas—common themes were schoolwork, sports, and friends.

Several decisions were quite serious in light of potential consequences—to move out of the house or to stay; whether or not to leave town; whether to restart a relationship with an alienated father.

Team building exercises and sharing sessions helped the students tackle some of the challenges and difficult decisions that they were facing in an environment that was both fun and supportive.