I am very sad about the wilderness programs currently being shut down, as my wilderness experience was incredibly positive and changed my life for the better. I don't want others to be robbed of a possibly amazing and helpful program. I went to a wilderness program called Open Skies in my 8th grade year (2021). I was struggling with self harm and suicide ideation. I was brought to Open Skies by a transport team and what ensued was 8 weeks of discovering. I discovered who I was within beautiful hikes. I discovered a supportive and loving community in camp fire circles.. I discovered the things in my life that needed changing within the open ears of my guides and peers. Wilderness was eye opening, and for me, it was life saving. I truly do not believe I would be here today to write this if not for wilderness. In addition, more recently I returned from an outdoor adventure therapy program (Pacific Quest). I made some of the most meaningful connections of my life there. I learned what it meant to be in a healthy friendship, how to manage my stress and emotions, how to communicate with others, and how to take care of myself. The guides there held me through painful emotions and happy memories, and they supported me to share parts of myself and my past that I thought I would have to hide forever.
This is why I firmly believe that we should not be shutting down treatment facilities blindly. I am not against "Breaking Code Silence"- there are definitely programs that need to be closed- but I believe that we should not only be focusing on the few negative outcomes for individuals, but instead on the lives that have been changed, and not generalizing all wilderness therapy as bad, because for me, Wilderness is the reason I'm alive.
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