One of our favorite moments to witness is when a student surprises their teacher. These students from Somerville, all on the autism spectrum, climbed with Waypoint this week and were using this custom-designed adventure-education program to work on communication. Ayman had just learned recently how to communicate “Yes” and “No” on his picture board, so his teacher was almost in tears when he came down from his first climb and audibly said “More! I want more!” This was unprompted, spontaneous communication! Adventures like rock climbing really do bring out emerging skills and create opportunities for growth!
00waypointhttps://ma.waypointadventure.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/waypoint-adventure_logo_457x152.pngwaypoint2019-01-22 20:34:202019-01-22 20:34:20Increasing Communication
We just wrapped up an awesome Rock Climbing series with LABBB Collaborative! It’s not often a group will contact us and say they want to do a focused series on one adventure-type in particular, but this school was all for it! They wanted to progress in their rock climbing and self-confidence skills!
LABBB Collaborative, based in Bedford, Massachusetts, serves students with disabilities from Lexington, Arlington, Belmont, Burlington, and Bedford and helps them reach their potential by integrating academics, social, recreational, and vocational services. This was year-two of an awesome Waypoint+LABBB partnership and 6 participants this year really progressed! We spent four Wednesday nights at Central Rock Gym in Watertown raising the bar for each individual’s level of challenge and working on autonomous decision-making. With ample time devoted to all the skills of rock climbing, each participant got a chance to learn knots, all about gear, and even belaying!
By the end of the series, students were working hard, implementing climbing strategies, and were responsible for their own knot-tying and equipment! It was awesome to watch this group form and progress in skill. Check out pictures from our series!
As always, we are so grateful for all our volunteers (Mary and Jim!) and our partnership with Central Rock Gym. Without you all, we would not be able to run successful programs!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
00waypointhttps://ma.waypointadventure.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/waypoint-adventure_logo_457x152.pngwaypoint2018-12-10 18:50:432018-12-10 18:50:43A unique series in skill-progression
We had our FINAL kayaking program of the season on September 9th and although clouds rolled in and everyone wore fleece jackets, it was still an awesome day to be on the water and make connections with a new-to-Waypoint group! What a perfect way to end!
The Prader Willi Syndrome Association of New England (PWSANE) supports families and individuals with PWS living in the New England area and although you might think the bulk of their resources are centered around educating families and making connections, they value the role of Adventure Education and want their participants to experience adventure programming! Six young adults came kayaking at Lake Cochituate in Wayland and felt the importance of experiencing adventure, had fun connecting with peers who have PWS, and even got to compete in an on-the-water-kayaking-tug-of-war game!
And it was a benefit for parents too! One mom commented that the thing she learned from the experience was “that it was ok to just let them go!” While the 6 teens paddled away, moms and dads stayed on shore on beautiful Wayland Town Beach and got to connect and have the half-day to themselves.
But what is Prader-Willi Syndrome? Although you may have never heard the term, it’s one of the most common non-inherited genetic conditions linked to obesity to date. From Prader-Willi Syndrome Association.org, PWS is a complex genetic disorder affecting appetite, growth, metabolism, cognitive function, and behavior. It can cause low muscle-tone and chronic feelings of insatiable hunger. The hypothalamus is compromised so the individual never feels full after eating. The cause is yet to be known, but it’s estimated that about one in 15,000 people have PWS.
Check out pictures from our awesome day!
00waypointhttps://ma.waypointadventure.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/waypoint-adventure_logo_457x152.pngwaypoint2018-09-26 13:34:392018-09-26 13:34:39Prader Willi Syndrome Association goes Kayaking!
We’re thrilled that a member of our team got to share her incredible journey on the TEDx stage! On January 20th, 2018, Julia Spruance, Waypoint’s Program Director shared the story of her experience climbing Kilimanjaro with three teens with disabilities from Kenya with the organization she volunteers for, Kupenda for the Children at TEDx Natick. Click link below to watch her talk!
There is power in having High Expectations for one another. But it makes all the difference where being born with a disability makes you susceptible to abuse, abandonment, and even elimination. Click to hear the story of three Kenyan teens with disabilities who were given the opportunity to battle a deadly stigma and prove that taking on a big challenge – the biggest in Africa – changes everything. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
00waypointhttps://ma.waypointadventure.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/waypoint-adventure_logo_457x152.pngwaypoint2018-05-04 18:03:512018-05-04 18:03:51Waypoint on the TEDx Stage!
Eleven young adults – each with such unique stories, sets of strengths and challenges, personalities, and character – graduated from the Leaders-In-Training program on March 1st. It was a “waypoint” for all – a monumental marker along their journey. Parents were beaming, siblings and friends were excited, and LITs were incredibly proud of their achievement.
But to us, it was big as well! This was no typical program! It was the first time since Waypoint opened in 2010 that we’ve put together an intentional, goal-focused, extensive series for a specific population that is “Open Enrollment” style – meaning we formed a team from the public. And it was an incredible success! There are a million good stories or times we can point to and say “THAT was a moment that he/she grew…” but the BIGGEST, most impactful outcome was belonging.
Let me set the stage: The transition from youth to adult is scary for anyone. Even with the most solid support systems, it’s easy to lose confidence in yourself, lose sight of your preferences, get confused about what decisions to make, know when to take risks, etc. And it’s precisely why transition-age youth with disabilities – who aren’t given the same opportunities to step out of their comfort zone and take on leadership roles – have the odds stacked against them.
But our theme addressed this: “Leadership” is actually all about knowing yourself. Knowing who you are deep down. When decision-making opportunities come up or there are relationships to manage, if you know yourself well, you can trust your judgement and your preferences, rely on your strengths, or ask for help. In this LIT program, the curriculum was written around “learning to be leaders,” but it turned out to be so much more about knowing yourself and being known by others. This group formed quickly into a “family” and they used this word over and over again to describe the group… “We’re a family!”
On March 1st, on the 13th floor of a Boston high-rise at Wilmington Trust, the evening celebration began. With food and drinks, a slideshow, and view of the city, each LIT was given a new name honoring the ways they were “known” within the group. Several LITs shared about what they had taken away from the experience, and all received a certificate and gift. Also in attendance were the new LITs and their families – those that have been accepted into the 2018-2019 crew! The graduating class got to shake hands and welcome in these new and excited young adults.
Ryan Horrigan delivering his speech: How he has felt a sense of belonging in the group.
Shayda Tahmili and Sara Young share about the ways they became friends and what they have in common… The list was extensive!
Sara Frost shares about what she has learned from the LIT program… her biggest takeaway: confidence in herself!
An excerpt from Sara’s speech
Robert King receives his certificate. His new name was The Magnifier.
Sara Young receives her certificate. Her new name was The Connector.
Tessa Geomelos receives her certificate. She got the Mirror Award.
Ryan Horrigan and Chris Dunn welcome in new LIT, Daemon Tendler.
Will Haas welcomes in new LIT Anthony Curioso.
Sara Young and Kristina Gillis welcome in new LIT, Emma Ferrick.
A proud group standing together having just graduated!
All the LITs! The graduating class as well as the new class inducted in!
The big group along with Wilmington Trust. Thank you Carl Robinson, Rob Coly, Alycia Joyal, Josh Christian, and Timothy Wade for hosting us!
The rest are pictures from our last few programs. Below is our Outdoor Rock Climbing adventure at Quincy Quarries in October 2017. Everyone was assigned a specific partner that they had to work with for the rest of the day. On this day, friendships in the group really started to go deeper.
Next up was our Indoor Rock Climbing adventure of November 2017. This program started out a bit differently than most. Thanks to the gracious hosts at Central Rock Gym in Watertown, we held a panel discussion and all the LITs’ families joined us. On the panel were three young adults with disabilities who had leadership experience and could speak to the adulthood transition process: Melissa Bradley, Kamisha Heriveaux, and Jack Hanke. These three shared about their experiences getting jobs, finding roommates, balancing schedules, navigating relationships with parents, and gave good advice to our LITs who were working on figuring that stuff out! At the end, we all climbed together!
Our planned January “Snowshoeing” adventure turned more into an ice-hike in the 60s…. strange… but wonderful. We spent the day at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge practicing navigation, making decisions, and working together as a team.
Our last adventure was a full weekend up at The Browne Center at UNH. It was a perfect way to celebrate the culmination of hard work and personal growth. This group became a family. And no, that doesn’t just mean “they became great friends.” That means dragging gear on sleds to a yurt, burrito buffet by headlamps, a NEVER-ENDING, no-mercy Uno game, a chorus of snoring unlike anything you’ve ever heard, launching through the trees on the Flying Squirrel, trying to balance the entire group on a teeter totter, Robert hoarding the pop tarts, Zach’s mad libs, Ryan sampling the roast beef, and a heartfelt, honest, and beautiful bracelet ceremony. There’s so many memories to take away from this weekend and this series overall. But it’s the connection to purpose and investment in relationship that made weekends like this one stand out.
00waypointhttps://ma.waypointadventure.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/waypoint-adventure_logo_457x152.pngwaypoint2018-03-09 16:59:352018-03-09 16:59:35The First Graduating Class of LITs
The fourth annual Volunteer Training was a success! Twenty-one NEW volunteers joined Waypoint for a weekend filled with learning, laughing and splashing. Enjoy the photos and a play-by-play of the 2017 Volunteer Training weekend. Thank YOU for making it a huge success!
Friday Night:
There’s nothing like a beautiful early summer evening and BBQ to provide the right atmosphere for meeting new friends and community members!
After good food (particularly the watermelon and ice-cream sandwiches) we spent time burning off the calories and breaking down walls as Julia led us through a sequence of games that began the forming process which is a crucial part of working as a team to ensure safety and belonging for Waypoint participants. After that it was time to dive into Waypoint’s CAP training which helped everyone get a clearer picture for the “why” and “how” of all of Waypoint’s programming. This session also focused on the overall the role of a volunteer in making Waypoint programs so impactful. Thanks to everyone who joined us outside for a great evening on Friday!
Saturday:
After an early morning of eating pastries and drinking coffee on the shores of lake Cochituate, it was time to dive into a long and focused day of learning the technical skills for effective and save adaptive kayaking.
Our time on the water in the morning was filled with practicing paddle signals, learning more advanced paddle strokes, and maneuvering the boats. And of course… some great group photo moments.
Following a hearty lunch, we began small group work – Dan talked about kayak and paddle adaptations, Julia talked about safe transferring of participants with mobility impairments and Emily talked through how to load and unload the trailer.
To cap the day off, we returned to the water for splash games, capsizing and rescue training…So fun!
A big thank you to everyone who participated and thank you to our friend Bill Boyes for the wonderful pictures. We look forward to having you join us this summer and beyond!
00waypointhttps://ma.waypointadventure.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/waypoint-adventure_logo_457x152.pngwaypoint2017-06-26 19:47:342017-06-26 19:47:34Volunteer Training 2017
We started! This Saturday was the first adventure of a year-long series with our LIT program and we were swinging indeed. At Hale Reservation (in perfect spring sun) we spent the morning laying the foundation for our series and building the team; and then dedicated the afternoon to the Giant Swing – where each individual LIT had the opportunity to take on a big challenge.
It’s a theme on most adventures, but the relationship between challenge and learning rings especially true within a series like this where the goal is right in the name – we are training (or LEARNING) to become leaders. Here at Waypoint, we believe that when we step into the challenge zone, we learn. The Challenge Zone and the “Learning Zone” are one in the same. Over this year, these Leaders-In-Training will be encouraged to step out their comfort zone, take positive risks, be given the freedom to fail, learn from mistakes, push through things that are hard, and step up to challenges – all while doing so alongside peers that support them.
The Giant Swing brings it all together. Each LIT steps up one at a time to get hooked into the Giant Swing harness while the rest of the group holds the haul rope. When the swinger is ready, he or she tells the group when to start and when to stop. And with a deep breath and a mustering of courage, he or she pulls the cord and disconnects from the haul rope sending them swinging through the air.
Henry Moses, former Freshman Dean at Harvard University and Founder of the First Year Outdoor Program summarizes it well:
“Learning is hard; learning is messy; learning happens when you’re uncomfortable and would rather be doing almost anything else. But we do learn and we learn most effectively when we face challenges with other people who support us and whom we learn to support. And that’s when learning becomes joyous.” – Henry Moses
Learning became joyous this past weekend. You could see it on the faces of everyone mid-swing and the feeling of being accepted and loved by their group. We are thrilled to work with this fun, supportive, and adventurous group over the course of this year and we hope you’ll follow along too! Check out our vidoe of the day posted on youtube.com and if you haven’t already, start following us on Snapchat at @WaypointAdv (We’re also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram :).
00waypointhttps://ma.waypointadventure.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/waypoint-adventure_logo_457x152.pngwaypoint2017-05-25 15:05:142017-05-25 15:05:14Leaders-In-Training is in Full Swing
We are honored to have been chosen as a recipient of this grant! A big THANK YOU to the students from the Middlesex School and to the Foundation for MetroWest for supporting our programs and development.
00waypointhttps://ma.waypointadventure.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/waypoint-adventure_logo_457x152.pngwaypoint2016-05-04 22:41:512016-05-04 22:41:51Waypoint received a grant!
