Changing lives
The Adventure Group has been providing people with life skills for 25 years
The headquarters for The Adventure Group – the old white Heartz Hall building shouldering St. Peters Road on the outskirts of Charlottetown – in a way draws attention by trying not to.
There is no sign declaring the building home to the non-profit group, founded in 1992 to support marginalized youth and
adults to develop valuable life skills.
Roxanne Carter-Thompson, the longtime executive director of The Adventure Group, welcomes the mystique.
“There are people that drive by and go ‘what goes on in that building?’ Well, actually, we change lives is what we do in this building,’’ says CarterThompson.
“The organization was created based on a need in the community to be able to support young people with opportunities to be active in their community in a positive way and to gain the skills to be able to contribute in a positive way.’’
For a quarter-century, the organization has been running intervention and prevention programs.
All the intervention programs target high-risk youth, but clients in prevention programs run the gamut – they come from all walks of life.
Carter-Thompson says the organization has plenty of cause to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Accomplishments, notably positive life-influencing and even life-changing impacts, tallied during those years are laudable.
The Prime Minister’s Award committee recognized The Adventure Group in the social innovation category as one of the top-five organizations in Atlantic Canada.
During 2016, 223 people under the age of 30 received focused interventions from the organization’s staffed programs.
A whopping 7,113 individuals have participated in the ROPES Program, also known as Rite of Passage Experience, which aims to offer participants an adventure experience that develops team skills such as effective communication, problem solving, trust building, leadership and co-operative learning.
“So we have some pretty awesome stories now… We have people that are buying cars and buying houses that didn’t think that was going to be an option for them,’’ she says.
“It’s not about helping a person get a job,’’ she is quick to add.
“It’s about helping them to be the person that they need to be to keep the job.’’
Rae Sheehan credits The Adventure Group with setting her on a successful path.
She first turned to the place as a teenager and was quickly taken by the warm environment.
“We had nice comfy couches and we got to paint the walls and the floors and do our own thing,’’ she recalls.
“We fell in love with it because it was a place for us to go that was very welcoming.’’
It was years later, however, The Adventure Group would prove to be a life-changer for Sheehan.
A then single mother of two young children, struggling to get by, Sheehan signed up for a 17-week life skills program.
“I ‘refound’ all those skills that I had with The Adventure Group when I was a teenager,’’ she says.
“My self-esteem went up, my leadership skills came out. Everything is set up so that you realize all the good things about yourself and because it’s an inclusive, non-judgmental atmosphere, you’re OK if you take a step back or you fail at something while trying to get ahead.’’
Sheehan did get ahead quite well, thank you.
After graduating from The Adventure Group’s life skills program, she found work with Big Brothers Big Sisters as an executive assistant.
She was then offered a job at The Adventure Group, where she has been working for the past 12 years, and is currently a job developer and facilitator.
Most rewarding for Sheehan is simply seeing people do well, which might be working full time or going back to school, depending on the individual.
“Just helping people to be who they’ve always wanted to become or who they thought that they never could be,’’ she says of the ongoing goal of The Adventure Group.
“It’s pretty magical.’’ Carter-Thompson sees no reason for that magic to stop.
She is buoyed by the ongoing support from all three levels of government as well as communities and businesses continuing to back the organization.
In early March, the federal government announced $450,000 in funding to upgrade the employability of youth facing barriers to landing a good job. Six programs, delivered by The Adventure Group, are serving 10 men and 50 women.
“I feel the most hopeful that I’ve ever felt,’’ Carter-Thompson says of The Adventure Group’s future.
“My faith is strong and I believe that our partnerships will continue and those supports will be in place because Islanders want the best for other Islanders.’’