IN BALANCE ACADEMY
EXPEDITIONS
Here at In Balance we strive for excellence in all that we do. Same is true of our Outdoor Experiences program. We have developed a program at In Balance that rates among the top outdoor experience programs in the country. This is not just because of the types of trips we do, but rather because of the purpose that each trips serves for our students.
What we know about the majority of students that we get to work with is that they come to us as wounded, selfish, disenfranchised youth. These trips are meant to connect them: connect them to nature, connect them to each other, connect them to the people of the reservations that they get to serve, connect them to orphans halfway across the world, and ultimately connect them to their higher power. It is by harvesting and rebuilding these connections that we start to heal the wounds, abolish the entitled sense of self, and enfranchise the disenfranchised.
Our students will get many opportunities to accomplish just this. Between Havasuapi, Sedona, snow boarding, service weekends, Fellowship of the Spirit Conferences, Positive Peer Culture Weekends, horse treks and our international trips we give the students something to look forward to almost every month of the year.
These trips all are coupled with both the therapeutic and 12-step elements of the Academy. A licensed psychotherapist accompanies the students on all of our International trips, horse treks, Havasupai trips, and Positive Peer Culture weekends. We have found that these trips create many healthy opportunities for therapeutic processing, whether that’s a student facing his fears during a waterfall jump or learning humility from his horse after a 4-day ride. Much of which exists for your son will inevitably present itself during these experiences and the importance of a clinical social worker to be there and guide the processing so that no lessons go unlearned is invaluable.
These trips also serve a very important 12-step role for many of our young men. While camping next to a 200 foot turquoise waterfall in the middle of the Grand Canyon or volunteering at an orphanage in a village where most live on less than $1 USD a day, it presents a significant opportunity for many of our students to finally feel truly grateful and become better connected to their higher power.
Below you will find a brief description of each trip as well as some student testimonials. Please read through it, so you can get a better idea of what your son will experience throughout his stay at In Balance.
INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITIONS
International
Experiences
"Being of service in a war-torn, impoverished country made me really grateful for what I have in life and made me appreciate the little things. Changed my life."
INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITIONS:
Over the many years that In Balance Academy has been open, we have done numerous international expeditions. We have traveled to Costa Rica, Nepal, Peru, and Tanzania. The formula for success on these trips is simple: we bring a therapist, experienced expedition staff, and peer mentors that are working a strong program. These trips are based around the idea of Voluntourism, which for us, normally involves cultural experiences, seeing places of worth, safari, trekking, and service. We try and combine history, nature, fellowship, adventure, and service all into a single experience. It should be noted that these trips are not considered a handout, in order for a student to become eligible for one of these experiences there is a considerable amount of work that he needs to do first. This is including but not limited to: reading 2-3 books on the area of interest, completing multiple essays both before and upon returning, planning and participating in various fundraising activities to help augment the cost of their own trip and for a donation to the orphanage we serve. But most importantly they must be working a strong program here at In Balance. You can imagine the amount of risk that we as an organization accept when doing these types of trips. We only bring the students who are in an appropriate place in their treatment. He needs to be a leader in his milieu, be current and excelling in his academic work, and living a life of recovery and integrity, so as to warrant us trusting him halfway across the world outside of ranch setting. These trips are not given, but earned.
Here is a student testimonial from our trip to Kenya/Tanzania in August:
"Africa was the trip of a lifetime. It was absolutely amazing. The things that I saw and got to experience were beyond incredible. From being 8 feet away from a male lion sleeping underneath a tree in Kenya, to being on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, to falling asleep with a little boy from the orphanage on my chest under a tree. These are just some of the many wonderful things that I got to enjoy while I was there. If it were not for the support I received from In Balance and my parents, I would have never been able to experience this.
Africa was a life altering trip. Something inside me changed upon returning to the United States. I was, and am, filled with an immense amount of gratitude. I discovered that I took the small things in life for granted. Small things such as water pressure in the shower, toilets and toilet paper, quality meat, a washer and dryer, and safe drinking water. All of these are normal parts of our daily living that we tend to forget about through the busy lives that so many of us lead. However,when we stop to think about what we have compared to others, and the lives that we are so blessed to live, we then understand and acknowledge how fortunate we really are.
This trip offered by In Balance helped open my eyes through firsthand experience, transform my values and beliefs for the better, as well as expand my perspective of the world we live in. In conclusion, I would like to thank everyone that is a part of the In Balance team from the bottom of my heart for everything that they have done to make this experience and prospect a reality for me."
Fellowship
of the Spirit
Conferences
"Seeing so many people who are in recovery, because they want to be, because it made their life better, was really inspiring and made me think that maybe they are on to something with this whole recovery thing."
FELLOWSHIP OF THE SPIRIT CONFERENCE:
Here at In Balance Academy, staff are always trying to explore new ideas as a means to ignite and foster the passion for recovery in these young men as a means to propel them forward from addiction to enriched, sober lives. A facet of the experience we offer them comes by the way of traveling to spiritual retreats full of like minded individuals looking for a way out of the addiction problem- one that really works. We plan on doing four Fellowship of the Spirit conferences this year. This will allow each one of our students the opportunity to participate in at least one of these incredible experiences.
These weekends are experienced amongst people from all different walks of life who have found a common solution by way of working the steps from The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Speakers from various parts of the country are flown in to share their experience, strength and hope with all who participate, and panels throughout the weekend are most helpful in providing instructions with how to work and implement the steps into a daily way of living.
“Fellowship of the Spirit west challenged me to look deeper into myself to make a commitment to really doing this thing, this time not for my parents but for myself."- In Balance Student
Here is a student testimonial from the Fellowship of the Spirit Conference in Los Angeles, CA:
"Before I went on the trip to LA, I was on the fence about the NA and AA program, whether or not I wanted to be sober, and what I thought about sobriety. This trip has changed all of that for me. As soon as we got to the hotel, people started to come up to greet us, talk to us, and make sure we felt welcome at the convention. This was a big surprise for me, because I have never been anywhere where people were so kind and welcoming. Throughout the weekend, I have learned new things about myself. I tried to take in a meeting every day, a choice that I made, not that staff made for me. This surprised me at first, because there were other things going on that I could have done, instead of going to a meeting. I chose to go to the meetings because they were inspiring, and for once, I genuinely cared about what the speakers had to say.
Another thing that happened on the trip was I realized how much I am able to accept myself now. I had a little incident on the dance floor while I was dancing with one girl, and I surprised myself with how I reacted. I was also able to go up and just talk to anybody I wanted to, something that a lack of confidence had previously prevented me from doing.
Lastly, this trip has shown me just how much fun you can have in recovery. I think this trip was more fun than I have had in the past few years. Just being in the atmosphere where everybody was achieving a common goal, everybody was happy, and most importantly, everybody was kind to one another, has been a major factor in helping me decide what I want to do when I leave the ranch. I feel that the saying "My worst day clean is still better than my best day using" applies in this situation. Even when I wasn't doing anything on the trip, I was still having more fun than when I was using.
In conclusion, this trip has completely changed my mind about what I want to do when I leave the ranch. If for nothing else, I want to stay sober just so I can keep going into those rooms, meeting new people, and helping others along with their recovery. Of course, I want to stay sober for myself. I think that this trip has shown me all the great things that AA/NA has to offer, what a clean life would be like, and what I can have if I want to take it. And I want it all. "
HORSETREKS
HorseTreks
"The horses and the horse trek was one of my favorite experiences sober. Being out there with my horse, without a worry in the world at that moment was so serene and peaceful."
HORSETREKS:
This four day campout is a unique and amazing adventure for the students. Our equine staff is supported by a therapist, to create a meaningful, therapeutic and fun experience. Utilizing the natural challenges involved in camping and trekking with horses, including a cattle drive on the second day, students bond with their horses and work through whatever ongoing issues they may be having with their horses. As stated in the Equine Therapy section, horses reflect our inner relationship struggles and in correcting how we come across to our horse, we are practicing improving our relationships with others. Students are asked by their horses to be aware, honest, genuine, caring and assertive leaders; truly what we hope they will become in all aspects of their lives! Another activity during the weekend helps students get back in touch with their parents’ deep and unconditional love. Often in the midst of the acting out and addiction, distances may have grown.
The students will also spend some solo time thinking about what is in the way of them being in solid recovery. When you add campfires, s’mores, steak quesadillas, pancakes, bacon, and capture the flag, it makes for a wonderful adventure getaway woven with therapeutic meaning.
HAVASUPI, ARIZONA
Zion, Utah
"Nothing quite like jumping off of a cliff, into crystal blue water, knowing that you had the courage to jump."
Zion National Park, Utah
"Zion National Park is a southwest Utah nature preserve distinguished by Zion Canyon’s steep red cliffs. Zion Canyon Scenic Drive cuts through its main section, leading to forest trails along the Virgin River. The river flows to the Emerald Pools, which have waterfalls and a hanging garden. Also along the river, partly through deep chasms, is Zion Narrows wading hike."
This trip is used to highlight the journey of recovery. Coming into the canyon the students have a formidable hike, descending with packs and all. Even for experienced hikers this can prove to be very difficult. Throughout the hike most complain, some fall, and a few try to quit. But through the helpful care of their peers and the promise of better things to come, all make it. At the end of this hike they walk into one of the most beautiful sights this world has to offer; horseshoe bends, red canyons, the narrows etc. They will then camp which helps reignite their love of the outdoors that many miss after graduating from wilderness program.
Snowboarding
"I didn't think that I could board sober. I was so used to getting high on the ski lift. I didn't realize how much fun snowboarding sober actually was. It was even better than being high, I could remember everything and actually land my jumps."
SNOWBOARDING:
Four times a year In Balance Academy will take our students on a skiing/snowboarding trip to the White Mountains. This experience is used as an opportunity to build the relationships between our students and their milieus, as well as to cultivate their passion for the outdoors. We believe that recovery is a program of attraction, therefore, the more we can offer our students these fun, sober activities, the more attractive a life of recovery will become.
But this weekend is not just about fun. It lends itself to create moments of brotherhood, service, and accomplishment. For instance, every trip we offer our advanced skiers the opportunity to go in the advanced group or help with the beginners. Without fail every time we'll see one or two students volunteer to spend the day teaching rather than playing. This creates a special opportunity for both the beginner and the advanced student. The beginner is forced outside their comfort zone, they must let go of ego, remain vulnerable and open to learn. The advanced student has to remain patient and empathetic. Near the end of the day, when the beginner is finally able to navigate the slopes unassisted, there is a shared accomplishment between the two. The advanced skier is elated with feelings of service and pride; while the beginner is grateful and excited to have learned to ski.
Level
Specific
Trips
"My favorite trip was the level four trip. I felt like a leader for the first time in a while and felt I was capable of leading others."
LEVEL SPECIFIC TRIPS:
In Balance Academy Students will be able to participate in 4 level specific trips while attending the academy. The level 1 trip is an amazing camping trip to the Black River. The level 2 trip is the amazing aforementioned horse trek. The level 3 leadership trip is ran by two of our clinicians and takes place at the In Balance cabin in the White Mountains. It is a beautiful, serene getaway where the boys can develop leadership skills necessary to transition into the leaders on campus that they are capable of being. Lastly, we offer a level 4 trip to Zion, UT known as one of the spiritual capitals of the world. The level 4 trip revolves around transformation and how the boys have transformed into healthy, responsible, young adults ready for the next steps in life.
POSITIVE PEER CULTURE WEEKENDS:
The purpose of this four day retreat is to focus on personal and leadership development within each person and with a milieu as a therapeutic group. The weekend is staffed by a talented therapist, life coaches and alumni staff. Through cognitive restructuring strategies, adventure-based challenges, team building activities, hiking challenges, group process, and other fun activities, the guys learn greater self-awareness and how they impact others. They talk about and take an honest look at how their apathy, control, impatience, lack of tolerance, or other self-centered attitudes, affect others. They offer each other feedback on how they see each other, and work on how they can lead from a more caring, kind, assertive, consistent and genuine place. They learn a great deal about emotional intelligence and practice it throughout the activities of the retreat. These are the cornerstones of the Positive Peer Culture, and through teaching, practicing and offering feedback to one another, students form the solid foundation upon which to build their many successes during their stay at the Academy.