Take a Hike Vernon
In partnership with SD 22 and based at the Alternative Learning Program.
Opened in 2023 and serves up to 15 youth.
For intake information, please contact Nigel Maccagno, Principal, Alternative Learning Programs at nmaccagno@sd22.bc.ca (available September – June).
Applicants will be interviewed, and notified of their status. Upon acceptance to the program, youth must sign a medical clearance form before attending classes.
Take a Hike empowers vulnerable youth through a full-time mental health and emotional well-being program embedded in an alternate education classroom. Over the past 25 years, Take a Hike has supported over 1,000 youth, to change the trajectory of their lives.
Take a Hike partnered with School District 22 in September 2023 to open the Vernon program at the Alternative Learning Program. Together, we engage up to 15 youth each year by combining high quality education with intentional, continuous clinical counselling, community initiatives, and land-based learning. We empower youth with the skills and resilience they need to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, and achieve success – however they define it.
The pandemic intensified mental health challenges for youth everywhere, and nowhere more so than in the Interior, where the health authority reports almost double the rate of youth suicides compared to the provincial rate. According to the 2023 Vital Signs report, the vulnerability rate of youth in the North Okanagan remains above the provincial average.
Take a Hike demonstrates the powerful combination of mental health supports and land-based learning, as youth report a greater sense of purpose, community and self-awareness, and are more likely to graduate high school.
While in the Take a Hike program:
90%
of eligible Grade 12s graduated
96%
of youth reported learning skills and knowledge to be successful in the workplace
99%
reported having safety in expressing their feelings at Take a Hike
Youth in the Vernon program regularly explore the outdoors and engage in community building opportunities that the area offers, such as an overnight camping trip at Maple Lake Provincial Park, or a two-night backcountry hike to Spectrum Lake. These trips allow the youth to connect with their surroundings and meaningfully support each other when overcoming challenges and learning new skills.
