Take a Hike Program
Take a Hike Foundation works in partnership with school districts, and boards to empower vulnerable students with the skills, resilience, and well-being they need to graduate high school and achieve success – however they define it.
Adolescence is already a time marked by anxiety, and today’s youth are growing up in a world shaped by increasing levels of economic, political and environmental uncertainty. Our program meets youth where they are in these challenging times, creating a safe and supportive environment for them to make mistakes, learn, and begin transforming the trajectory of their lives.
We embed one full-time mental health clinician in an alternate education classroom and combine this support with weekly land-based learning activities and opportunities for community involvement. School partners provide everything they usually supply for an alternate education program: a space, a teacher, a youth and family worker, curriculum oversight, and support from a principal.
Together, we unite our strengths and expertise to offer a one-of-a-kind program that helps students reach their full potential.
Annie
Retired Principal
Oliver
Former Take a Hike youth
Embedded mental health supports
Each of Take a Hike’s full-time clinicians provides ongoing mental health support for the same small cohort of students, empowering them to develop healthy coping skills and move towards lasting change. These are supports that wouldn’t be available otherwise, that go above and beyond what public school systems can provide.
An evidence-based model
Take a Hike’s evidence-based model is supported by both academic research in child and youth development and more than two decades of Take a Hike student outcomes.
- Embedding mental health support in a school setting minimizes barriers and stigma, while leading to increased school engagement and academic success.
- Land-based learning every week and for 1-2 multi-day trips per year supports mental health and social and emotional development, as well as academic learning.
- A unique class culture and connection to the wider community cultivate a sense of belonging.
Empowering youth to thrive
Each Take a Hike program serves a cohort of 15-25 high school students aged 15-18, depending on the partner’s needs and capacity.
Participants are often struggling with past trauma, mental health challenges, and other complexities, but all see the program as a viable way to change their lives. In each program, an interdisciplinary team of staff work collaboratively to support students’ personal growth and foster a class culture of learning, healing, and growth.
Partnering with Take a Hike
Over the past five years, the number of Take a Hike program locations has tripled. We currently partner with 15 school districts across British Columbia – see our full list of programs here.
Our well-developed process for building partnerships is rooted in deep and collaborative relationships with partners. Every partnership we invest in is unique, and regional Take a Hike Program Managers help ensure each partnership’s ongoing success.
Contact Us!
If you’re a school administrator interested in exploring whether Take a Hike is right for your community, contact us.