IMPACT
After the Kindness Retreat, 91 percent of fourth and fifth graders are more confident to help someone who is being picked on.
Students reported a reduction in unkind actions after the Courage Retreat.
After the Respect Retreat, 83 percent of students show more respect for others who may not share their views.
More educators said they were committed to staying in this profession after the Purpose Retreat.
(Results from independent evaluation of Youth Frontiers retreats. For more evaluation information, download our Evaluation Overview.)
RETREAT STORY
It was the end of a great retreat at Farmington High School, and all of the students had left to go home. Lead Retreat Facilitator, Hannah Tjoflat, was packing up when she saw someone approach — an educator. As the woman neared, Hannah could see she had tears in her eyes.
“You know, you’ve done a lot of thank yous today for the teachers and the students and the leaders, but you haven’t left us time to thank you,” the educator said. “I just want to thank you for the work you do. I want you to know that this work really matters.”
The educator took out her wallet and pulled out a faded card. “This is my courage card from sixth grade,” she said, “and I carry it with me wherever I go.” Years ago, she’d written on the card, “My act of courage is to be more like myself and trust that that’s enough.”
“Know that this greatly impacts the people you work with,” the educator concluded.
“Our students love it. They really do. It’s super fun. We can have fun learning being kind to each other.”
– Bao Vang, Elementary Principal
See what one educator has to say about our retreats.
For more educator testimonials, visit our YouTube channel.
RETREAT STORY
As a participant in his school’s special education program for 18 to 21 year-olds, Kyle has a set daily agenda, but as he passed the Youth Frontiers Courage Retreat for seventh-grade students he immediately wanted to be a part of it. After joining the retreat, things only got better for Kyle.
“He thrived from it. He told me he made lots of friends and that he was invited and expected back the next day for the ninth-grade Respect Retreat,” Kyle’s mom said. “For those two precious days, my boy knew the love he shows others every day was returned to him.”
“When students like Kyle feel appreciated and included, it not only impacts students with disabilities, it impacts all students of all abilities,” said Kyle’s teacher. “Youth Frontiers created a safe and inclusive space for my students to form true relationships.”
