It started to snow Thursday night as dozens of volunteers and generous donors, students and their teachers stepped into snowshoes for a nighttime trek on Mount Seymour in support of Take A Hike.
The sixth annual Midnight Snowshoe raised nearly $54,000 for the adventure-based, alternative education program. A Vancouver police officer brought in more than $3,000 as the largest donation raised by an individual.
The foundation raises close to $350,000 each year through grants and donations for clinical therapists, scholarships and a meal program. The Vancouver school district chips in teachers, youth and family workers and classroom and storage space.
Take A Hike targets teenagers who might not otherwise graduate and mixes outdoor recreation, counselling and classroom learning at John Oliver secondary school.
The nebulous definitions for these students include troubled teens or at-risk youth.
Two students spoke to the crowd and said the self-esteem, discipline and interpersonal skills they learned on canoe trips, mountain climbs and snowshoe excursions like the one we were about to start was the difference between earning a diploma and never graduating from high school.
The difference can mean higher education, career goals, a sense of purpose and feelings of accomplishment. Students who dont earn the important document learn other valuable lessons. Success is relative.
The students I talked to Thursday night while tromping through the snowy woods on a beautiful, quiet night testify to the potential of the program. Typical in many ways, the teens I met were also grateful. Theyre lucky to be challenged by a constructive and respectful public school program that is coveted by many British Columbian students but is otherwise only available as an elite, user-pay course.
The students enrolled in Take A Hike, many who come from immigrant or impoverished Vancouver families, are provided with the essential outdoor equipment they need in order to access the adventure component of the program.
Two weeks ago, Canadas Governor General met with nearly half of the 40 students enrolled in Take A Hike this year. He praised programsaying its success is just remarkableand said Take A Hike could be a model for other school districts across the country.
In the meantime, Take A Hike will expand in B.C. The unplanned announcement was confirmed and organizers will release more details soon.
This is welcome, exciting news.
The school districtsbe it Abbotsford or Trail or Prince George or elsewherethat can offer Take A Hike will achieve nothing short of changing the lives of students.
Twitter: @MHStewart
