Purpose: Common Ground’s Pathfinders programming, an ideal setting for youth with emotional disturbances, focuses on engaging participants to work successfully as a team, vocalize wants, develop personal assets and self-esteem, and challenges troubled youth to see how their behavior impacts others and has positive and negative consequences.

Accomplished Through: Pathfinders-At Risk utilizes traditional Pathfinders outdoor experiential education programming with special focus on behavioral management. We spend additional time processing participants through behavioral challenges. All behavior during the session is seen as an opportunity for personal and group education and awareness development. We challenge troubled youth to step out of their comfort zones in engaging the activities and offer incentives for demonstrating positive behavioral change.

Audience: Pathfinders-At Risk programs are open to troubled youth groups of all ages. Since 2006, Common Ground has collaborated with the Positive Education Program to provide Pathfinders programming. Common Ground is available to partner with schools and psychiatric treatment centers on Pathfinders-At Risk youth projects.