The Castle Rock Institute for Adventure and Humanities studies is a wildrness program for students in the United States.

Community Learning (a new concept that claims students are better learners when they are members of a supportive community) is central to the wilderness programs at the Castle Rock Institute. We sponsor college wilderness programs that combine a range of outdoor adventure activities, cultural experiences, and university-level courses in the Humanities.

S'mores and more!

Each Castle Rock program accommodates only 8-12 students at a time, and with four professors and numerous support staff, students enjoy an incredibly personal experience. They know that their personal needs are taken seriously and that they can receive exactly the kind of encouragement and guidance they may require. This kind of intimacy, combined with significant time outdoors, provides a fantastic opportunity for self-reflection and growth. It offers many ways to examine and discuss what assumptions and concerns a student has, and to do so in the context of a caring community of peers. Gaining this kind of self-awareness leads quite naturally to increased self-esteem and confidence, and ordinarily propels students to new levels of achievement.

Travel and Learning

Some of our programs take students to Australia and New Zealand for a cross-cultural perspective, thereby providing an experience of international travel as well. Similarly, we have a special program dedicated to the notion of "leadership," and designed to reflect upon and practice principles guiding what it means to be a good leader. All of our programs offer a diversity of experience, but all in service of encouraging students to bring out the best in themselves- finding their real selves, and being proud of their talents and accomplishments. This is a unique wilderness programs offering.

Students read, write and discuss almost every day, just as they enjoy a wide range of group outdoor adventure activities. From reading Plato to kayaking, from writing an essay about nature poetry to rock climbing, from arguing about animal rights to backpacking- life at Castle Rock is exciting. The wilderness programs at the Institute strive to balance and integrate scholarship and adventure, and believe that doing so make extraordinary contributions to both.

When a student becomes disenchanted with school, begins to question why going to college is "worth it," and consequently has low motivation and perhaps failing grades, a change from ordinary college is often exactly what's needed. For a number of reasons, many college-aged students simply have trouble succeeding in traditional college settings and would benefit greatly from a more personal, integrated, and meaningful kind of learning environment. The Castle Rock Institute provides exactly this kind of therapeutic program. It provides college students and their families an opportunity to revive enthusiasm for learning, build inter-personal skills, and live a balanced life of personal, intellectual and physical challenges and rewards. It is for most, a life-changing experience.

The Castle Rock Institute is an outdoor adventure education organization that offers residential outdoor programs for college students. It recognizes that being a college student is not always easy, and that for many students, college life or simply trying to make it on a university campus leads to a whole range of problems. When a student has trouble adjusting to college, is burned out, or perhaps has lost interest in being at school, the Castle Rock programs can offer a real and beneficial alternative. Our programs are designed to address the needs of college students as they face the possibility of dropping out (or flunking out!) because they have had difficulty finding the right school, been distracted by personal or social pressures, or suffered from low academic achievement, poor grades, or performing far below their potential. The Castle Rock programs, with their attention to the individual needs of every student, are ideally suited help troubled college students.

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(c) Copyright 2006 Castle Rock Institute
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