We believe that in addition to good programming, treatment, and education, positive life- changing experiences are crucial to overall change. Our motto is WORK HARD, PLAY HARD. Working hard equates to giving 100% of oneself at all times. Play hard equates to learning and enjoying positive and healthy play when the time is right. It is very important for our students to see you can “get high on life.” We offer many experiences throughout the Triumph program to encourage appropriate, healthy, positive, and safe thrills that can more than replace the negative thrills, “highs,” etc. that were once interfering with your son’s positive progression.
Some of the many experiences we offer include community service, working with and being around animals (retriever care, dog training and competition, visiting ranches and working with cattle, fishing, and horseback riding), hiking, sleigh riding, attending guest lectures and banquets, participating in public workshops/activities, team-building activities, family workshops and activities, and planned expeditions such as scouting through the Boy Scouts of America (Triumph has its own Crew with the Boy Scouts). An annual highlight of the Triumph program is a fishing, sightseeing, and wildlife education expedition to Alaska.
ALASKA:
As a highlight to all of our experiences and adventures we offer an amazing expedition each summer to Alaska. This 10-day event offers deep sea fishing, river fishing on the one and only Kenai River, glacier hikes, bear viewing, sightseeing, hiking, wildlife and nature workshops, delicious Alaskan cuisine, native arts and so much more. This has become an annual occurrence that current and past students participate in along with many of their family members. The spirit of Alaska has become so strong with so many students over the years that several of them have pursued summer employment throughout Alaska and continue their treks each year.
RETRIEVER TRAINING
A very important part of the Triumph Youth Services’ program is a voluntary retriever training program. Triumph students have the opportunity to care for and train registered retrievers. As student can care for and train puppies, juvenile retrievers, and adult retrievers on a daily basis. Training covers socialization, obedience, basic training and advance training. Once a boy becomes competent in retriever training skills, he also has the opportunity to work toward and compete in many national AKC licensed retriever tests and field trials.
Dog care and training is a highly therapeutic process for which students must be approved by Triumph Youth Services clinicians and administrators to participate. Teaching these dogs takes an extreme amount of patience and compassion. The students are assigned daily dog chores and learn various life skills from this program including positive recreation, patience, communication, responsibility, handling frustration, the importance of repeating positive actions/behaviors, fair and positive competition, establishing appropriate relationships and boundaries, accepting NO, dealing with failure, and stick-to-itiveness. This is a huge trust-building exercise and a chance to learn true accountability and responsibility. Also, in many ways, working with retrievers provides an opportunity for a student to experience similar frustrations his parents may have experienced with him.
Studies have shown that spending time with a friendly dog, even for a short time, increases the number of endorphins that are released into the body and decreases the levels of the hormone Cortisol, which controls stress and arousal. Because many teens are in a near constant state of emotional anxiety and/or stress, spending quality time with animals can help them feel calmer and provide motivation.
