Impact happens when young people are given the opportunity to grow, connect, and discover who they are becoming.
Last month, 15 youth from our community participated in two transformative weekends at Tecasy Ranch through Adventure4Change’s Boys and Girls trips. Designed to foster personal growth, leadership, and community connection, the experience gave participants the chance to step away from their daily routines and engage in activities that encouraged learning, reflection, and confidence-building.
Throughout the weekends, youth took part in self-leadership workshops, goal-setting sessions, hiking, crafting, sports, music, and even maple syrup making. While the activities created excitement and fun, the deeper impact came through the relationships and conversations built along the way.
The weekends created intentional space for mentorship, peer connection, and self-discovery. Youth showed openness, courage, and a willingness to grow as they strengthened their identities, built confidence, and developed meaningful support systems with one another.
One powerful example of this impact is Salma’s journey. Years ago, Salma first joined Adventure4Change as a youth participant, navigating many of the same challenges our programs are designed to address. This year, she returned to Tecasy Ranch not as a participant, but as a leader and mentor supporting the next generation of youth. Having lived through similar experiences herself, she now leads with empathy, understanding, and a deep awareness of the barriers many young people face but are not always seen.
For many of our youth, this was their first experience at Tecasy Ranch, making the opportunity even more meaningful as they stepped outside their comfort zones and into an environment that encouraged belonging, leadership, and personal growth.
We are deeply grateful to the staff and volunteers at Tecasy Ranch for creating such a welcoming and enriching experience for our youth.
Together, we continue to invest in the next generation one experience, one conversation, and one moment of growth at a time.