But because EYA believes in the innate goodness of each of these children, they never accept that a child's situation is hopeless or out of their reach. So EYA begins with an individualized treatment plan to identify and resolve each young person's issues, chart their progress and empower them with life-long coping skills. Succeeding in the wilderness lays the groundwork for succeeding in life. The relationships and group dynamics that evolve at camp give freedom to the campers to be themselves, to accept criticism, to help each other an to undertake change. Intense social, educational and recreational activities build self-esteem and encourage teamwork and support for others.
Youth attend school at camp, often catching up and then exceeding all former academic performance.
Community service activities show them how to put their new life skills into action as they put something back into the community. Family involvement and counseling help build that bridge back to home with parenting communications, problem-solving skills and crisis intervention. With their wilderness environment and their core belief in the innate goodness of every child, EYA's camps are quite different from most other treatment programs. Despite the fact that many of the young people who come into EYA's camps have already amassed an extensive rap sheet of offenses, most of them make the Eckerd experience the turning point in their lives. A full year afterwards, nearly seven out of ten of their graduates remain out of trouble with the law.