Santa Fe Mountain Center Receives International Honor

Santa Fe, N.M.—The Santa Fe Mountain Center (SFMC) has been selected as the Association for Experiential Education’s (AEE) organizational member of the year. AEE is a nonprofit, professional membership association dedicated to the promotion and support of experiential education and has over 1500 members in 35 countries.

Dr. Nina Roberts, assistant professor of Recreation, Tourism and Parks at San Francisco State University, wrote in here nomination letter:
“They have touched the lives of thousands of people, young and old, giving many of their clients something to hope for during times of uncertainty and despair. Even the healthiest participants – across the program spectrum – credit SFMC for providing them with new ways of thinking and being in the world. The SFMC exemplified social justice and constantly strives for social change by Mountain Center will soon be celebrating 30-years as one of this nation’s premiere experiential education programs.”

The Santa Fe Mountain Center is the only nationally accredited therapeutic adventure program in New Mexico, and has been providing programming for the most underserved populations in the state since 1979. The methodologies applied represent an alternative to traditional educational and therapeutic approaches which tend to be conducted in comfortable institutional settings. SFMC creates learning experiences that include elements of adventure, community/civic engagement, education and challenge. Seventy five percent of the programming is focused on vulnerable youth through the Therapeutic Adventure Program (TAP). This program serves adjudicated youth, survivors of sexual, physical or emotional abuse, substance abusers, youth at risk of entering the system, youth in treatment, and displaced youth from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures. Socially and culturally sensitive applications have been developed for specific youth populations including Native American and LGBTQA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Straight Allied) youth who have amongst the highest rates of suicide and drug abuse nationally. The balance of the curriculum focuses on adult and family services for trauma survivors, those at risk or affected by HIV/AIDS, and harm reduction services for intravenous drug users.

Developed through years of research and evaluation, SFMC programs are rooted in the Experiential Adventure-Based Resiliency Model© which focuses on building social competencies, positive values, and positive identity development. Adventure-based activities such as hiking, rock climbing, rafting, ropes courses, group problem solving challenges, and community mobilization activities, engage clients in a manner that integrates mind, body and spirit and have proven to be powerful vehicles for developing a sense of self worth, responsibility, and connection to community and the natural world. SFMC also endorses and is part of the No Child Left Inside Movement as they have been connecting children and adults to the wonders of the natural world since their inception.

From the early 1980’s SMFC became known for innovative applications of experiential education and adventure therapy consistently receiving recognition for their ground breaking work. “You’re in a territory that no other organization in the field is in right now, reaching out with applications of adventure programming that were unheard of.” stated Dr. Mike Gass, Dean of the Kinesiology at the UNH, during a recent AEE re-accreditation of the center. “The legacy that you are leaving continues to leave a huge broad wake in the field that is affecting other organizations. In many ways you lead the field and people recognize that. They’re watching you and want to know what you’re doing because what you do positively affects other people.” he added.

Addressing pressing social issues facing specific New Mexico populations that others have shied away from has been a distinguishing attribute of the organization. Examples of such programming include: Emergence, a Native youth leadership initiative which integrates experiential education, environmental awareness and community mobilization to provide Native youth with culturally sensitive tools for addressing community challenges; Climbing Up, Climbing Out /GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) Network which focuses on positive identity, resiliency skills, empowerment, and community support for LGBTQA youth; The Anti-Bullying Initiative, a program designed in response to requests from local teachers to promote healthy peer relationships and create more caring and safe school communities that enhance learning opportunities for all students; Adventure Out, a pioneering HIV prevention program which utilizes experiential education and wilderness adventure for personal empowerment with a focus on healthy decision making; Positive Adventures, a program created to encourage people living with HIV/AIDS to maintain a positive outlook, continue living fulfilling lives and engage in community; and Harm Reduction Services where intravenous drug users in Rio Arriba County (which has the highest heroin overdose rate per capita in the U.S.) receive food, health education, treatment information and needle exchange to reduce the spread of Hepatitis C and HIV.

“You have a strong and vocal stance on social justice. You live social justice issues everyday and this permeates the very fiber of these walls, the people who work here, and the people who come here.” shared Dr. Mike Gass. “You can’t hide these programs like Climbing up Climbing Out, and Adventure Out and say that’s for our folks here that we work with.” he stated emphatically. “You need to share it with others because what you have achieved in these types of programs is so very, very important. So many efforts to clients that need services like these are in communities that are just afraid, and they don’t know how to go about achieving greatness like you have. So if you can take what you have produced and put fear to the side so that people who are genuinely underserved can really feel empowered – that is really something of a treasure you can present to other people.” he added.

SFMC’s innovative programming is producing significant, measurable results with requests for replication in other states. Invitations to present at national conferences have been frequent over the years and increasing as of late. Last month, Martin Walker and Kahlo Benavidez, of the Adventure Out HIV prevention program shared strategy and powerful outcomes of the unique approach at the largest U.S. HIV/AIDS conference. Next month the Harm Reduction program coordinator, Sheilah Galer, will be presenting at the National Harm Reduction conference in Miami, and also in November, several staff will be presenting at the National AEE conference in Vancouver, B.C. where SFMC will be acknowledged with this prestigious recognition. “Receiving the AEE Organization of Year award means so much to us, as we have worked so hard to be a responsive community resource as well as a program that sets high standards for the field of Experiential Education. We feel humbled and proud.” shares Executive Director, Sky Gray.

The Santa Fe Mountain Center is a 501(c)3 organization located in Tesuque, New Mexico, and provides services to clients statewide. They are dedicated to promoting personal discovery and social change among youth, families and groups through the use of creative learning experiences in wilderness, community, and cultural environments. The center regularly holds access lunches where community members can come and observe first hand the powerful interactions that participants experience. Please contact them at 505-983-6158 for future dates.