Pathways to HOPE Project
The Pathways to HOPE Project (Pathways) builds on the nationally recognized work of Camp HOPE America by creating a year-round program for 100 children and teens (ages 11-17) from Imperial and San Diego Counties.
The goal of Pathways is to mitigate the impacts of trauma on children and teens with high Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Scores through holistic year-round programming and mentorship. While attending Camp HOPE America during the summer, each Pathways participant will be in a HOPE Circle with 10-12 peers and two Counselors. At camp, each HOPE Circle participates in activities including white water rafting, tubing, zip lining, field games, high and low ropes courses, music and the arts, and much more!
After children and teens return from camp, they will select an Affinity Group with whom they will participate in monthly activities throughout the year, alongside Counselors and Adult Staff mentors. The goal of these activities will be to help them focus on achieving goals for their lives while exposing them to knowledge and experiences associated with nature, college prep, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). Our central goal is that through Pathways, we can change the future of children that would otherwise very likely be subjected to lives of perpetuated violence, incarceration, substance abuse, and other dysfunctions.
We believe that the innovative approach of combining the power of Camp HOPE America’s summer program with year-round mentoring and educational activities can create pathways to hope for children who need it most. The anticipated outcomes include increased HOPE Scores, improvements in self-regulation, esteem and efficacy, consistent child and parental engagement, improved school performance, increased interest in college and vocational programs, increased knowledge of a variety of career options, and improved emotional health and well-being.
The University of Oklahoma is conducting an evaluation study of the Pathways to HOPE Project including benchmarking each child’s ACE Scores and their initial HOPE Scores. The research design has been reviewed by the Institutional Review Board of OU’s Hope Research Center and we anticipate publication of the outcomes of Pathways within two years.
To download our one-page information flyer, click here.
