NCJ Number
170837
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 48 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1997) Pages: 187-191
Date Published
1997
Length
5 pages
Annotation
VisionQuest National Ltd. is a residential treatment program for troubled youth based on Native American philosophy and ceremony.
Abstract
In VisionQuest an integrated, high-quality education program is provided in conjunction with the treatment program. It addresses youth education and treatment needs in one integrated setting. The traditions and ceremonies of VisionQuest are borrowed from Native American culture, and youth participate in a number of ceremonies, including the circle, the pipe ceremony, patting with feathers, the smudge ceremony, the talking feather circles, and the sweat lodge ceremony. Each ceremony has a particular symbolic meaning, but all ceremonies are used as positive rites-of-passage to replace the negative behavior that students have formed. VisionQuest offers a continuum of services that give each juvenile a unique set of experiences. All youth begin the program at an orientation camp, where a multidisciplinary team develops an individualized, integrated treatment and education plan for each student. After completing the orientation curriculum (4 to 5 weeks), youth are transferred to an impact camp. Students typically spend 3 to 4 months in an impact camp, where they begin to work on their treatment and education goals and begin to understand their behavior and past actions. After successful completion of the impact camp curriculum, students have several options, including a quest camp, Buffalo Soldier program, and/or a wagon train. The quest camp is an 8-week experience in which the students train in a military setting and then participate in several wilderness activities. The Buffalo Soldier program is based on the 9th and 10th Cavalry of the U.S. Army. Students learn about the Buffalo Soldiers through re-enactments and performing at public schools to help prevent violence and drug abuse. The wagon train travels across the country with covered wagons, horses, and mules. Youth live and work in this moving community, traveling approximately 15 miles each day and setting up camp in the early afternoon. Almost all students in VisionQuest achieve success in school. Success is currently measured by a quarterly assessment study that shows the percentage of students passing all of their classes. Students who fail one or more classes are targeted by administrative staff to provide a positive plan that helps them succeed. 12 references