The teens, ranging in age from 14 to 17, will assemble at 9 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 16, at Outward Bound, Five Rivers base camp, located at 265 Young St. in Fairhope, before heading to the Mobile-Tensaw Delta for their canoeing, camping and teambuilding excursion.

According to Lynn Yonge M.D., Outward Bound Five Rivers’ medical director, school guidance counselors chose the students based on their risk of dropping out of school.

“These are not bad kids, but they have a greater chance of leaving school early because of factors such as truancy, learning disabilities, low esteem and motivation, drug and alcohol use or family discord.”

Yonge said the Impact 100 grant specifically targets high school freshmen and sophomores because statistics show teens completing ninth grade have a greater chance of graduating.

“The wilderness experience teaches young adults the accountability and responsibility they need to complete school,” he said.

The program will run 10 days, Yonge said, eight days in the Delta, followed by two days at base camp for workshops with the students and their parents.

During the program, Outward Bound staff members will work with students and families to understand the root of their problems. Once back home, Outward Bound connects participants with other Baldwin County support systems and programs, designed to help kids stay in school. Four counselers will accompany the students on the trip while four additional staff members remain at base camp making sure the group in the field has everything they need.

In October, Impact 100 Baldwin County awarded Outward Bound, a United Way of Baldwin County agency, $150,000 to take 150 at-risk teens into the wilderness. The course is free but students undergo a screening process to determine if they are eligible and teens must be physically fit and motivated and to change their lives.

Yonge started the Outward Bound Five Rivers program in the spring of 2006. To date, nearly 500 students have completed the program. He said that, if the student is willing, the staff will continue to mentoring on an informal basis. Yonge said they had been operational long enough to begin to collect data on the long-term effects of participation in the program.

“We have the most information on two groups of kids who completed the program and stayed in follow-up care for a month; 85 percent remained in school and out of trouble for one year,” he said. The percentage dropped to 65 percent for those who were referred to the program by the court system.

There are still spaces available in the program. Outward Bound is seeking referrals from schools, community agencies, juvenile probation officers and concerned individuals. To refer a student, contact Stephanie Larson, Outward Bound Five Rivers’ intake coordinator at 251-990-0323 or slarson@outwardbound.org.