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NATWC member receives the AEE’s Phil Costello Award
By Jason Brode | March 18, 2009
NATWC Member receives The Association of Experiential Education’s Phil Costello Award
In 2006, The Mid-Atlantic Region of the Association of Experiential Education initiated the Phil Costello Award to honor the memory and spirit of Phil Costello. The Phil Costello Award was initiated to honor those individuals who demonstrate entrepreneurship and zeal in their support and promotion of experiential education. This years award will be presented to Brad Glenn at the upcoming AEE Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference in Northbay, Maryland, March 20-March 22 (www.mid-atlantic.aee.org). Brad Glenn is an employee of NATWC member program, The Diakon Wilderness Center. Brad Glenn has been an employee of Diakon since 2003 as a Wilderness Specialist. In this role, Brad is responsible for developing and maintaining wilderness adventure programming for three programs that serve at risk youth.
In addition, Brad has developed a program called Team Impact to provide team building experiences for populations from the greater community as a way of supporting the overall mission of the center. Brad has designed programs individualized for groups such as church youth groups, alternative education programs, disabled children, college age groups, corporate groups, groups of health care providers and other professional groups. This award highlights Brad’s gift of working autonomously and being responsibile for program development, as well as inspiring others to skillfully use the many experiential tools available in this field. The result is an experience that impacts the way youth and adults feel about themselves, helps them relate positively to others, and facilitates important life lessons. Brad has a rare ability to relate to others, and is an exceptional teacher who inspires others to not only merely use experiential activities, but capitalize on those experiences through the art of processing.
Many positive comments were submitted in support of Brad’s nomination for this award. Rhoda Toperzer, The Supervisor of Diakon’s Clinical Pastoral Education Program wrote:
“I value how Brad is perceptively attentive to dynamics in individuals and groups as a whole. He honors people’s individuality in a manner that facilitates curiosity and respect in themselves and one another. He both adeptly decides and engages others in the process of input and decision making. He is artful in his ability to invite experiences for growth, navigating between providing security and opportunities for learning, development and growth.”
Brad Glenn is an individual that inspires others to reach new heights through experiential education and the growth opportunities that wilderness adventures and challenge activities promote. NATWC would like to congratulate Brad Glenn on receiving The Association of Experiential Education’s 2009 Phil Costello Award.
Phil Costello was an advocate for environmental and experiential education, supporter of outdoor and wilderness programming for inner city youth and a founding member of the A.E.E. Phil began his teaching career at a high school in Trenton New Jersey in the 1960′s and spent his summers helping to build Hurricane Island Outward Bound, becoming one of their first instructors. Phil went on to found Action Bound, an outdoor education program for inner city youth. This program became the catalyst for the formation of Project U.S.E. which Phil founded in 1970. In his later years, Phil established the Baltimore Island Outward Bound Program. On December 11, 2005, Phil Costello lost his year and a half battle with bone cancer.
Topics: Misc | 1 Comment »
March 24th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Brad is an exceptional individual. Not only has he provided his valueable service to groups outside of Diakon, but his skills have also contributed to the development of a positive supportive team oriented environment at the Diakon Wilderness Center. Brad’s abilities are invalueable.