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The primary purpose of NATWC is to support the establishment and continuation of therapeutic wilderness camping organizations; with the attendant responsibility to educate the public as to the existence of such organizations and their success in helping troubled young people change their lives for the better.

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INTRODUCTION/GENERAL INFORMATION

Dear Colleague: Winter/Spring 2009

On February 23, 2009, the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2009 was overwhelmingly approved in the House by a bipartisan vote of 295 – 102  and is now awaiting action in the Senate.  Given the current issues Congress and the Administration are grappling with, it is not clear how soon the Senate will take up this measure.  It is clear that passage of this Act will affect the way we all do business in the field of Therapeutic Wilderness Camping.  This Act has clearly brought our industry in to the forefront in ways that none of us could have envisioned and has represented our industry in some of the worst possible terms in order to make a political point while ignoring the many highlights of the outdoor programing industry.  Now that we are in the forefront of this debate how will we represent ourselves as standing up against “child abuse in Residential Programs for teens” and at the same time standing up for what we know to be life giving, life saving, and life changing program experiences?

The National Association of Therapeutic Wilderness Camping holds the view that their are many positives for our industry now that we are a part of this debate.  In a letter written last fall to Representative George Miller, Chair of the Committee on Education and Labor, NATWC expressed support for continued oversight for the outdoor education and therapy industry. However, we do not feel that this Act that has been passed by the House, is the answer. Programs must continue to work harder to insure client’s and their families’ physical and emotional safety. Programs also need to dialog around “Best Practice” to ensure that outcomes are real and sustainable.

NATWC has created the National Wilderness Counselor Certification, the only nationally recognized certification specifically for counselors in the field of wilderness therapy. It is a primary mission of NATWC to provide both the standards for best practices among wilderness counselors and the recognition they deserve as professionals in a challenging and effective field.

In the spirit of “Best Practice”, The National Association of Therapeutic Wilderness Camping submits that the issues of industry regulation, program accreditation, and practitioner credentialing must be embraced by vested organizations as well as individual practitioners. Those vested parties must step forward to insure that industry representatives are “at the table” when discussions and decisions pertinent to the industry are undertaken. The importance of marketing our successes is critical to the relative health of this industry. NATWC offers one “piece of this pie” specific to practitioner credentialing, through the National Wilderness Counselor Certification, as one step toward Best Practice.

In light of the current challenges our industry is facing, I would like to invite you to become a member, corporate, individual, student or corporate sponser of NATWC.

The National Association of Therapeutic Wilderness Camping continues to be a low cost way of staying connected with the industry wide picture.

NATWC’s annual training conference is still one of the most efficient ways of supplementing your staff’s training needs.  Your staff will return from the yearly conference with new skills, new contacts, and a renewed energy to face the daily challenges of outdoor programing.  We are working on regional meetings to meet the needs of our member programs and expanding our outreach in on-site training.

The National Association of Therapeutic Wilderness Camping membership includes:

The NATWC Board and staff continue to carry the torch, representing our mission, and communicating the successes that so often go unannounced! Now more than ever, as colleagues in the outdoor programming industry we need the power of community!

I hope you join us in this effort!

Should you have any questions, please let us know.

Sincerely,
Jason Brode
Membership Chair

NATWC
PO Box 593
Davis WV 26260

Please click HERE to download a printable membership application.

Thank you for considering membership in NATWC. We were established in the early nineties to represent the field of therapeutic camping and to enhance practice through training conferences and increased contact/networking by organizations and practitioners. Our annual training conference has consistently been well attended and offers topics pertinent to individual practitioners at all levels. Additionally, we have established a counselor recognition program which documents the skills and experience of outdoor counselors at the Counselor, Senior Counselor and Master Counselor levels.

To join, simply down load the application and when completed, mail it and the applicable membership fee to the address provided at the end of the application. Once processed you will receive confirmation of your membership, a membership certificate and a membership decal. Additionally, you will be listed on our web site as a member.
For additional information or questions, feel free to contact Rick McClintock, at natwc@qcol.net or, if by mail, NATWC, PO Box 593, Davis, WV 26260.

NATWC PURPOSE/MISSION

The National Association of Therapeutic Wilderness Camps, Inc. was formally established at the first annual conference held in Black Mountain, North Carolina in May of 1994. Since then NATWC has worked to solidify the field, raise public awareness about the effectiveness of outdoor therapeutic treatment with troubled youth, promote high standards of care, and provide training opportunities for those in the field. Each year since being founded, NATWC has organized an annual training conference which is attended by individuals working in wilderness/outdoor programs from all over the country. Many organizations use the training workshops provided at the conference as a significant part of the staff training and development programs for their staff.

The primary purpose of NATWC is to support the establishment and continuation of Therapeutic Wilderness Camping organizations, with the attendant responsibility to educate the public as to the existence of such organizations and their success in helping troubled young people change their lives for the better.

Our main goals are as follows:

  1. Advocate on behalf of Therapeutic Wilderness Camping organizations, which in turn serve and develop resources for youth and their families.
  2. Foster public awareness of the success Therapeutic Wilderness Camping systems have achieved in directly helping youth to change their lives for the better.
  3. Promote standards for all aspects of Therapeutic Wilderness Camping organizations.
  4. Provide resources for technical assistance, shared training and shared resources.
  5. Encourage mutual support among Therapeutic Wilderness Camping organizations and other interested support groups.
  6. Actively promote and support the development of standards, which validate and promote direct care staff professionalism.

We invite you to consider joining our growing and dynamic organization. All application materials are posted on the NATWC web site.

Please click HERE to download a printable membership application.