Positive Youth Development, or PYD, is a simple idea with serious backing:
Young people grow best when they are supported, challenged, trusted, and given meaningful opportunities to contribute.
At Bridgeford Adventures, PYD means we do not design trips that are only about seeing new places. We design experiences that help teens build confidence, independence, character, connection, and real-world life skills.
In other words, the adventure is not just the destination. It is the method.
PYD, as defined by the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs, is an intentional, prosocial approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive; recognizes, utilizes, and enhances young people’s strengths; and promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and furnishing the support needed to build on their leadership strengths.
University of Wisconsin-Madison. Experiential Learning Model (n.d.). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Experiential Learning
Bridgeford Adventures uses the Experiential Learning Model: participants do something meaningful, reflect on what happened, connect it to real life, and apply what they learned.
That might happen during a group conversation after a service project, while reviewing a challenge from the day, or during a quiet reflection after trying something new. Additionally, each night, we reflect on the day as one group.
The goal is not to turn every moment into a lecture.
The goal is to help teens notice what they are learning and carry it home. We take this goal a step further by providing parents a quick one-page debrief guide after the adventure to help you talk with your teen about their experience.