Hull: Local youth programs offer leadership development in the outdoors

The adults’ encouragement kept the Scouts moving up the trail, even through the day’s toughest challenges. Scouts as young as 10 and 11 years old, male and female, some on their first camping trip without mom or dad, pushed ahead. This was a strenuous hike, made more difficult by the unexpected snow squalls which moved into the area that morning.

Returning home, one Scout told her mom, “It was snowing so hard we couldn’t see! We had to duck into caves to wait out the wind a couple times.” But they kept going. They made it.

Outdoor-oriented groups with a focus on youth leadership development can be found across Southwest and central Virginia. While speaking with some of these outdoor educators and volunteers in the Roanoke region, I noticed a trend. They continually mentioned that their participants are having fun while developing important skills such as teamwork, responsibility, and decision-making, while also building confidence in their own abilities to tackle hard situations both at home and in the outdoors.

Dina Imbriani, owner of Mountain Shepherd Adventure School in Catawba, recognizes that, because of the high pressure that can come with trying new things, confidence-building can be a messy process.

Working with girls in middle and high school, her summer GEMS camp is designed to enable campers to feel comfortable and confident in the outdoors. Imbriani explains, “Our GEMS way is to encourage confidence and compassion, to encourage campers to have the courage to live their lives to the fullest. We help them test their comfort zones.” In a recent interview, Imbriani’s face lit up as she told me about one camper who, as she puts it, was the epitome of courage. “She was scared to do most of the activities at camp that year, but she kept forging ahead and trying things out anyway. I stayed with her. I told her, ‘Look what you’re doing!’ And she was doing it. She was scared, but she was doing it anyway.” She says, “If a 13-year-old girl can do it, I need to make sure I continue to push myself past my comfort zones, too.”

For youth participants, the confidence and satisfaction that come with pushing themselves in the outdoors also carries over into life at home. Kara Newbill, a member of Scouts BSA Troop 158 in Blacksburg, completed the fifty mile High Knoll trek on the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation during the summer of 2019. Then came COVID-19. Kara said to her mother one day during the early days of the pandemic, “Mom, sometimes I really get overwhelmed with school and think I cannot possibly get everything done. But then I remember I hiked 50 miles. I can do that.”

Phyllis Newbill believes that the confidence her daughter gains in her outdoor adventures is golden. “Confidence is inherently a part of leadership. You can’t do leadership without confidence.”

Jon Guy Owens is a volunteer with RVD Gravity, a local youth mountain biking team. In this sport, youth participants’ decisions must be made at higher speeds, which leads to self-empowerment and confidence in their ability to make the right decision at the right time. According to Owens, “That kind of self confidence is super transferable. Their ability to assess risk and still find the bravery to move forward is a huge aspect and puts these kids in a different place.”

Structured outdoor activities like Scouting, GEMS camp, and mountain biking are helping Roanoke Valley youth develop team building skills, gain confidence, and learn how to make solid decisions. In participating with other youth, participants learn to rely on each other. They build each other up. They learn to communicate outside of texts, Snapchats, and filters. Above all, the participants learn valuable relational skills, which they will carry with them for life.

According to Pete Eshelman, director of the Roanoke Outside Foundation, “It’s about taking people out of their comfort zones and pushing their boundaries, which gives youth the chance to succeed in future leadership roles.”