Activities are scheduled at each TreeHouse.
These are times for the kids to come together and have fun outside
of the regularly scheduled program times. The activities are social
times where staff and youth get out and have a great time. A day
at an amusement park, playing football, going fishing or snowboarding
are just a few examples of TreeHouse activities.
Check the Activities Calendar at a TreeHouse location...
Bloomington
Brooklyn Park
Chaska
Minnetonka
New Hope
Plymouth
Going Deeper meets at each TreeHouse on Thursday
evenings from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Transportation is provided.
This program was set up to meet the developing
spiritual and personal skills that youth need to be successful in
life. Games, skits, lyrics, movie clips and teaching are all part
of the fun of Thursday nights. Staff members use the TeenHope curriculum,
which is based on the assets of the Search Institute, to develop
each evening’s activities.
One-to-ones are meetings between a TreeHouse
staff member and a youth. These meetings usually occur after school.
One to ones allow the staff and youth to build a relationship that
would not be possible in a group setting. Youth are more comfortable
sharing some issues when they are not in a group. One to ones may
find the pair at a fast food restaurant, a sporting event, a park
or any place the youth and staff agree upon. For many of our kids,
this is one of the best parts of our program because they have a
safe, caring adult all to themselves.
Support groups meet at each TreeHouse on Tuesday
evenings from 7:00 PM until 8:30 or 9:00 PM depending upon the schedule
at your TreeHouse. Transportation is provided.
During support group, youth will ‘check-in’. Kids say
their name, rate how their week is going and give one or two words
to describe how they are feeling right at the moment. Support group
provides a safe environment where youth can give and receive support
surrounding important issues in their life. Participation is voluntary,
but usually attendance at support group indicates a willingness
to be actively involved in the discussion.
Youth learn that they are not alone in dealing
with any issue. There is always someone who can relate to what is
going on in another group member’s life. Kids learn how to
support someone else in need. They come to realize that they are
lovable, capable and worthwhile. They find out that support group
is a place where they are always listened to and what they say matters
to others.
Everyone needs to know that they have something
to offer the world. Service projects allow each youth to experience
first-hand the satisfaction of helping another person. Through these
experiences our youth discover new ways to use their talents. Whether
the opportunity is close to home or across the country, the TreeHouse
program offers our kids opportunities to serve others. Painting
someone’s home, running a vacation Bible school, or spending
time with the elderly are all examples of service projects that
are done at each TreeHouse. Past participants will tell you that
theses trips have changed their life.
Retreats are scheduled four times a year for
each TreeHouse. Retreats are held on the weekends. Time away from
a youth’s regular schedule allows for reflection and often
results in seeing situations in a different light. Retreats allow
staff to “bulk up” time with the kids. By spending an
extended period of time together, new lines of communication often
open. Retreats always have a theme that allows kids to decide whether
or not they want to participate. Food and fun are a part of every
retreat.
