PHOENIX PROGRAM ALUMNI
“Phoenix was life altering, it opened me up in new ways and showed me parts of myself I didn’t know I had.”
Cascadia Technical Academy Student, 2016-17
Competence, confidence, connection, compassion & character.
The Phoenix Program is an intensive emotional and social development experience for young people ages 15-18 that fosters the outcomes of competence, confidence, connection, compassion and character. Students attend the program with peers and adults from their school, and have the opportunity to connect to one another and themselves through an experiential curriculum that emphasizes vulnerability, growth, reflection, and transformation. The Phoenix program is an opportunity for students of all backgrounds to come together as a community, to break down stereotypes and create relationships across difference, and to reflect on their lives and set intentions for the future.
Full Circle Programs works with individual schools in the Portland Metro area.
Schools select and recruit 20-24 students for each cohort of the Phoenix program. Together, this group of students attends an intensive 3-day weekend at Camp Collins, near Gresham, Oregon, followed by four follow-up sessions and a culminating celebration at their school.
Each of the three days that students spend out at camp is sequenced with detailed intention. The engaging and interactive curriculum includes high energy games and challenges, experiential learning of concepts and tools, reflective conversations, and personal sharing. The flow of the first day builds a foundation of trust and connection through experiences of incremental vulnerability. The second day offers opportunities for participants to reflect on what is no longer working in their lives and learn tools and strategies for doing things differently. The last day focuses on setting intentions for moving forward, as students prepare to return to their lives and implement the lessons from the weekend. The alchemy of these three days creates an experience that participants say is “life-changing” and “one of the best things that has ever happened to me!”
The program continues after the three-day residential experience, with four 2-3 hour follow-up sessions held at students’ school. These sessions offer the opportunity to reconnect with the community of support developed during the weekend, reflect on the triumphs and challenges of integrating the concepts and experiences of the program into their lives, provide tools and create accountability for goals and growth, clarify personal values, and create a personal ‘vision statement’ that creates a touchstone of intention for students moving forward.
PHOENIX PROGRAM ALUMNI
“The Phoenix program is a great opportunity for people to be heard, let go of the negativity of the past, set new goals for the future, and learn to believe in yourself.”
Cascadia Technical Academy Student, 2016-17
Phoenix Program Resources
If you’d like to learn more about the Program, take a look at the resources below. We have many ways to get more involved, for students, educators, parents alike.
Past Program Stories
If you are a parent, interested educator or a Phoenix alum, take a look at some of our recent Phoenix Programs.
