Jake Burton is responsible for plenty of innovations that have brought great joy to people (making killer snowboards is certainly high on that list!) but it’s an event he founded back in 1995 that will probably seal his entry into the pearly gates come Armageddon. Called Chill, it’s a snowboarding camp designed to work as intervention tool for disadvantaged & troubled youth. By plucking them from their negative surroundings and introducing them to the fun-yet-challenging world of snowboarding, the program aims to encourage these kids to rise above their problems by instilling Chill’s key ethos: patience, persistence, respect, courage, responsibility and pride. Since it’s inception in Vermont, Chill has gone on to touch the lives of over 12,000 youth around the world, and Australia is now one of the newest territories to carry on it’s vital work.
Successfully re-introducing the program last winter at Thredbo, Chill Australia ’06 provided twelve young Aussies with all the equipment, transport, kit and instruction needed to tackle the slopes. Backed by Chill U.S. and the Northern Area Central Coast Health Service, Chill’s Australian director, Tim Morris, says he expects numbers of kids involved to grow rapidly in coming years. “Definitely, word is out there. We have had lots of enquiries since Chill 06.” So how are kids chosen to take part in Chill? “They are at-risk youth (14yo -18yo) with drug & alcohol issues,” says Tim, noting the participants are all professionally referred from the NACCHS for this truly trip-of-a-lifetime experience. “Chill changes these kids. By taking them out of their environment, often for the first time, and teaching them a skill they never dreamed they would learn, these young adults have a chance to see what’s possible, and foster a healthy new perspective about themselves and their world.”
So far the program has noted an abundance of positive results with the youth involved, with Chill sometimes even creating a knock-on effect with people within participants’ circle of influence, breaking the extended cycles of problem behaviour of their friends or families.
“Good treatment brings outcomes like an improved attitude towards a healthy lifestyle, often encouraging other family members to access treatment too. One girl’s alcoholic mother was inspired to enter a treatment centre, and this improved the whole family system. The same girl went on to represent Australia in Japan for martial arts, and now trains children!” says Tim.
Wanna find out more about Chill and the amazing work they do? Check
www.burton.com/Chill.aspx