Students Celebrate Their Differences and Find Common Interests In The Trees!

1/19/2016 - Bradenton, Florida: A long-standing partnership between Easter Seals Southwest Florida (ESSWFL) and The Out-of-Door Academy (ODA) has epitomized the very essence of embracing differences. Each year, ODA sophomores and Easter Seals high school students and young adults come together on a project

ODA – some of the nation’s brightest students - are paired with high school students and young adults from Easter Seals who have been diagnosed with physical, cognitive, and/or emotional differences. The objective of the program is to allow time and space for these two groups to explore and understand both their differences and similarities in the hopes that a shared humanity can be realized by the end of their time together. Through the project, the students are asked to focus loosely on a particular topic. This year, the focus has been the topic of challenge.

At the end of the program, the students’ experience is celebrated and represented with a final joint outing. In 2014-2015, students created a gallery of photographs and haikus about their partners. That gallery was on display on the ODA campus, and later became a part of a lobby exhibit at the Manatee Performing Arts Center. It is now on display permanently at Easter Seals SWFL. Last year, the students’ joint project was selected from over 8,000 entries to be displayed in the “Embracing Our Differences” Spring Exhibit hosted by Ringling College of Art & Design in Bayfront Park.

This year, ODA and ESSWFL are excited to celebrate their journey by partnering with TreeUmph! Adventure Course. Located in Bradenton, Florida, TreeUmph! is an elevated adventure course that offers obstacles such as wobbly bridges, swinging logs, and ziplines. The students will climb together at TreeUmph! on Thursday, Jan. 26th from 9:30 am – 1 pm. “We are so excited to host Out-of-Door Academy and Easter Seals Southwest Florida at our park,” said owner Kathy Corr. “The students already have a bond with each other, and we are honored to be able to contribute a way for them to adventure together and to celebrate their differences- all while swinging in the treetops!”

The objective of this partnership is to give the students an opportunity to support and encourage each other through a physical and emotional experience in a safe and organized setting. Giving students from both schools the chance to engage in this way will be a powerful and extraordinary manifestation of their year of exploration. The hope is to create a greater acceptance and appreciation of each other and lifelong memories for all. Whether those memories are made during conversations between the students, or while swinging in the trees together, ODA and Easter Seals students will have an amazing experience while learning to celebrate themselves, their friends, and their differences.