The Project
The Survivor's Outdoor Experience (SOE) is a week-long experience based out of Port Angeles, Washington. The experiences will vary depending on the week the survivor selects. In the pilot year, there will be four weeks from which to choose. It is expected that ten survivors will participate in each week. As SOE grows it will offer programs for various levels of abilities and interests.
The schedule has been organized by the director of SOE in consultation with experts in outdoor experiences. The menu for the week will be slated by a registered dietician/nutritionist who has worked with cancer patients in the past. Meals will be prepared by camp staff and by survivors themselves when on the trail.
There will also be educational presentations for participants throughout the week. SOE has enlisted other experts to provide presentations on yoga, nutrition, physical therapy, and cooking. Our staff includes counselors and motivational personalities. SOE also will offer rewarding sessions of massage and/or energy work.
SOE will be offering programs that include the concept of having a "cancer buddy" during their week. Participants will be matched to a person that shares some of his/her own survivorship issues. If it's possible to say that cancer survivors have a common bond, it's especially true with someone that has been diagnosed with the same type of this potentially deadly disease. This concept will be introduced during BACKPACK week as it is also anticipated that the participants will learn to rely on others, most especially their cancer buddies in this experience.
Family members will also be invited to participate during FAMILY week. This is a great chance to share some quality time with someone that was there when you needed them. For some, it was their spouse, for others another close relative and yet, for some, a close friend. Five survivors will be joined with the person of his/her choice.
Perhaps most important of all, it is anticipated that participants will look at their bodies as something to depend on again, not something that has betrayed them. As they walk a trail, paddle their kayaks and just sit around the campfire, that they will realize their strengths.
Each program will have a natural progression into the next. After their arrival, participants will be greeted with a tasty, healthy meal and get-together programming. From that point on, the schedule will provide programs that will stimulate and educate. Each day will build from the experience of the previous day as everyone grows more excited for the next day.
Goals and Objectives
Survivor’s Outdoor Experience (SOE) is a program that has been designed to provide cancer survivors of all ages with a rewarding outdoor experience. Our goal is to educate participants with a balanced curriculum on subjects related to living a healthy and active lifestyle through a week-long outdoor experience.
The goals of this program are to assist survivors in gaining strength physically, mentally and spiritually; to gain confidence; to increase their awareness of the outdoors; to help them appreciate the natural beauty that the world presents everyday; and to simply appreciate the beauty of life.
A primary SOE objective is to provide the participants with the opportunity to meet other survivors to share and create stories of life, love, and hope. The interaction between the facilitators and participants during the activities will provide exceptional memories and information.
The SOE program is designed with the goal to assist each participant with the means that will allow them to view his/her body as something to depend on again, not something that has betrayed them. As they walk a trail, paddle their kayaks, and just sit around the campfire, it is intended that they realize their strengths.
The ultimate goal is to provide cancer survivors with strength, hope, and a sense of the future; to encourage participants to create a positive personal environment to enjoy life every day.