The Program
“By listening to people’s stories and telling my own story, I finally found the courage to be happy.” -Bessie Jones, 17, Open Roads (formerly Call Academy) Graduate
A five-week summer adventure for high school students, combining literature and the documentary arts in a highly experiential outdoor environment. Open Roads broadens the horizons for a diverse group of students, with a character-building journey throughout a region of the U.S., documenting the stories of others while learning to tell their own stories.
Open Roads is dedicated to creating educational programs that promote reading, writing, visual expressions, and positive character development for America's youth. This summer, eight high-school students with three trip leaders will embark on a five-week learning adventure.
Open Roads is founded on the firm belief that stories and firsthand experiences are the best teachers the world has to offer.
Curriculum
Cultural Documentary Exploration As we travel thoughout Washington State we will seize the opportunity to interact and connect with its people and history. We will document our visits to the Makah Indian Reservation, the logging town of Forks, and Yakima Valley's rich farmland through photography, video, personal interviews, and our own writing. In the end, the participants will create original documentaries representative of their experiences.
Adventure Travel We will learn the value of connecting with others as we complete multi-day backpacking, river rafting and sea kayaking trips. These trips will provide intense and intimate interpersonal challenges that will help us to understand and practice the qualities of leadership, support, and effective communication.
Literature/Story Open Roads weaves classic and contemporary works of literature into our daily experience as a source for emphasizing the value and importance of our own personal stories, as well as the stories of others. We will read and respond to literature that encourages reflection, both on our own lives as well as on the broad social issues that run a course through the world around us. We will read from the works of Julia Alvarez, Maya Angelou, Raymond Carver, Sherman Alexie, Henry David Thoreau, and a host of others.
Schedule & Application
Orientation
All participants and staff meet in Seattle, Washington, to begin building our community, and to prepare for the journey ahead.
Schedule
July 12th through August 14th
Included in our journey:
Exploring the San Juan Islands
Hiking the cost of the Olympic Penninsula
Visiting the Makah Indian Reservation
Sea Kayaking in Puget Sound
Walking the slopes of Mt. Rainier
Summinting Mt. St. Helens
Seeing and learning about the Yakima Valley
River rafting in the Salmon River
Touring the city of Seattle
Creating digital video
Taking pictures
Interviewing people
Journal writing
Creating original documentary projects
Application Process
Our students are motivated young men and women between the ages of fourteen and eighteen, who are seeking a positive, challenging, and intensely experiential summer learning adventure. There are no academic prerequisites, and, while the physical challenges will be strenuous at times, a strong will is the most important physical conditioning requirement.
Write To Us Today
To receive our application packet, please write to:
SNAP Foundation
220 Orchard Creek Lane
Suite 1024
Rochester, New York 14612
“The words escape me for the effect of the SNAP program. For a community, and a group of young people beset with challenges, ‘possibility’ and ‘hope’ are no longer hollow words students think teachers are trained to pitch.”
-Brian Buckley, Language Arts Teachers, Leupp High School, Navajo Nation, AZ
backpacking, river rafting and sea kayaking trips. These trips will provide intense and intimate interpersonal challenges that will help us to understand and practice the qualities of leadership, support, and effective communication.
