Adirondack Leadership Expeditions is a character-development wilderness program for troubled teens that promotes personal growth through a focus on insight-oriented experiences. The forested, mountainous setting removes urban distractions and simplifies options to help students gain insight into their core values and accept responsibility for their choices. Our wilderness program's nurturing approach helps participants address personal issues, achieve success in a safe environment, and develop their leadership potential. Wilderness programs for troubled teens serve as excellent alternatives to boot camps, providing professionally supervised environments in which students can build the skills to engage in healthy relationships, develop critical thinking skills, and dramatically increase their self-worth.



Adirondack specializes in helping teenagers (ages 13 to 17) who are experiencing or exhibiting any of the following: entitlement, manipulation, family conflict, isolation, low self-esteem, substance use, defiant behavior, attention deficit, learning differences, school failure, and negative peer relationships.



ALE is not intended to serve adjudicated youth, and has no state contracts to do so. The program does not accept students who are a risk to themselves or others, exhibit habitual patterns of violence outside of the home, or who need drug detoxification.