Girl Scout Badgefest hosted by NorthStar Adventure at Dutch Springs

NorthStar Adventure Announces Badgefest 2009
Highly coveted dog mushing fun patch to be offered!

August 20, 2009 – Bethlehem, PA. Girl Scouts from as far away as Connecticut are expected at the first annual Girl Scout Badgefest hosted by NorthStar Adventure at Dutch Springs. Planned for the weekend of November 13-15th this three day event is sure to become a highlight for young girls as they work towards their badge requirements. “The girl scouts love coming here,” said Kari Hunyadi, lead facilitator at NorthStar Adventure. “We get calls everyday asking what new badge can they get? ” “This weekend will give the girls a chance to earn multiple badges, meet new friends and celebrate scouting,” Hunyadi added.

One of the more popular programs being offered is the Dog Mushing Fun Patch. NorthStar is one of the few places in the country that offers such a program. With five dogs on staff, the girls get to experience the unique leadership and loyalty displayed by the same breed of dogs that race in the Iditarod.

Other badges offered that weekend include: Adventure Sports, Earth Connections, Finding Your Way, First Aid, Wildfire, Your Outdoor Surroundings, Creative Solutions, High Adventure IP, and Orienteering IP.

Girl Scout Troops and individuals are required to check-in Friday night and after settling into camp and a good night’s sleep the badgefest begins in earnest Saturday morning. A BBQ dinner complete with Smores is included on Saturday night. Scout fee is $100 and each adult is $20.00. For more information and to register visit NorthStar Adventure’s website – www.northstaradventure.com
NorthStar Adventure at Dutch Springs offers facilitated team building and leadership programs for corporations, executive boards, universities, schools, churches, sports teams and organizations around the Lehigh Valley. Dutch Springs is a 100 acre facility offering Scuba diving in their 50 acre lake, a water amusement park equipped with inflatable attractions and the Sky Challenge a 34 ft. high ropes adventure course and rock wall. For more information visit www.dutchsprings.com or call 610-759-2270.

Nothing builds a Team Like a Nose Dive

FORGET playing paintball. Companies are sending staff to experience a plane crash in simulators run by British Airways as the ultimate team-building exercise.
For £130 a head, employees are taken to a hangar at Heathrow where they board a shortened version of a Boeing 737 mounted on a motion platform.
After “takeoff”, they are plunged into darkness and put into a nose-dive from 3,000ft as the cabin begins to fill with smoke.
Once the plane has hit the ground, the “passengers” have to get out as fast as they can through the front and rear exits. By this stage, the employees are so pumped up that on three separate occasions businessmen have shorn through a half-inch steel bolt by hand so as to lift a 45lb overhead escape hatch and climb onto the plane’s wing.

This goes to show you what some companies will go through to build high performing teams. I recommend a day of Community Building with NorthStar Adventure at Dutch Springs. They will not only get you blood pumping, but will open the lines of communication in your organization, offer trust building opportunities and perform pre & post behavioral assessments to enhance the experience. Visit www.northstaradventure.com to learn more.

NorthStar Adventure Teams up with Lehigh Valley GrandPrix to Deliver High Powered Team Building Training

Area leaders in experiential teambuilding provide full day of leadership development and fun!
January 13, 2009, 2008 – Bethlehem, PA. Companies have known for a long time that having a strong leadership team in place is the key to weathering tough economic times. Delivering memorable and coachable moments that create high performing teams has been the business of NorthStar Adventure at Dutch Springs and Lehigh Valley Grand Prix since their inceptions. Now the two adventure training specialists are teaming up to provide a fun, fast-paced day of experiential education with their 2009 Survive, Thrive and Drive teamwork development sessions.
The new teamwork development sessions are designed especially for Star teams. Star teams are recognized as the best of the best performing teams in an organization. These teams generally deliver 80% of the results of a given department or business unit and are asked to deliver more with less during these tough economic times. The teamwork development sessions will focus on increasing teamwork, communications, trust and identify strengths and weaknesses of the organization.
Each teamwork development session will consist of a full day of facilitated teambuilding exercises, complete with pre and post workplace assessments. The first half of the day, teams are led through a series of customized challenges designed to deliver on pre-determined goals. The second half of the day participants take to the race track and get to experience the thrill of racing at 45 miles per hour in formula one-style race cars. “This type of Peak Adventure is very popular within today’s highly competitive workplace,” commented Jason Chartrand, Director of NorthStar Adventure. “Many of our adventure challenge course alumni are planning to get behind the wheel,” he added.
The full day program takes place at Lehigh Valley Grand Prix’s state of the art racing facility. According to Mike McCreary, “LVGP has ignited new energy in over 200 companies in its first 18 months of operation. Give your team the adrenaline rush they need to propel them to the next level,” he added. The racing facility offers a training room, separate dining and social area, in addition to the race track. Program fees begin at $300 per person for a full day of training and lunch, and can be reserved by calling either NorthStar Adventure at Dutch Springs 610-759-2270 or Lehigh Valley Grand Prix at 610-432-RACE. Additional information can be found at http://www.northstaradventure.com/ and http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com/.
NorthStar Adventure at Dutch Springs offers facilitated team building and leadership programs for corporations, executive boards, universities, schools, churches, sports teams and organizations around the Lehigh Valley. Dutch Springs is a 100 acre facility offering Scuba diving in their 50 acre lake, a water amusement park equipped with inflatable attractions and the Sky Challenge a 34 ft. high ropes adventure course and rock wall. For more information visit http://www.northstaradventure.com/ or call 610-759-2270.
Lehigh Valley Grand Prix (LVGP) is a great place to break barriers and build relationships while having fun in a recreational but challenging environment. Whether you’re on the race track or in the workplace, it is important to develop a strong and cohesive team. Race teams devise a strategy, learn the most effective driving line, overcome race obstacles and work together to achieve victory.

Under close LVGP supervision, we now offer an afternoon of team building for your department, company or organization. Start with lunch at the track, get your team assignments, prepare for an endurance race and role play a situational race experience. Take advantage of this opportunity to organize an exciting and memorable event that your staff can truly look forward to. For more info call 610-432-RACE or visit http://www.lehighvalleygrandprix.com/.

NorthStar Adventure, Bethlehem PA, to offer Olweus Bullying Prevention Training to area Schools

Jason Chartrand, Director NorthStar Adventure receives Olweus Bullying Prevention Training Certification

NorthStar Adventure to provide bullying prevention training to area schools.

December 10, 2008 Bethlehem, PA - Every seven minutes a schoolchild is bullied. Adults intervened in 4 percent of those situations, and peers intervened 11 percent of the time, leaving 85 percent of incidents with no intervention at all (U.S. Justice Department).
Bullying is one of the most difficult issues students face. Even with a school’s best efforts, students may still experience bullying in classrooms, school hallways, the lunchroom and the playground or athletic fields. Bullying can affect the safety and wellbeing of the entire student population.

Jason Chartrand, Director of NorthStar Adventure at Dutch Springs in Bethlehem, recently attended a 3-day training program to become a certified instructor and facilitator for the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. NorthStar Adventure plans to offer the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program to the area schools, to assist them in meeting the new amendment of the school code that requires all Pennsylvania public school districts to adopt a bullying prevention policy by the start of 2009.

“The Olweus Bullying program compliments our experiential-based teambuilding offerings, said Chartrand. “An important role in reducing bullying in schools is empowering the entire school population, teachers, administrators, parents and students, with the tools to recognize and confront bullying at the onset. If we empower everyone to lead and be proactive, we can reduce the fear of being bullied and that will provide for a better learning environment for everyone, he added.

“The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is the most researched and best-known bullying prevention program available today” commented Mary Dolan, PA Safe Schools Coordinator. “Jason has joined the largest cadre of trainers in the nation with Pennsylvania boasting 100 certified personnel statewide, Dolan added.

The Olweus Bullying Prevention program is a school-based initiative designed to prevent and/or reduce bullying in elementary, middle and junior high schools. Designed by Dr. Dan Olweus from Norway, this program has been designated by the Center for Safe Schools as a successful program to combat bullying in our schools. The Center for Safe Schools is recognized as the go-to organization for bullying in school prevention.
The Center for Safe Schools, through a unique partnership with the Highmark Foundation, its Healthy High 5 Initiative, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, offers the availability of grants for Pennsylvania schools to address the serious issue of bullying. The Center for Safe Schools administers an initiative called PA CARES (Creating an Atmosphere of Respect and Environment for Success). This initiative helps schools implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) to address bullying and provide safe and nurturing learning environments. Questions about the Olweus Program and PA CARES Initiative: Mary Dolan, Safe Schools Coordinator E-mail: mailto:mdolan@csc.csiu.org?subject=PA%20CARESPhone: 717-763-1661 x151
NorthStar Adventure at Dutch Springs offers experiential-based teambuilding and leadership training for corporations, schools, non-profit boards and civic groups. Based at Dutch Springs in Bethlehem, PA, NorthStar Adventure offers professional development training, including ACT 48 CPE hours, Train the Trainer, improved self-esteem and bullying prevention programs. For more information on NorthStar Adventure school programs contact: Jason Chartrand, Director E-mail teamwork@northstaradventure.com Phone: 610-759-2270 website – http://www.northstaradventure.com/

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