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Transitional Program

Our Philosopy

We believe that "the storms of life" happen in the best and worse of homes, often attacking with devastating long-term effects.  However, amidst it all there is an "equalizer", which even our most troubled youth are born with.  They have the power to choose their thoughts, actions, and future.  Nobody can take that sacred gift away from them. 

Our Transition Program focuses on this fundamental truth like no other.  We believe this power lies at the very core of what it means to be free. We are free to choose personal happiness or sorrow; success or failure.  As each new transitional student begins to appreciate this gift and how to use it wisely, they will discover new things about themselves. It is in this process, that they undergo a change of heart and see reality for what it is--something they can appreciate, fix, and be blessed by.

Our Core Values

A quote found in our Positive Peer Culture (PPC) handbook says it all.

"Help thy brother's boat across, and lo, thine own has reached the shore". 

There is nothing new about the values that inspired that statement. They are love and service.  World civilization at its best owes everything to those treasured beliefs.  Our transition program is no less indebted.  Indeed, by the time a student has advanced to the transitional phase, they have already participated in at least five months of high impact treatment (PPC) and a residential peer culture based solidly on higher values. 

Notwithstanding all of the progress they have made, it's impossible for either the teacher or the student to accurately assess how much they have internalized until they are given opportunities outside of the classroom to implement the virtue of the words and ideas they have been studying.

The Challenge: "To Walk the Talk"

An immediate goal of any transitional student is to find work off-campus.  We make this a priority not so much because they are in need of money, but because there is no substitute for the lessons they can learn while working with real people at a real job even if only for a short time. 

Although a transitional student has already been taught some pointers and been led in the right direction, it is entirely up to them to choose what to do with this knowledge once they are cleared for employment and are faced with some of the same temptations they faced before entering Red Rock Canyon School.  This is where integrity comes into the picture.  This is one of the lessons we really want our transitional students to learn while on the job. They will be forced to examine themselves and their personal commitment to "walk the talk" when there is no one around to tell them what to do. 

Other challenges faced by our transitional students may not be as daunting as putting new values into practice, but they are no less important to the day-to-day business of living.  Our students enjoy learning everyday skills in a fun competitive group setting. Some examples include:

• Threading a needle under 60 seconds
• Setting a standard place setting
• Learning dating guidelines
• Memorizing table manners and more.