About
SOAR
We are SOAR, a seasonal accredited educational academy, GAP year program, study abroad program, and outdoor adventure camp designed especially for youth and adolescence with ADHD and/or Learning Disabilities (LD).
At SOAR, our entire operation including all of our services, programs, and expeditions are designed specifically to meet the needs of youth and young adults diagnosed with ADHD and/or LD.
Skip between sections
Our Twofold Mission
The Academy
To provide academic instruction, experiential education, interpersonal life skills development and outdoor adventure-based programming to youth with Learning Disabilities, and/or Attention Deficit Disorders through their participation in the Academy at SOAR.
Camp, Gap Year, & Community Based Services
To provide experiential education, interpersonal life skills development and outdoor adventure-based programming to youth, young adults and families living with Learning Disabilities, and/or Attention Deficit Disorders through SOAR’s outdoor adventure camp programs, GAP year program, and community-based services.
Our Vision
Be the world leader in helping youth and young adults living with learning and attention challenges achieve greater life success.
Our Core Values
Focus on Strengths
Helping youth to find their strengths, and take steps toward their journey to success.
Respect
Treating participants, families, and staff with dignity and respect.
Servant Leadership
Supporting the LD & ADHD community with our time, knowledge, and innovation.
Ethical Conduct
Programs, environmental practices, business operations, and individual interactions are centered in honesty and integrity.
Commitment to Excellence
Maintaining and leading industry standards of practice in our programming.
Loyalty
Support and loyalty to our stakeholders, mission, organization, clients, and staff.
How SOAR Began
Forty-five years ago SOAR was founded by Jonathan Jones, an adult with a learning disability who believed that focusing on an individual’s strengths, rather than deficits, was critical in ensuring success.
Jonathan and his wife purposely wanted SOAR to be a non-profit organization to have the capacity to reach out to families in need. Over the years SOAR's programs have adapted for the specific needs of the LD and ADHD youth we serve.
Our understanding of this population is in everything we do at SOAR—it's in the way we approach challenges and adventures, in the way we structure each day, in the way we handle conflicts, and in the way we celebrate each participant’s abilities.
Who We Serve
SOAR participants tend to be average to above average in intelligence, creative and divergent thinkers with gifts and strengths in a multitude of areas. Our participants tend to have challenges with executive functioning, organization, impulse control, social skills, and low frustration tolerance.
Typical diagnoses includes:
Executive Functioning Disorder
ADHD
Autism Level 1
Dyslexia
Dysgraphia
Anxiety
OCD
