Sometimes, when sharing living space, it’s easy to lose your patience, forget to be kind, have grace, or altogether maintain cordial relationships. And when push comes to shove, you may lose your cool! Well, nothing is better for a group of young adults who all live together then to use challenging experiences to work through problems and build the team! Check out our day of kayaking on the Charles River with this group home from Specialized Housing, Inc! Thanks Paddle Boston-Charles River Canoe and Kayak for having us!

This group has been adventuring with Waypoint for the past 3 years now and we’ve seen them through some fun, exciting, but challenging days! Saturday was a cold day to be kayaking and the group pushed through some windy conditions – all with one word in mind… Encouragement. We told them at the beginning of the day, “if you do nothing else today, but encourage each other, that will be a success.” We told them, “you WILL feel those moments bubble up where you get a little frustrated or you may want to say something negative, but instead, we want you to say something encouraging.”

At the end of the day, we recounted times that were frustrating or challenging (like crossing the river into the wind, maintaining direction, working with a new partner, etc) and how that positive mentality of “encouragement” was helpful to push through. You see, it’s not until we encounter something difficult do we need to give or receive encouragement. Waypoint is all about providing opportunities for that to happen and we’re just thrilled to partner with a group home that values that experience!

Check out pictures from our adventure! And a special thanks to all the volunteers that came out to help paddle and build up this awesome community.