Nestled in the green manicured valleys of Hillsboro, OR, Empowerteen hosted their first retreat of the summer of 2025 which was open to all teens currently, or about to be, in high school. The week focused on brain function and learning types, along with other financial, creative, and empowering knowledge thrown in. With 12 teens in attendance, the retreat was rather intimate, and the group bonded seamlessly during that first day.
The retreat opened up with the participants learning their personality and brain types, playing games, and practicing yoga. “The personality stuff was sort of new for me,” shared Michael Cruse, one of the participants who’s been coming to the retreats every summer for seven years. “This time they had animals picked out- for instance I was an otter, and otters are talkative and that sort of thing.” Almost all of the participants commented on how intrigued they were by the brain type test and how helpful it was to have a sort of symbol or figure to attach their habits and characteristics to.
Another commonly praised activity that the teens highlighted was the short-term and long-term goals they created during their first day. To keep track of these goals, the teens made a tracker with their own creative twists. The trackers were different for every participant, ranging from adding body parts to a robot or strands of hair to a self-portrait for each day that they successfully reached their goals. “On the left side of mine there’s a tree, and on the right side there’s a sky, and there are monkeys, and they’re falling from the sky, and I need to move the monkeys from the sky to the tree,” explained Bella Gard, another participant who added a healthy dose of humor and creativity to her goal tracker.
One commonality amongst all Empowerteen retreats is the utilization of yoga. For some participants, this practice is familiar, but for others, this was a wholly new experience. “I was so relaxed in that moment, it felt like I was melting,” described participant Mazzy Hopkins. “I just thought that was really cool– I never get an opportunity to let go of all the tension that I’m holding and don’t realize, so that was a great opportunity for that.” Another participant, April Robinson, explained that due to her scoliosis, yoga is something she practices often, and her yoga journey stretches back to about six years ago when she first attended Empowerteen. “I’ve been coming here six years, so I’ve been doing it about six years now,” she shared, describing the activity as incredibly relaxing and a huge relief for her back.
While the week was jam packed with fun games and activities, there were also many lessons and moments of learning. One lesson taught by mentor Toby Thompson revolved around different learning styles. Thompson shared some techniques he uses to retain information and then opened up the floor to allow the participants to ask questions and share their own techniques. Another lesson of the week focused on healthy body image which led to great discussion and sincere bonding between the participants. To close that lesson, the participants wrote down their insecurities, ripped them up, and then had a dance party as a way to celebrate letting those insecurities go.
Regardless of the activity or lesson, the teens bonded quickly. During lunch time after a nutrition lesson and cooking activity, they gathered around one table, sharing food and learning one another’s hobbies. It mirrored a high school cafeteria in the respect of friends joking around and having fun while sharing meals, but it was without the stereotypical cliques associated with high school. “It’s good meeting people,” shared Jacqueline Wang, a first-time attendee to the retreat. “Everyone’s really nice.” All of the participants echoed these sentiments, claiming that the retreat was a great place to make friends. “It’s just been a really big part of me,” Cruse said, summing up his many years of experience with the retreats. “I’ve made a lot of friends here that I still stay in contact with until this day, so it’s just an awesome place.”
WRITTEN BY: Grace Bland, Empowerteen Journalism Intern
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