STAY-FOCUSED INC

Stay-Focused offers a unique, transformational learning experience to teens and young adults with disabilities. Through a SCUBA diving certification program, participants gain confidence, develop leadership skills, and become more independent. Participants learn to challenge themselves, become more aware of their abilities, set higher goals, and form long-term friendships. Stay-Focused is committed to supporting medical research that explores the beneficial aspects of diving on persons with mobility impairment.

Providing a safe learning environment is both a priority and a value. Special attention is paid to ensure each participant is physically and mentally prepared to benefit from the experience. Each group of divers develops a Responsibility Code at the start of the program that guides their behavior and underscores the value of teamwork. Respect for the individual is paramount, and each program supports the tenet of “no one left behind.” Integrity is understood, persistence encouraged, and leadership developed.

The vision for Stay-Focused is to create a unique leadership development organization for teens with disabilities that enhances their quality of life and provides the opportunity for continued growth. SCUBA diving offers teens and young adults with disabilities an unparalleled opportunity to experience freedom from their disability, gain confidence, and realize their ability to set higher goals. Friendships formed during the program last a lifetime, and Stay-Focused alumni will always be involved in guiding, and, eventually running, the organization. Learning more about the beneficial aspects of SCUBA diving for persons with disabilities and assisting in developing appropriate guidelines is a priority. Ideally, Stay-Focused will attain recognition as the most highly-regarded learning organization for teens and young adults with disabilities.

The strategy of Stay-Focused is to create an advanced leadership development organization that offers a unique, transformational experience to teens with disabilities, and creates lifelong relationships. Be the best SCUBA diving program, focused on safety, personal attention, and opportunities for continued growth.

One empirical measure of success is the number of participants who have become Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certified divers: As of August 2017, we have certified108 teens and young adults with disabilities over 14 years of running programs. Equally important, although more subjective, is the change participants have experienced, most often described as increased confidence, the desire to take on new challenges, and the determination to set higher goals. The testimonials provided by participants, and their parents, about the impact the program has had on their lives are compelling.

The ten participants who have been chosen to serve as mentors represent the emerging leadership of the organization and, ultimately, will run Stay-Focused in the future. Their success in doing so, in addition to their personal success outside of Stay-Focused, will help substantiate the longer-term impact of the program.