Jon Worbets, Executive Director
Jon Worbets has spent the last 14 years working as a youth worker, counselor, teacher and licensed practicing counselor with at-risk youth. He
has worked as a whitewater rafting guide, mountaineering guide, climbing
instructor, canoe instructor, skiing instructor, EMT and has counseled
victims and offenders of sexual abuse, adjudicated youth, families in need
and high-risk youth dealing with a wide variety of issues. He has been a
certified ropes course instructor for the past 8 years and facilitating both
high and low element ropes courses for a wide variety of clientele. In
addition, Jon has worked as the executive director Youth Odyssey, Corpus
Christi for 4 years and as a therapist and program manager for a wilderness
therapy program in Idaho. Jon holds his Masters in Clinical
counseling/Psychology with an emphasis in wilderness/adventure therapy and
is a licensed clinical counselor.
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Rebekah A. Koeller, Program Director
Becky received her B.S. from Western Washington University in Environmental Science and Environmental Education, focusing on community development. Following graduation she joined the US Peace Corps as a volunteer for three years in the Philippines where she taught adventure education in urban and rural areas. She has nine-years of experience teaching adventure education to youth and adults of all backgrounds worldwide. Becky has extensive experience in NGO development, leading adventure trips, rock climbing, kayaking, hiking, backpacking, teaching outdoor education and teambuilding activities. She’s a certified EMT, kayaking instructor, Ropes Course Facilitator, and Lifeguard. Her passion is help youth realize their full potential and to reveal their inner-strength needed to navigate through their lives. She believes that hands-on challenges reveal how unique each youth is and that they can reach their dreams and goals through the use of life skills, while experiencing nature in a profound way.
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Seaver Baruch, Wilderness Odyssey Program Leader
An experienced outdoorsman with a passion for working with at-risk youth, Seaver has spent the last two and a half years as a wilderness instructor for troubled teens in Idaho. There, he reached the highest level—Master Instructor—and trained many level 1 and 2 instructors. He also mastered primitive skills such as fire by friction, various shelter building, and navigation techniques. Seaver is certified as a licensed backcountry guide, a white-water rafting guide, Wilderness EMT, Swift-Water Rescue Instructor, and Top-Rope Climbing Instructor. He has rafted in many places around the globe including Uganda, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and extensively throughout the United States.
Seaver has demonstrated compassion and dedication to serving his community since his early teens. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for a non-profit dedicated to assisting at risk kids. He has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in four different countries, at youth homes running wilderness expeditions, at senior centers serving meals and homeless shelters assisting staff.
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Jeramiah Douglas Morgan
J.D. grew up on a small organic farm in Middlebury Indiana. After high school he moved to Glenwood Springs Colorado for the mountain environment and to go to Colorado Mountain College. Most comfortable in the wilderness he enjoys just about any outdoor activity including snowboarding, rock climbing, and mountain biking. He recently participated in a semester long trip of the south west United States visiting fourteen national parks and monuments. He learned a plethora of random information on everything from the Chumash indians that inhabited an island chain off the coast of California to the geological layers of the grand canyon. A recent graduate of the Outdoor Education program at CMC Jeramiah moved south to pursue a career that fits his interest and desire to educate youth about the outdoors. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder and a lifeguard. He hopes to continue his education and gain certifications to aid in his ability to help others explore.
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EMPLOYMENT
For therapists and field staff interested in possible employment with
Youth Odyssey, please contact us at 361-946-6016 or email us at
youthodyssey1@yahoo.com
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