La Vida Wins Best of North Shore 2023 Best Kids' Outdoors Program

Gordon College is excited to announce its signature outdoor program, La Vida, won the Reader's Choice and Editor's Choice awards for Best of North Shore (BONS) 2023 Best Kids' Outdoors Program by Northshore Magazine. In a record-breaking year for votes, Northshore Magazine reports receiving 158,000 votes across its six award categories. "We are grateful to the thousands of people who voted for us and our dedicated staff who run these exceptional programs," says La Vida’s executive director, Abigail Stroven.

Located on the Gordon College campus, La Vida offers experiential outdoor programs for tweens, teens and college students, as well as professionals and churches. First-year students at Gordon participate in La Vida through a 12-day backpacking expedition or a seven-week, on-campus discovery course as part of their core curriculum. Both programs focus on goal setting, community, reflective learning and growing in Christ. This first-year requirement is a distinctive feature of Gordon's pledge to deliver experiences that build confidence.

Celebrating over 25 years of excellence, the La Vida Adventure Camp is a weeklong summer day camp for youth ages 10–15 with a high ropes course, kayaking, mountain biking and more. Campers are presented daily with new challenges to tackle in a supportive environment, building confidence that sticks with them as they face future challenges in school, friendships and life. La Vida also offers the Adirondack Leadership Program, consisting of a nine-day backpacking or canoeing adventure for participants ages 15–18 in the Adirondack Park of New York. The La Vida Rock Gym on the Gordon College campus provides open gym and group climbing opportunities for workplaces, churches and private events.

"La Vida is honored to receive this prestigious award highlighting top-ranked businesses on the North Shore," says Stroven. "Our programs serve over 5,000 individuals annually from the local community and beyond, helping them to challenge themselves and make commitment moves through outdoor adventures."

Find out more about Adventure Camp, the rock gym and other programs La Vida offers here.