Adventure & Challenges at Holina Youth Village

Empowering Teens and Young Adults Through Healing Adventures in Cyprus and Europe

Building Emotional Resilience, Confidence, and Teamwork Through Adventure-Based Therapy for Teens and Young Adults

International University programs

Youth Services at Holina Village

At Holina Youth Village, we integrate adventure-based therapy into our rehabilitation programs for teens and young adults. Located in Cyprus, we offer a unique experience where individuals can heal emotionally, build resilience, and improve self-esteem through outdoor activities and team challenges. Our English-speaking services cater to young adults and teens from Europe and around the world, using adventure therapy to support the recovery process.

The adventure & challenges program is designed to complement our teen addiction treatment, mental health services, and trauma recovery therapies. By engaging in physical challenges like hiking, team-building exercises, and equine therapy, teens and young adults strengthen their emotional resilience, overcome fears, and develop critical life skills in a therapeutic community setting.

What is Adventure-Based Therapy?

Healing Through Adventure:

Adventure-based therapy is a powerful tool that uses outdoor activities and physical challenges to help individuals build emotional resilience, gain self-awareness, and develop healthier coping mechanisms. At Holina Youth Village, our adventure therapy programs encourage teens and young adults to step outside of their comfort zones and face their fears in a supportive and safe environment. These challenges help them overcome obstacles and discover their inner strength.

Core Benefits of Adventure Therapy:

  • Emotional Resilience: Overcoming physical challenges fosters a sense of emotional resilience, helping teens and young adults develop the ability to handle stress and adversity.
  • Self-Confidence: As residents achieve personal goals and complete challenging activities, they build self-esteem and self-worth, critical components in the recovery process.
  • Teamwork and Cooperation: Through team-building exercises and outdoor challenges, residents develop collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills, which are essential for both personal and professional success.

UCLan Cyprus and Holina Cyprus.

Memorandum of Understanding

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between UCLan Cyprus and Holina Cyprus on the 25th of October 2022 at the premises of the British University of Cyprus. The purpose of the Memorandum is to provide a framework of collaboration between UCLan Cyprus and Holina Cyprus, in areas of teaching, research, science, innovation and applied experience, aiming to support the well-being of Holina Cyprus’s residents, to foster, as well as develop employability skills for youth and young adults who deal with behavioural health issues.

Holina Cyprus serves as a young person’s community, offering its residents a holistic mental and spiritual support system for youth and young adults to feel safe and trusted and thus overcome behavioural health issues of various forms. With the support of a team of psychologists and psychotherapists who are among the best in the world, Holina Youth Village creates a life-changing programme, which offers an innovative approach to the healing process by incorporating educational and teaching objectives. UCLan Cyprus, with its unique blend of academic and practical experience, as well as its unparallel commitment to initiatives which promote the health and well-being of youth, will develop an innovative educational programme on various courses which present a special interest to Holina Village Youth residents.

Types of Adventure and Challenges:

Team-Building Exercises:

Team-building activities are designed to encourage cooperation and collaboration. These exercises foster a sense of community, as teens and young adults work together to solve problems and accomplish goals. Through these challenges, they learn the importance of teamwork, trust, and accountability—skills that are essential for long-term recovery.

Outdoor Challenges:

Our outdoor activities include hiking, ropes courses, and nature challenges that encourage physical endurance and mental resilience. These activities help teens and young adults reconnect with nature, reduce stress, and develop a deeper sense of well-being. Each challenge is designed to help them face fears, push limits, and gain a sense of accomplishment.

Equine Therapy:

Equine therapy is a unique form of adventure therapy that involves interacting with horses. This form of therapy helps teens and young adults build empathy, improve emotional regulation, and develop self-awareness. Working with horses can be a transformative experience, helping individuals confront their fears and strengthen their emotional resilience.

Adventure-Based Group Activities:

Group activities like camping trips, rock climbing, and survival skills training are designed to help teens and young adults develop self-confidence and leadership skills while also fostering a sense of community and support among peers. These activities are perfect for building strong, healthy relationships and improving teamwork.

The Role of Adventure & Challenges in Recovery:

Emotional Healing Through Physical Activity:

Physical activities in our adventure-based programs help teens and young adults break through emotional barriers and learn to manage their emotions in a healthy way. By pushing physical limits in a supportive environment, they discover their emotional resilience and learn to overcome the negative patterns that may have led to addiction or mental health struggles.

Promoting Self-Discovery and Personal Growth:

The challenges teens and young adults face in adventure therapy provide opportunities for self-discovery. They learn more about themselves, their strengths, and their potential for personal growth. As they succeed in challenging activities, they build a sense of accomplishment that empowers them to tackle the obstacles in their lives outside of therapy.

Building Healthy Relationships:

In the therapeutic community at Holina Youth Village, group challenges promote teamwork and mutual support. Teens and young adults learn how to trust and communicate effectively with others, which is essential for building and maintaining healthy relationships in the future.

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Why Choose Holina Youth Village’s Adventure & Challenges Program?

Holistic and Complementary Therapy:

Our adventure therapy programs complement our addiction treatment and mental health services, providing a well-rounded approach to recovery. By combining traditional therapy with adventure-based activities, we address both the emotional and physical aspects of recovery.

Experienced and Caring Staff:

The Holina Youth Village team includes experienced therapists and activity coordinators who are trained in adventure therapy and group dynamics. They ensure that every challenge is conducted in a safe, supportive environment where teens and young adults can thrive emotionally and physically.

International Reach:

While based in Cyprus, our English-speaking programs cater to teens and young adults from Europe and other English-speaking countries. Whether you are in Cyprus, the UK, or anywhere else in Europe, our adventure therapy programs are available to help you or your loved one on their recovery journey.

Success Stories:

Real-Life Transformations:

At Holina Youth Village, we’ve witnessed countless success stories as teens and young adults overcome addiction, trauma, and mental health challenges through our adventure-based therapy programs. These success stories showcase the transformative power of group challenges, outdoor adventures, and equine therapy in helping young people build emotional resilience and a brighter future.

Client Testimonials:

Hear from the teens and young adults who have participated in our adventure therapy programs, how they overcame their challenges, and the personal growth they achieved through these transformative experiences.

Locations

Holina Global Locations

Holina Rehabilitation Services are also available in Thailand at our Holina Treatment Centre on Koh Phangan Island where we provide a holistic recovery program for mind, body & soul. A robust 12-step program, psychotherapy & trauma resolution, body movement, breathwork, somatic therapy, partially submerged in the pool, massages & physical wellness, art therapy, therapeutic activities, spiritual practices like meditation & mindfulness as well as a tailored post-rehab program – these are just a few of the main ingredients for the successful long-term recovery offered at Holina. We also cater for the corporate and business world with our Spiritual Retreats at our forthcoming location on Koh Phangan Island.

Holina Koh Phangan

Addiction Treatment Centre

Some of the world’s leading addiction specialists are some of the key components that lead to our client’s long term success.

Holina Retreat

Corporate Spiritual Retreat

Specialising in healing our emotions and expanding our spirit through our beautiful retreat in Koh Phangan.

Prepare Your Journey to Holina Village

Holina Cyprus Care Center FAQ’s

If you are experiencing challenges or struggles in your life that are giving you uncomfortable consequences – for example, failing at school, getting arrested, hurting your friends or losing them, experiencing strong anxiety, self-harming, cutting yourself off from people and hiding, etc, then Holina Village would make a great place for you to transform yourself from unnecessary pain or discomfort and discover joy and vitality back into your life.

Holina Village is focused on emotional and behavioural health, including addictions, self-harming, anti-social behaviours, stress, diminished motivation, isolation,
insecurity, anxiety and other challenges socially awkward feelings or attitudes.

Our minimum commitment is 4 weeks, though realistically this is rarely enough time to bring about long-lasting change. Therefore we strongly suggest 6 to 12 months, particularly if they want to engage in the educational opportunities our partners UCLAN (University of Central Lancashire) offer us. Whilst our minimum commitment is 4 weeks, many, probably most of our residents stay around 3 to 6 months.

We are a fully immersed residential experience, with a minimum of one-month commitment, though most residents stay for 3 or more months, often 6 months or even longer.

No one is allowed to visit unscheduled without an appointment, though family members are encouraged to come and visit on weekends, in the second month onwards.

It is important to us that we protect the sanctity of the Holina Village space and keep them safe. We are not a daycare facility or outpatient service. We only serve those people looking for a fully immersive experience.

We encourage parents and adult family members to come and visit from the 2 nd month onwards at weekends. We offer Family Therapy during these visits (held over weekends) in both group and private settings. We understand that sometimes the whole family needs to heal, and we believe these therapeutically supported family sessions will help the greater family. Furthermore, we know that your success is significantly improved when family members are engaged in their loved one’s recovery.

Yes, you may, if you are above the legal age to smoke. Whilst we’d love to encourage you to quit whilst you’re with us, we acknowledge that many people do smoke. There is a dedicated smoking area.

Cyprus is a pleasant climate all year round. Certainly plenty of blue skies. It’s the warmest part of Europe during the Winter months. Cyprus enjoys an intense Mediterranean climate, with long dry summers from mid–May to mid–October, and mild winters from December to February, which is separated by short autumn and spring seasons.

August is the hottest month in Paphos with an average temperature of 26°C (79°F) and the coldest is January at 13°C (55°F) with the most daily sunshine hours at 13 in July. The wettest month is December with an average of 93.9mm of rain.

Pack as if you were coming on an adventure holiday to an island with plenty of land and sea-based activities. Dress casually and comfortably. It’s not a fashion parade but a small village of like-minded friends all hanging out together.

Bring activewear for workouts and other fitness activities including swimming, sports shoes, and light wear for yoga. We do physical activities almost every day, so bring a few pairs to allow for laundry times.
We have a safe to keep your valuables in, but expensive jewellery and other luxury items are unnecessary.

Toiletries: Please bring your toiletries and hygiene products, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, shaving materials, basic makeup, hairbrush, etc. Anything you forget we can purchase from local shops.

Medications: You are allowed to continue using your doctor-prescribed medications whilst with us, but please do bring proof of your prescription. Please keep all your pills in the original packaging so that they are considered authorized narcotics.

Kindly do not bring the following:

Alcohol or drugs: It might seem self-explanatory, but some clients may try to sneak in a last-minute hit, fix, pill, can, bottle, etc. Your bags and belongings will be searched when you arrive at Holina.

Alcohol or drug paraphernalia: This includes anything that advertises or glorifies the use of alcohol or drugs. This should also include items that display support for criminal acts including terrorism, sex, gambling, or other negatively perceived notions that could upset other residents.

Weapons: There is no need to bring any knives or weapons with you to Cyprus or treatment. They will be confiscated and destroyed.

Toiletries that contain alcohol: Leave any alcohol-based products at home, such as certain mouthwashes, nail polish removers, perfumes, and aerosols.

We cater to all dietary requirements, though we request that you inform us in advance so we can prepare. You can advise us of any of your specific dietary needs and we can manage them. We’re used to having people with all types of needs.

Our prices are all-inclusive and agreed upon based on your length of stay. Minimum stay in one month is €15,000, 3 months is €40,000 and 6 months is €70,000

We don’t have any hidden costs, though there are some costs that you should be aware of. Things that are not covered include:

We ask you to pay for anything non-detox or mental health-related, including your medications.

We also ask that you have travel or medical insurance in place before you come to us. This is really for any non-detox or psychiatric-related problems, like if you fall over and break your arm or some other uncalculated trip to accident and emergency.

We don’t pay for your flights to and from Larnaca Airport (LCA), but we will meet and greet you at the airport on arrival. We can also chaperone you door to door-from your home at an extra charge (calculated based on the distance/complexity).

Typically, our clients spend between €50 and €100 per month on personal items, such as snacks, sodas, cigarettes, some toiletries, etc, but it’s not necessary to spend any more.

At this time, residents of most countries around the world can come to Cyprus and achieve a visa upon entry. We will advise you on this process. It’s very straight forwards.
If you extend your treatment and need a longer visa then we will swallow this cost for you.

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Start Your Teen’s Healing Journey with Adventure Therapy Today

If you’re ready to learn more about Holina Village’s adventure-based therapy and recovery programs, we are here to provide more information. Whether you’re seeking teen addiction treatment, mental health services, or an adventure therapy program, Holina Youth Village offers a supportive, transformative environment where teens and young adults can heal, grow, and thrive.

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