Stay-Focused offers a once in a lifetime experience in which we invite teens and young adults with disabilities to Grand Cayman with the opportunity to become PADI Certified SCUBA Divers. We work closely with instructors who have experience with disabled divers to create innovative solutions for each diver we work with- no matter how they move. Each summer, we run programs to support both new frie
nds to Stay-Focused, as well as those returning for their reunion trips. In our first time diver programs, we spend a portion of the trip in the classroom and the pool to learn and master the skills required to dive. Then, we take the group to the ocean to demonstrate and test what they've learned to go through the certification process. Our dives are supplemented with ocean conservation education programs, beach afternoons, goal setting, local wildlife education, and team-building activities. By the end of program, we spend time with each group to discuss what the experience has meant to them, set our goals for the upcoming year, and gear up to meet again. On reunion trip, participants return with their original group to refresh their skills, dive new sites, and learn more about the local environment through Jean-Michelle Cousteau's Ambassadors of the Environment program held on island. Stay-Focused has also grown to prioritize community awareness as well as leadership development. Starting in 2014, we implemented our Caymanian Internship Program to build awareness in Cayman for the potential of all persons with disabilities. Our interns have learned a lot from their experiences and serve as ambassadors for Stay-Focused. Our mentorship program was started in 2007, and we have been fortunate to have as many as 13 alumni involved over the years. Our mentors represent the emerging leadership in our organization and are a tremendous asset in assisting our divers, in and out of the water, serving as role models, building awareness in the disability community, and promoting the work we do in enhancing the lives of teens with disabilities. Our organization is essentially a program that enhances and enriches the lives of teens and adults with disabilities, using SCUBA diving as the vehicle for personal growth. Hence, the development of all of our participants is at the core of our agenda, starting with our first divers back in 2004. The discussion of critical aspects of leadership (including self-reliance, responsibility for others, clarity of purpose, and leaving a legacy for those who come after us), has always been a standard part of the Stay-Focused curriculum. At the root of what we do- we aim to empower, foster independence, confidence, and celebrate all we can do with disability.
