Resilience Through Understanding®

Educational program for middle and high school-aged youth

Incentivized Asset-Building and Substance Misuse Education
​Through Resilience Through Understanding® (RTU), youth are offered real-world incentives to remain substance-free.  The Collaborative provides RTU program participants with season passes to local parks and recreational centers of their choosing, including Stratton Mountain Resort, Stratton Mountain Bike Park, Riley Rink Ice Skating, Viking Nordic Center, Magic Mountain, Dorset Theatre Festival, Riley Rink Disc Golf, and Dorset Players. Thanks to these organizations’ generous commitment, combined with oversight from The Collaborative, the RTU program maintains 400+ youth participants from 10 local schools.

​We now run a Spring/Summer program season in addition to the Fall/Winter program season. RTU reaches students from Arlington Memorial High School, Burr and Burton Academy, The Dorset School, Flood Brook School, Leland & Gray, Long Trail School, Maple Street School, Manchester Elementary and Middle School, new partner Stratton Mountain School, The Mountain School at Winhall, and the homeschool community.

Through RTU's Program Portal, participants can find details about registration, payment, events, RTU Representative contact information, and links to all required surveys.

Registration is now open for RTU 2026-2027 Fall/Winter Program!

There is a $35 registration fee for Leland & Gray students and a $50 registration fee for all other participants.  Registrations must be completed and payment received by October 25, 2026 to participate this program season. Please email [email protected] with any program-related questions!

Program Payment

Full details on RTU registration, payment, and deadlines can be found on the RTU Program Portal page. You can pay for your RTU registration fees by mailing a check, via Venmo, or by paying with a credit or debit card.  Payment instructions for both RTU's Spring/Summer Program and Fall/Winter Program can also be found directly on the RTU Payment page.

RTU Senior Scholarship Opportunity

The RTU Senior Scholarship award is for $1,500.00 to go toward post-secondary educational pursuits. Eligible applicants include any current RTU senior who is in good standing with the program. Good standing means that student work is up to date, of high quality, and that the student has adhered to all requirements as outlined by the RTU policies, rules, and regulations. If you would like more information about the RTU Senior Scholarship, email [email protected].

The Senior Scholarship application window for the current year is closed! Please check back in the Spring of 2027 for next year's application information.

Our Incentive Partners

Stratton Community Foundation

For the past several years, the Stratton Community Foundation has provided essential funding to support the RTU program, including providing some of the scholarships for registration fees. But their impact on southern Vermont is much broader than that. From supplying food cupboards and making grocery and gas cards available in local community hubs for those in need, to providing winter clothing, school supplies, and other essentials to children in need, to direct financial support to families in the wake of natural disasters, this nonprofit has established a well-deserved reputation as a community cornerstone.

Stratton Mountain Resort

Stratton Mountain Resort has been part of RTU from the very beginning, when a marketing executive from the mountain's leadership team approached The Collaborative with the idea of an incentive-based substance misuse prevention program back in 2003. Since then, they have continued to support our programming with additional incentives, including season passes to their ski resort (no blackout dates!), mountain bike park, and rock climbing gym.

Magic Mountain Resort

Since 2015, Magic Mountain has offered a similar incentive to the one originally provided by Stratton Mountain: a season ski pass with no blackout dates. The Collaborative is grateful for the opportunity to offer passes to two different mountains with two different feels.

Viking Nordic Center

In 2006, Viking Nordic Center began the process of branching out our RTU incentives beyond downhill skiing. They offer unlimited use of their cross-country skiing and snowshoeing facility for the duration of their operating season.

Northshire Civic Center

Not only has the Northshire Civic Center been a dedicated incentive partner since 2006, their Riley Rink is also the venue for our annual Kickoff event! Fall/Winter participants may earn a season pass to the skating rink, while Spring/Summer participants may instead pursue unlimited use of their Disc Golf course.

Dorset Theater Festival

In 2009, Dorset Theatre Festival began a unique model for incentive partnership: Participants who complete all five Fall/Winter events earn four tickets to each of their performances at the historic Dorset Playhouse.

Berkshire Family YMCA

​The Bennington Rec Branch of the Berkshire Family YMCA offers aquatic and athletic facilities to the people of Bennington in partnership with the town. Recognizing that their values align with The Collaborative’s vision of a healthy, safe, and supportive community, they have generously joined our growing team of RTU incentive partners.

Prospect Mountain Ski Area

​Prospect Mountain Ski Area is a popular nordic skiing and snowshoeing destination located in Woodford. We are thrilled to announce that Prospect Mountain passes will be available in the Fall/Winter 2026-2027 season!