Despite operating on the periphery of academic scholarship, adventure-based programs can serve as the prototype for how organized and structured youth development programs should function. Although there are clearly differences in adventure programs and other youth activities, many of the qualities of adventure programs can and should be intentionally included in a broader and more accessible spectrum of youth opportunities. Therefore, this article has two primary aims: (1) to explicate the congruency between the current literature on positive youth development and adventure programs; and (2) to generalize current tenets of adventure programs to the broader context of youth practice. (Contains 35 notes.)