Portland, Oregon Trackers CIT Outdoor Leadership Club
The TrackersTEENS Outdoor Leadership Club (TOLC) is an opportunity for teens to develop outdoor, traditional and nature awareness skills. At the Trackers Homestead near Mt. Hood teens attend monthly skills training in wilderness survival, outdoor skills and homesteading crafts. Then they have the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a leadership role as a Counselor In Training (CIT) with Trackers Kids camps.
This program includes...
• Monthly Traditional and Nature Skills Training (overnight) from wilderness survival, outdoor skills and homesteading crafts (6 yearly, excluding Winter and Summer months)
• Outdoor Leadership Orientation and Training in group dynamics, education theory, team leadership, safety and organization
• Basic First Aid and CPR certification by the American Red Cross
• Mentoring from Outdoor Educators to become a leader for younger campers as a Counselor In Training
• Written and signed evaluation of CIT performance in meeting leadership and educational benchmarks
How to participate…
• Register online for a 1-year membership, we will contact you, or…
• Contact June Rzendzian our Youth Program Director to learn more: 503-758-4509 or Contact Form Below
• Apply for a scholarship Up to 15% to 100% of tuition covered Scholarship/Contact Form Below
Join Anytime A student can join the club at anytime whether in the Fall or Spring for training weekends or during our Winter, Spring and Summer break camps for the leadership training. Tuition covers 1-year of membership in this intensive training program so you are guaranteed to experience all aspects of the program.
About Yearly Memberships This is a community service program Trackers is offering. The cost of the year is offered at expense of for the training of First Aid and CPR Certification to food and lodging for the monthly overnights. If your family is in need or you feel your teen can bring strong assets to the program, please apply for a scholarship. We wave the membership for senior students (2 or more years). Since a club is based on the interest and enthusiasm of the its members, we reserve the right to make adjustments to program schedules based on the evolving needs of program participants.
Register for TrackersTEENS Outdoor Leadership Club
| Add to cart |
Ages 14-18
$95
Join anytime, for important dates, see below Monthly overnights in Sandy, Oregon (ride sharing encouraged) Outdoor Leadership opportunities with Trackers camps in Portland or Bend |
| Scholarships Apply Now |
Ages 14-18
15% to 100% of tuition
Scholarships Use the scholarship form below |
Important Dates*
• Spring Skills Training: March 19-21, 2010, April 16-18, 2010, May 7-9, 2010 (begins 7PM Friday, ends 3PM Sunday)
• Summer Orientations (only attend one): April 25, 2010 or May 29, 2010
• Outdoor Leadership and Safety Training: June 12-13, 2010
• 4-weeks as a Trackers Kids summer camp CIT: Choose options between June 14, 2010-September 3, 2010
• Fall Skills Training: September 17-19, 2010, October 8-10, 2010, November 12-13, 2010
• 2-days as a Trackers Kids winter camp CIT: Choose options between December 20-31, 2010
• 2-days as a Trackers Kids spring camp CIT: TBA
• Monthly skills sessions and camp training for 2011will be announced October 31, 2010
*these dates are for Trackers Portland and Bend's TOLC program…
Real Outdoor Skills
For teens in TOLC we offer a monthly skills share training in wilderness survival and homesteading skills. Make a traditional wood bow, track a herd of elk or simply enjoy the out of doors with good friends and colleagues. These training take place in the Spring and Fall and are supervised by out seasoned outdoor education staff. Each weekend is an opportunity to learn traditional skills from the best Trackers instructors. We cover homesteading arts such as preserving, gardening and animal husbandry to wilderness skills such as shelter, stealth and wildlife tracking.
Most CIT programs offer a rudimentary smattering of skills while solely focusing on developing your counselor role. At Trackers we provide the opportunity to not only build a teen's leadership skills, we also intensely develop their outdoor experience to a high level. Not only does this guide teens to more effectively teach outdoor skills, we firmly believe the ancient arts of nature awareness are the foundation of what we call the "Ecology of Team Leadership".
In true Trackers style, our skills training keeps it real. Our instructors live ancient skills most organizations only give lip service to. At Trackers you learn and work with what amounts to a village of modern hunter-gatherers. You step into a world that few people even know exists.
A Summer (and more) of Outdoor Leadership
For the summer and on other break weeks, teens become a Counselor In Training (CIT's), developing outdoor leadership skills in TrackersNW ‘s camps. They receive hands on experience working with younger campers under the supervision of our experienced staff of outdoor educators. Through working with our Program Mentors (PM's), CIT’s learn how to address safety and educational goals while maintaining an inspiring and engaging camp experience.
If you've been a CIT or student leader with other programs, that experience is highly respected and valued by us. We also build upon it. From river running in traditional skin on frame kayaks to legitimately tracking bears, from live action foam arrow wars to actually milking goats and making cheese, Trackers camps push the envelope in the skills and experience we bring to campers. We are remaking outdoor education to be real experiences. Teens in turn train with in our unique style of outdoor education.
The Training Each summer begins with several program orientations and also an outdoor leadership and safety training specifically designed for our CIT's We cover outdoor leadership techniques, safety for both basic and complex skills and environments, group dynamics, organizational skills, basic first aid and CPR training.
The Mentoring Trackers staff begins each week of camp with the CIT and PM developing guidelines and personal goals for the camp. By looking at the CIT's previous experience both outside and with Trackers camps, they collaborate on a design that accentuates and enhances the teen's leadership objectives. In the afternoon, when the younger campers go home, they debrief the "story of the day" to address the always dynamic and shifting leadership experience of camp.
Evaluation At the end of the week the Program Mentor gives the Counselor In Training a written evaluation of their performance. We cover how the student was able to teach basic to complex outdoor educational skills, plus their leadership accomplishments for the all important social structure of the camp. Our staff makes signed copies of each evaluation available for use in portfolios for college admissions and other learning and professional goals. Our curriculum and rubric for evaluation addresses many of the essential skills outlined for high school graduates from the Oregon Department of Education
Please Note This program strives to be as fully inclusive as possible and we must insure that participants can meet to physical and emotional rigors of the course. Also, since the outdoor leadership training of TOLC entails student leaders (CIT's) interacting with younger campers we insist on a requisite background assessments that meet our high safety standards. If any TOLC registrant does not meet these standards we reserve the right to refuse service and a full refund is given. If there are discipline issues with TOLC students, we will remove the camper from the program with no refund.
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