Participation

Join Us

• The minimum age of participants are those young men who have completed the tenth grade and young women who have completed eleventh grade.

• Any interested young men or women are required to complete a lengthy application form which is supplemented with essay questions to give the applicant a more realistic view of his or her particular motivations, needs, deficiencies, assets, etc. Crews are formed which include a diversity of talents and personalities.

• Parents are required to attend an informational meeting which provides them with a comprehensive understanding of the program. Their role as supportive resources is clarified and emphasized.

• Once a crew has been formed, it will meet on a regular basis (usually from April through the expedition) to plan each facet of the expedition.

• During the pretrip program, each young person will be exposed to a wide variety of new experiences. Kayaking, confidence challenges, camping skills, and a host of logistic skills required of a successful expedition. Each crew is given a “blank sheet of paper” on which virtually every detail must be planned. The menu is planned and food purchased, processed, packaged, and dehydrated. Routes are researched in detail to coincide with crew objectives and goals.

• The focal point of all of our activity is a 28 day expedition into remote areas of Manitoba and/or Ontario, Canada. The expedition phase has proven to be the pivotal point in the lives of many young people. Since 1971, over 3000 participants have “grown-up” as a result of this wilderness experience. Each crew paddles and portages from 250 to 450 miles through rugged and untraveled wilderness.