This year-round program takes underserved high school students through an intensive course that links wilderness to academics, adventure to leadership, environmental science to literacy and confidence to activism.
For many it’s their first introduction to nature and builds a foundation for a life long relationship with the outdoors. Outdoor activities like rafting or rock climbing not only provide a fun way to be outdoors but are also background for projects on ecology and literacy. Program participants have access to student tutors and university mentors. It opens-up a world of reward through study and nature, and connects them directly to alumni who have succeeded in previous programs as role models.
By supporting this program Yosemite Conservancy provides youth with new paths in their academic lives, which for many are life-changing. Partnering with: Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC), the University of California Berkeley and the University of California Merced.
Read full length poems from Youth in Yosemite participants in the ARC program, click here