Grantee: Adventure Risk Challenge
Project: Youth Outdoor & Literacy Programming in Rural Merced County
YCA Funded Project Cost: $50,000
Adventure Risk Challenge delivered a 2-year grant project that engaged 65 students in immersive, cohort-based, year-round programming that incorporated reflective writing and outdoor experiences as a continuous thread through the students’ program engagement. They implemented two immersive summer courses in Yosemite that involved a total of five backpacking trips. These groups also completed rock climbing and white water rafting and hundreds of hours of academic (Environmental Science, writing, public speaking) curriculum and fitness sessions. The weekend trips included visits to several state parks and time spent on other public lands (federal, state, county, and locally protected lands). The activities included backpacking, hiking, camping, kayaking, rock climbing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, and two trips that incorporated Wilderness First Aid and CPR certification training.
