Young Women’s Leadership Expedition
Leadership education designed for women, and taught by women.
June 29 to July 19, 2012 ~ 10 young women, ages 16-18
Extending the adventure of the programs of The Aloha Foundation.
In the days before us, women and men alike are going to need all the self-guidance and self-dependence of which they are capable. It is demonstrably helpful for them to be thrown early into a life which calls for … the surmounting of difficulties, the bearing of responsibility and the fitting of means to ends.
~ Edward Gulick, co-founder of Aloha Camps, 1915
Since 1905, when Harriet Farnsworth Gulick and Edward Gulick began one of the country’s first summer camps for girls, the programs of the Aloha Camps have been helping young women discover their most adventurous selves.From these roots, a challenging Aloha program for older teens is branching into a northern wilderness — and into a new frontier of opportunity.
This summer, the spirit and magic of Aloha will be transposed to southwest Quebec as a dozen young women embark on an adventure in the seldom-traveled boreal forest region of this area on a three-week canoeing expedition along the wild Coulonge River. The program is designed expressly for a small group of ten adventurous young women, drawing on the best practices of outdoor education, adolescent development, community-building and leadership training. Expedition participants will share the challenges and successes of working together in a wilderness setting, discovering their own special skills and talents, finding their own voices, and making well-planned decisions in real-life situations, among capable and strong female peers.
Young women on the expedition will learn:
• Problem solving techniques
• Authentic leadership applications
• Decision making methods
• Communication styles
• Assessing risk
• Expedition skills
The Young Women’s Leadership Expedition extends Aloha’s century-old history of providing experiences for girls to challenge their old perceptions of who they are by creating new visions of who they want to be. The course helps young women discover their most adventurous selves.
The trip will follow waterways traveled by the Cree people and by French-Canadian Voyageurs through the rugged granite bedrock of the glaciated Canadian Shield. Over three weeks, girls will pitch camps in the northern hardwood forest, among the pines and bogs of the boreal forest, and on the open ground of the tundra transition zone. Girls will paddle across large lakes, run whitewater, and line boats around waterfalls; navigate, choose the day’s routes, select campsites, and lead their peers. As they learn different skills, they’ll progress from observing instructors to being coached to taking responsibility for decisions and tasks.
Please contact Hulbert Outdoor Center staff Megan Chamberlain, or Lynn Daly by email, or at 802-333-3405 to ask questions or to register.
The course begins and ends at Aloha. The course may also serve as counselor training for Aloha campers in their Midi/Floater years.
Midi/Floater and YWLE Participants
For those who would like to participant in both the Midi or Floater Aloha programs and the Young Women’s Leadership Expedition, please complete both the YWLE’s parent registration form and the participant application along with midi/floater application. For a midi /floater application please email Kathy Plunkett, Director of Hive, or MJ Parry, Director of Aloha.
Expedition instructors are professional outdoor educators with years of experience leading long wilderness expeditions. Both instructors are certified as Wilderness First Responders and one is certified in Swift Water Rescue.
What: Wilderness canoe expedition
When: June 29 to July 19, 2012
Where: Coulonge, Quebec, Canada
Who: 10 young women, ages 16-18
Cost: $3,220
Previous paddling or camping experience is not required. By its nature, though, the expedition has a strong physical component. Being in good physical condition is necessary for successful completion of the course. A current passport is required.
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