Adventure Risk Challenge

ARC's Summer Courses for Central Valley youth integrate wilderness expeditions and academic basecamps. Based in Yosemite and Tahoe, these courses facilitate the development of essential leadership and academic skills in alternative classroom settings and on outdoor adventures. Rigorous activities require physical and mental commitment and interpersonal collaboration, while building an ethos for healthy lifestyles, personal empowerment, and environmental stewardship. Challenging leadership and life-skills training focuses on self-management, goal setting, personal responsibility, teamwork, communication, and resilience. Literacy sessions develop skills in critical thinking, reading comprehension, writing, and public speaking. After participating, ARC youth respond more positively to statements including, "I am developing good health habits", and "I deal with frustration in positive ways." They also show a statistically significant increase in all four of the internal asset categories on Search Institute's Developmental Assets Profile (DAP), with the largest increases in Positive Self Identity and Positive Values.

The academic year Community Leadership Program of ARC in the Tahoe-Truckee region is an immersive, multi-year program progression that increases access to four goals areas - literacy development, outdoor experiences, leadership development, and community building - for rural, low-income and English Learner high school students. The academic-year program is embedded in two high schools in the region, offering thousands of participant program hours of outdoor and leadership instruction each year. The program is unique and impactful because: (1) ARC staff have long-term relationships with students, and they find belonging within ARC, among their peers and the adult staff members; and (2) The curriculum integrates literacy development (especially writing and public speaking) into the more traditional aspects of outdoor education (recreational activities and leadership development).

The academic year Community Leadership Program of ARC in the Central Valley region is an immersive, multi-year program progression that increases access to four goals areas - literacy development, outdoor experiences, leadership development, and community building - for rural, low-income and English Learner high school students. The academic-year program is embedded in two high schools in the region, offering thousands of participant program hours of outdoor and leadership instruction each year. The program is unique and impactful because: (1) ARC staff have long-term relationships with students, and they find belonging within ARC, among their peers and the adult staff members; and (2) The curriculum integrates literacy development (especially writing and public speaking) into the more traditional aspects of outdoor education (recreational activities and leadership development).