Environmental Traveling Companions

Youth LEAD Program- Youth from under resourced backgrounds join ETC on 14 to 21-day outdoor leadership courses. The program serves 48 students on four courses annually. The students camp and learn together as they build leadership and communication skills, learn about the environment, and develop a stewardship ethic. While sea kayaking, rafting a whitewater river, or backpacking in the Sierras, our youth leaders face challenges, gain confidence, and realize their dreams in a supportive community. For eight outstanding alumni, ETC offers an intensive 8-month Fellowship program that provides mentorship and opportunities for students to put their new leadership skills into action. These programs offer young people the opportunity to discover themselves in the natural resources that sustain our lives.

Sea Kayak Program- ETCs accessible and educational sea kayaking adventures serve 1,100 participants with disabilities and under-resourced youth annually. Highly-trained and enthusiastic volunteer guides instruct participants in paddling skills and safety procedures before leading them out on the water to discover diverse bay fauna. Whether kayaking from our base at Schoonmaker Point Marina in Sausalito or our base on Hearts Desire Beach at Tomales State Park, our participants share an unforgettable adventure while learning the natural and human history of the estuaries and how to become stewards of our precious water resources. ETC also conducts inclusive and life-changing Shared Sea Kayak Expeditions for paddlers of all abilities in Baja on the Sea of Cortez, Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay and the Big River on the Mendocino Bay.

Benefit Trips & Shared Adventures- Every year ETC offers sea kayak and river trips for the general public. From full moon dinner paddles on SF Bay, to family whitewater rafting trips or a longer Baja sea kayak expedition. The goal of these adventures is to raise ETC scholarship funds, build awareness of ETC's mission and to have FUN Whenever possible we integrate paddlers and guides with disabilities on these trips to illuminate the ETC mission and message.