Yellowstone Adventure & Service Teen Leadership Progam

Parents interested in providing their teen with an excellent leadership program, take note!

[sws_pullquote_right]All interested families are encouraged to attend one of these meetings:

– Tuesday Feb 17th at 7PM at the Southeast YMCA

– Monday Feb 23rd at 7:15PM at the Hogan YMCA in Madison. [/sws_pullquote_right] Yellowstone Adventure and Service is a unique summer program and is proud to be hosted by Huntsville’s YMCA Camp Cha-La-Kee. Whether exploring the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, hiking to the summit of Mount Washburn, whitewater rafting on the Yellowstone River, or studying the animals of the remote Lamar Valley, this unique 13-day experience gives teens the opportunity to develop lifelong friendships, leadership skills, and a deeper understanding of the natural world around them.

YAS is operated under “The Cha-La-Kee Way”; by the guiding principles of Honesty, Respect, Caring, Responsibility, Attitude and Determination. We create intentional moments where teens grow in confidence, connectedness and sense of purpose. Teens who have completed the 9th grade through 12th grade are eligible for participation. Acceptance into the program is selective and is based upon the completion of an application, reference forms and interview. Teens who are accepted into the program will be required to accumulate a minimum of 20 hours of volunteer service at the YMCA and attend at least 3 pre-trip planning meetings.

The YAS experience is scheduled for July 21^st-August 2^nd, 2015.   Once the experience begins, teens and their experienced adult leaders will enjoy a 2-night stay at YMCA Camp-Cha-La-Kee where they will participate in fun, meaningful teambuilding exercises, meal planning and “leader-of-the-day” preparations. The group will fly out of the Huntsville Airport on July 23^rd and arrive in Bozeman, MT that evening.

Overnight accommodations will be at the Yellowstone Overlook Lodge and the following 10 days will include a variety of open hikes and tours pre-planned by the group, as well as, 3 days of unique experiences provided by the Yellowstone Association, a day of whitewater rafting, a day of horseback riding and a day of volunteer service. The group returns to Huntsville on August 2^nd.

YMCA CEO, Jerry Courtney, and Camp Cha-La-Kee Director, Joey Barnard will offer two informative presentations in the coming weeks. All interested families are encouraged to attend one of these meetings:

1. Tuesday Feb 17^th from 7:00-7:30pm at the Southeast YMCA on Weatherly Road
2. Monday Feb 23^rd from 7:15-7:45pm at the Hogan Family Center YMCA in Madison.

To inquire or RSVP for a meeting, please email [email protected].

Yellowstone Adventure and Service

A 13-day experience centered on learning and volunteering in the pristine Yellowstone National Park

For teens who have completed grades 9 – 12

July 21-August 2, 2015 · Deadline to apply is April 17, 2015

$2500 Y Members · $2750 Community

[sws_blue_box box_size=”480″]Joey Barnard is the Director of Camping Services at Huntsville’s Heart of the Valley YMCA. Camp Cha-La-Kee is a YMCA operated facility that incorporates wholesome outdoor fun, opportunities to build friendships and life-changing character development for ALL its guests. Activities on the beautiful 61-acre campus, located on the shores of Lake Guntersville, include canoeing, horseback riding, giant swing, archery, boating, tubing, swimming, arts & crafts, The Blob and much, much more. [/sws_blue_box]