Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative: Past Programs

Appalachian Mountain Club

Penobscot Paddlers: A five-day paddling and camping trip on the Upper West Branch of the Penobscot.
Teen Wilderness: A three-day lodge-based program focused on positive outdoor experiences
100-Mile Wilderness: A two-week-long backpacking trip on the last 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail

Piscataquis

Baxter Academy

The Program is divided into four modules, with a core structure of an established theme, fluency (both English and Scientific), practical skills, and training for long-term success in STEM/STEAM fields. 

Every module includes exploration by bike, foot, or paddle board (weather dependent), journaling, and group reflection and concludes with a project and graduation ceremony where parents are welcome. 

Cumberland

Backwoods Summer Program: A transition program for rising 9th graders who have been deemed "at risk" for on-time graduation from Belfast Area High School. The summer program will be 5 weeks long and include field trips and gardening work that will result in student stipends and elective credit.

Belfast Area High School (BAHS) will bring students together for four days a week for five weeks to work together with key BAHS staff to help set them up for a successful transition to high school. They will participate in a week at hurricane island center for leadership, will have multiple fieldtrips a week, and will receive a stipend and academic credit for completing the program.

Biddeford, Saco, and Dayton School Departments

Saco Middle School: This program offers Saco Middle School students a three-day, two-night immersive outdoor experience exploring ecosystems through hands-on science lessons.

Biddeford, Saco, and Dayton School Departments

Biddeford: This program proposes an outdoor leadership academy, bike shop curriculum, and field trips for at-risk youth in Biddeford.

Biddeford, Saco, and Dayton School Departments

New Mainer and Unhoused Youth: This program aims to connect New Mainers and homeless youth to Maine's natural beauty through a summer program involving kayaking, hiking, and ocean exploration activities.

Camden Rockport Middle School

Students will participate in daily outdoor activities, including rock climbing, canoeing, paddle boarding, hiking, and sea kayaking. Each day begins with some Social-Emotional Learning and ends with a reflection.

Knox

Carrabec High School Outdoor Skills and Leadership Club

CHS Outdoor Skills and Leadership club meets each school day to explore topics and learn skills in the Maine outdoors: hiking, fly fishing, camping, paddling, skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, wilderness first aid, wilderness survival skills, etc. The club tries to get off campus for a day or overnight adventure once a month. 

Somerset

Cheverus High School 

The goal of Cheverus's program is to spark awe and wonder in the natural world. Teachers will work together across curriculums to study island ecology and natural history, communicating science via art, and sustainability, among other topics. A "whole student" approach will be employed: research will be balanced with reflection. A typical day on an outdoor immersion would include the four essential elements: care, creation, curiosity, and content. After the "work" comes "play," whether it be forest swimming, a hike looking at geological formations, or nature journaling on a beach. The day often ends with a campfire, listening to owls calling, and, for many students, seeing the Milky Way for the first time. 

Cumberland

Chewonki Foundation

 Maine Appalachian Trail Backpacking Trip: For those who want to explore the wilds of Maine on their feet, living close to nature and removed from everyday life, a trek on the Maine AT promises an adventure. The Trip begins in the territory known as the 100-Mile Wilderness and heads northbound to Baxter State Park. The adventure ends with a challenging hike up Mount Katahdin (Wabanaki for “the greatest mountain”), which marks the northern terminus of the AT. Students will average 5-12 miles per day, depending upon terrain. Along the way, they will enjoy and learn about the natural history and ecology of the AT. There is a great chance of seeing moose, bear, beaver, eagles, deer, and other wildlife.

*All equipment, meal, and transportation costs for these programs are covered.

Chewonki Foundation

Maine Northwoods Canoe Trip: This adventure begins in the middle of the North Maine Woods on Allagash Lake and works its way north on the Allagash River through lakes, rapids, and trails that have been traveled for countless years. The group will paddle the length of the Allagash River to where it connects with the St John River near the Canadian Border. Highlights include paddling Chase Rapids, incredible campsites, exploring the old tramway, and sunsets on the many lakes of the waterway.

*All equipment, meal, and transportation costs for these programs are covered.

Lincoln, Piscataquis

Maine Coast Kayaking Trip: This trip begins in the protected waters of Hockomock Bay surrounding Chewonki Neck in Wiscasset Maine, where participants spend the first few days learning expeditionary sea kayaking skills. As student’s skills and confidence increase, they will travel up the coast toward the spruce-covered islands of Penobscot Bay. Each night, students will camp in tents at a different island along their route up the Maine coast, taking note of the local ecology as they go. After plenty of paddling, the trip ends up in the breathtaking islands of Stonington, where lobster boats and sandy beaches fill the 70+ island archipelago.

*All equipment, meal, and transportation costs for these programs are covered.

Lincoln, Penobscot

Cobscook Institute

Outdoor Skills Camp: Learn and practice basic skills to stay safe and have fun in the woods and on the water. Explore Cobscook Institute’s beautiful campus as well as the bounty of nature preserves along Cobscook Bay and The Bold Coast as students learn to paddle a canoe with a partner, build fires and shelters, travel lightly on the land by learning and practicing Leave No Trace, and learn camping skills as you prepare for an overnight adventure.

River Camp: River Camp is a two-week overnight summer service camp for teens interested in outdoor careers, conservation, ecology, and outdoor skill building. A partnership program between the Downeast Salmon Federation (DSF) and Cobscook Institute, teens who are accepted to River Camp are part of a co-ed youth crew and work alongside DSF professionals on projects focused on habitat restoration and recreational access. This year, participants will work on building remote campsites along the Narraguagus River and will have fun learning more advanced paddling techniques on the St. Croix River.

Sailing Camp for New Sailors: This is a beginner class designed for participants to have positive early learning experiences on the water and while sailing. Building confidence, ensuring safety, demonstrating respect, courtesy to others, and good teamwork are primary goals. Participants learn basic nomenclature, seamanship, and sailing skills.

Sailing Camp for Intermediate Sailors: Intermediate students who have taken Cobscook's beginner program or have participated in a sailing training program before will build upon the introductory skills learned previously and build confidence. Participants will revisit basic nomenclature, seamanship, and sailing skills while learning more intermediate skills such as maneuvers, sail theory, and navigation rules.

Youth Leadership Intensive: Youth Leadership Intensive is a paid spring internship for Portland High School, Deering High School & Casco Bay High School students. Youth learn about food justice and nutrition, build leadership skills through group challenges, practice self-reflection through writing, drawing, and conversation, go on hikes and nature walks, explore the Maine coast, cook elaborate and nutritious meals, prepare a community garden for the growing season, visit sustainable farms, and connect with new people. Cultivating Community prioritizes food and housing-insecure participants and is one of the only internships in Portland that accepts and accommodates non-English speakers.

Youth Growers: Youth Growers is a paid summer internship for Portland High School, Deering High School & Casco Bay High School students. Youth learn about food justice and nutrition, build leadership skills through group challenges, practice self-reflection through writing, drawing, and conversation, cook elaborate and nutritious meals every day, maintain a community garden for the public to pick from, deliver bags of local vegetables to neighbors in affordable housing weekly, visit sustainable farms, and connect with new people. Cultivating Community prioritizes food and housing-insecure participants and is one of the only internships in Portland that accepts and accommodates non-English speakers.

Let’s Find Out: DEI’s “Let’s Find Out” program immerses students in the world of Marine Research, where they will work alongside scientists, technicians, and educators to explore real-life situations that affect Maine’s coastal communities. This includes:

• Marine Science Sessions 
• Summer Camp Day Programs
• Family and Friends Group Sessions
• Internships for High School Students (full)
• A Traveling Touch Tank
  
  *Summer Day Camps and Family/Friend sessions focus on investigation and discovery of the marine world . . . projects include investigating real-life situations, issues, solutions and decisions important to coastal communities

 *Family/Friends ½ days-Target group 6-12 (T, W, Thu by appointment)

Wilderness Adventure: This opportunity consists of two five-day wilderness adventures for up to ten students per trip, two spaces for each trip are reserved for Extended Learning Opportunity Student-Leaders (ELO) who choose to demonstrate their leadership skills as mentors and apprentices to the experienced guide services leading each trip. The remaining eight spaces (per trip) will be open to all 9th and 10th grade students in the region. The objectives of each trip are threefold: to fortify the skills acquired in outdoor education classes, to provide students lacking these skills an opportunity to learn from seasoned mentors and leaders, and to acquaint students with diverse professions available to them should they opt to pursue a livelihood in the Maine woods.

Edmunds Consolidated School will use Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative funding to continue working with student and educator-created trail and outdoor learning space systems. The funding will allow them to take outdoor learning to the next level by providing equipment, training, and enhanced opportunities for learning. These opportunities will be available both within the school day and after school hours for students and their families to help build healthy life-long habits

Outdoor Classroom/Shelter Program at Norumbega: Beginning in early April, 6th-grade students will design a new Outdoor Classroom/Shelter guided by We Built This, a Maine nonprofit. It will be used by all three grades in the spring of 2024 to protect them from the weather, serve as a base for student’s research, and provide a space for instruction and presentation of student work. The shelter will be built at Norumbega. Once designed, We Built This will recruit students, families, and community members to do an old-fashioned “barn-raising” to build the timber frame structure.

Interdisciplinary projects for each grade level at Norumbega:

• 6th grade students will design an outdoor shelter/classroom with handicapped accessibility, and help create and maintain trails at Norumbega.
   
• 7th-grade students will focus on forest studies and climate change. They will observe and collect data on the forest population and biodiversity. They will also study the stream at Norumbega and inventory living organisms and water quality.
   
• All 8th grade students will complete capstone projects on either climate studies or social justice initiatives connected to nature.

Spring After School Enrichment Program - Garden to Table: The program will meet once a week for 7 weeks and will focus on designing and preparing garden beds, teaching vegetables and/or pollinator gardening skills, and increasing ecological knowledge. Families who pick up their child with their vehicle will be eligible for transportation mileage reimbursement.

Summer Camp: Weeding the gardens planted in the spring, harvesting produce, preparing meals from the garden (no additional cost), hikes, yoga, art, map making, animal tracking, and bird watching. The camps will be held outside, except in inclement weather, and will have a maximum of 14 campers.

Casco Bay High School (CBHS) Programming: Casco Bay High School (CBHS)  juniors and seniors will participate in multi-night, overnight transformative learning experiences. CBHS partners with community-based groups such as Rippleffect, the Ecology School, and the Schoodic Institute. They will focus on:

1. Leadership development activities to build self, peer, and community leadership skills.

2. Physical fitness and building a personal connection with nature through activities like sea kayaking, hiking, wilderness camping, and cooking skills, and Leave No Trace wilderness ethics.

3. Helping students find a place of centered peace and comfort in their own solitude in nature.

4. Environmental education - coastal ecosystems, organic gardening, monitoring invasive
species and managing island conservation zones through service learning projects.

Middle School Programming: In partnership with organizations like Rippleffect, King, Lyman-Moore, and Lincoln Middle School, students will engage in outdoor education, coupled with reflection and team building, as a cornerstone of the Foundation's social-emotional learning curriculum. Students will learn how to use outdoor activity skills as a conscious tool to manage challenging behaviors. They will offer both downhill and Nordic ski instruction to smaller groups of middle school students who have not been exposed to these activities, as well as extended outdoor leadership skills classes to any interested students.

After School Outdoors: Watershed and nature-based learning activities after school at five middle schools twice a month in April and May. Utilizing the outdoor classrooms and forests adjacent to the school or the nearby water resources, FOCW Watershed Educators will feature grade appropriate activities from the Friend's Watershed Science Curriculum (recently aligned to the NGSS standards). Dates and times to be TBD based on the coordination with each school.

Friends of the Cobbossee anticipate twelve students at each program that is scheduled to last 1.5 hours each, for a total of 120 students and 180 contact hours.

Spring Lake Ecology Explorations: Based out of Maranacook Lake or Cobbossee Lake, FCW will host four Lake Ecology programs (2 middle schools and two high schools) on board the FOCW Pontoon Floating Lab, the Otter 3, during the month of May, on weekends and early dismissal days. Featured will be science experiments regarding water clarity, PH, chemical composition, and the natural history of freshwater flora and fauna, all of which are hands-on. The results will be shared across the state of Maine through the Gulf of Maine Research Institutes community science programs.

Community Library Outreach Programs: FCW has planned hands-on, immersive freshwater aquatic ecology programs/demonstrations at every town library in the watershed. Specifically designed to serve as career exploration opportunities for middle and high school students focusing on ecological careers in freshwater ecological systems. Using freshwater touch tanks, hands-on activities, and one-on-one discussions with participants about career options.

Junior Watershed Scientists: Building upon the success of their 17 years of Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed's Nature Day Camp programs for grades 3rd - 5th, the FCW will host two weeklong camps for middles schoolers. Hosted by their partner in this program the Maine State YMCA Camp. The programs will be hands-on, experiential, and field-based on and around the freshwater ecosystems of Cobbossee Lake and surrounding watershed lands.

Lake Ecology Explorations: Building upon the success of the May Lake Ecology Experiences, FCW is offering two middle school-age and two high school-age lake exploration days during June, July, and August. They will partner with Cobbossee Lake and Maranacook Lake with a morning session for middle school age and an afternoon session for high school students.

Boat Building: Students in 6th Grade will work with the Maine Maritime Museum staff and volunteers to learn woodworking skills and work collaboratively to build a rowing skiff to be launched in the spring of 2024. Students will build a skiff to be launched this spring. Maine Maritime staff will complete a survey to assess students’ learning in the program.

BGCSM has prepared a robust and engaging program to excite students about outdoor experiences. The program's pinnacle will be two immersive trips for 50 BGCSM members to Maine Huts & Trails Flagstaff Lake Hut. Students will hike two miles from the drop-off point to an off-the-grid eco-lodge, where they can fully unplug from the digital world. This adventure will offer a wide variety of new outdoor experiences; a sample program schedule from the 2023 trip is attached.

Beyond this overnight excursion, smaller one-day outdoor activities are also planned for the summer. BGCSM’s goal is to offer opportunities for everyone’s comfort level. Day-trip excursions and experiences will include Meet a Park Ranger Trips, Hiking, Kayaking, and Ropes Course. A key focus of the program is to leverage this experience to inspire students to consider careers in the outdoor industries. The Maine outdoor economy provides exciting career opportunities that students would never have the chance to explore outside the program. This career exposure and exploration is a strategic fit with BGCSM’s organizational commitment to helping members plan for their future.

Weekend Campouts: On 100 acres of pristine forest, Teen Retreats are designed to build friendships, lasting self-esteem, and connection to the natural world. The weekend model allows campers ample time to practice lifelong outdoor skills, build confidence and resilience, lean into play and connection, and find time to pause and reflect outside of their busy schedules.

Sunbeam Adventures: Designed for children and teens who identify as neurodivergent, Sunbeam offers a week of connection and adventure on Biscay Pond. Participants will be offered opportunities for challenge by choice and active engagement through swimming, paddle boarding, exploring the Maine woods, and connecting to nature in meaningful ways. This inclusive, supportive camp also invites participants to make new friends, foster independence, acknowledge self-worth, dig deep into their grit and resilience, and beam with joy.

Taproot Therapeutic Adventure: Hearty Roots' out-of-the-box approach to mental health and wellness, Taproot is designed to reach youth who are facing mental or behavioral health challenges that impact their ability to meet academic and behavioral expectations throughout the school day. Sessions are tailored to the individual or group; nature-based activities are scaffolded to inspire positive growth and confidence, and the therapeutic environment is co-created with the participant(s). Taproot is fun and empowers participants to develop deeper connections to nature, community.

Muscongus Navigators: Hearty Root's Coastal Navigators sessions invite teens on immersive sea kayak expeditious in Muscongus Bay. Their approach of intentionally blending adventure and wellness practices offers teens the opportunity to build resilience and connect with friends and nature in a truly restorative way all while experiencing growth, reflection, joy, and the magic of the waters and islands of the coast of Maine.

Biscay Explorers Overnights: Hearty Root's Biscay Explorers Campout sessions are designed for kids who are ready for a new level of adventure. Participants will get to experience a true camp out: campfire cooking and sleeping in tents under the stars! Days will be filled with exploration, hiking, swimming, paddle boarding with Hearty Roots’ intentional programming – reflection, connection, gratitude, resilience building, mindfulness – woven throughout!"

Junior Marine Scientist Camp: Field explorations on the St.George Peninsula, trips to Colby College’s Allen Island Campus, kayaking along the St. George River, and sailing trips in Penobscot Bay. These excursions will allow students to immerse themselves in the marine environment. They will be able to observe marine birds, mammals, and other wildlife. Hands-on marine science projects will be a feature of these weeks along the coast. Participants will be able to conduct experiments in Herring Gut's flow-through saltwater lab. Careers in marine science and trades will be a focus, along with an introduction to community science projects. Participants will collect data in several marine locations around the St. George peninsula. Data will be collected on seaweed, invertebrates, and water quality.

Changing Seas High School Program: A program designed to focus on climate change, how Maine’s marine economy is impacted, and sustainable solutions. Topics include ocean plastics, rising sea levels, warming waters, and sustainability. Field trips to local and regional businesses will be a prime feature of this week. Participants will be able to observe and gain insight from professionals currently working in coastal trades.

Collecting Data in the Outdoors Professional Development for Teachers: This one-day professional development course will take place in the spring. Teachers will be immersed in the outdoors while learning how to engage with their students to collect data. This training will take place in a coastal habitat, but teachers will learn how they can apply these techniques to collect data near their schools. Teachers will also learn about science communication and how students can communicate information through art. Teachers will receive a stipend after submitting data that their students have collected by the end of this school year.

The Holbrook Mountain Bike Club will meet after school on Wednesdays. Students will learn to ride and maintain provided bikes and about trail safety. 

The Holbrook Mountain Bike Club will meet 15 days in the summer, taking trail rides in the area. They will end the summer with a trip to Acadia National Park to ride the Carriage Roads and a trip to the Moosehead Trailhead in Greenville. All of this is at no cost to students to RSU 63 students. 

Island Adventures: This summer, with grant support from the U.S. Department of Education and the Maine Department of Education's Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative, Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (HIOBS) is offering Maine students between the ages of 13-17 a unique opportunity to explore the landscape of Maine’s coast and islands, gain hands-on leadership experience, and forge friendships and connections that last a lifetime.

Maine's rugged coast beckons for a five-day, one-of-a-kind experience where adventure awaits around every corner! Imagine the thrill of slicing through waves on a 30-ft. sailboat, the exhilaration of climbing Burnt Island’s iconic seaside cliffs, and the satisfaction of leaving your mark by contributing to an island service project. As they hike the wild trails and camp under star-studded skies, students will discover hidden strengths, make new friends, find community through shared experiences, gain leadership skills as they navigate the activities together, and return with memories they’ll carry with them for life.

Through experiential learning and collaboration during the Lincoln Academy Launch program, students from disadvantaged backgrounds will feel supported in their transition to high school. Students will benefit from the opportunity to connect to new classmates and teachers, as well as upper-class student mentors. They will engage with varied marine resources and learn the concepts of a connected ecosystem through real-world application in an exploratory learning environment. Through interactions with local professionals from a diverse range of backgrounds, students will understand the importance of marine resources in their community.

This program is free to Somerset County youth. With the goal of community transformation through outdoor recreation in mind, Main Street Skowhegan launched the Skowhegan Outdoors AmeriCorps Program in 2019 in partnership with Volunteer Maine, the Outdoor Sports Institute, and other local organizations energized by the prospect of ensuring equitable access to the outdoors via free, guided outdoor activities and gear.

In 2023, Skowhegan Outdoors hosted 202 free outdoor programs that served 1,810 area residents and offered three free weeklong summer day camps for youth grades 8-12. The summer camp topics include mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, and hiking. These initiatives are catalyzing a shift toward a healthier and more active lifestyle accessible to all Somerset County area residents.

Specific to summer day camps in 2024, Skowhegan will add a fourth week due to the camp's popularity. Summer camps are free for participants, with all instruction, gear, lunch, and transportation provided.

Threshold Mondays: This program is a part of the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences (MeANS) curriculum and is for their students specifically. Once a month, all MeANS Threshold students and instructors will come together for “Threshold Mondays.” These will be focused on outdoor learning opportunities. From March-July, Maine Academy of Natural Sciences will conduct the following programs: a Maple syrup day; a visit to Maine Local Living Center or Bowsprit; a program with Wabanaki Reach and field trip to Norridgewock Massacre Memorial; a coastal field trip; and a field-day for students and their families to Lake George in Canaan to celebrate the end of the year with canoeing, swimming and field games.

Quarterly Intensives: This program is a part of the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences (MeANS) curriculum and is for their students specifically. Each quarter of the year, all campus students participate in “Intensives,” where they launch into a two-week, interdisciplinary exploration of the natural sciences. Venturing out on field trips, conducting independent research, and partnering with local experts. Students are tasked with creating place-based projects that apply academic content and skills to meet the needs of their school, community, and local environment. To add to their current intensives program, MeANS will reinstate their canoe excursions and add a hybrid bicycle excursion option, enabling them to take students out on local bodies of water and on nature trails that allow bikes. These excursions will occur during both the Spring and Summer intensives, and throughout the grant period. 

Educator Professional Learning: Schoolwide, Maine Academy of Natural Sciences will provide educators with Personal Development with Megan-Mack Nicholson at Lennox Lodge Outdoor Leadership Center for all interested staff to become an Educational Trip Leader permit holder (March and June/July); Wilderness First Aid and CPR training for interested students; and guest instructors on a variety of topics for small group outdoor experiences.

The Art of Biking: This program is exclusively for Maine Arts Academy students. There will be a morning group of students and an afternoon group of students learning to ride mountain bikes, learning about bike maintenance, and learning photography skills to document the "art of biking."

Maine Connections Academy is entirely virtual, so its Outdoor Learning programs are essential for students to have opportunities to interact in person. The Academy will use Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative funding to hold four outdoor events as part of its program: two overnight camps, a ropes course, and a day at Cow Island. This program is specifically for Connection Academy students.

Each program at Maine Local Living School is developed collaboratively with the school or community group participating based on their learning goals, needs, group size, and desired visit duration. There is no “one size fits all” program. Maine Local Living School offers single-day programs for up to 50 students at a time and multi-day/overnight programs for up to 25 students at a time. The school's programs include guided hands-on engagement in nature-based learning, climate change mitigation, direct participation in their food system, handcraft, and mindfulness.

Green Teen High School Internship: MMM’s Green Teen program is a five-week, after-school paid internship designed to give a cohort of six high school students the opportunity to explore a local environmental issue of their choice and then collaboratively research/design a public awareness campaign on this issue.

New Mainers Fly Fishing Workshops: Together, Maine Maritime Museum and Confluence Collective (CC) are offering three summer fly fishing half-day workshops for up to 60 immigrant, refugee, and asylee 6th-12th graders that build connections with Maine’s natural resources. CC is an outdoor education and community programming nonprofit with a specific focus on facilitating inclusive fly-fishing experiences for marginalized communities.

New Mainer Kennebec River Ecology Cruises: Working in collaboration with Intercultural Community Center (ICC), Maine Maritimes Museum is providing Kennebec River cruises aboard MMM’s 50-passenger vessel Merrymeeting to all 6th-12th grade students participating in ICC’s Power Summer program. ICC supports immigrant, refugee, and asylee youth by offering experiences that promote English-language development and academic support.

Mariners Adventure Camp: Mariners Adventure Camp is designed to serve the social-emotional needs and intellectual curiosity of 6th-8th grade students by taking them on an interdisciplinary adventure to think about the role of trees in Maine’s history. Campers explore this natural resource through hands-on carpentry, science experiments, and forest hikes.

The 2024 Forest Immersion Summer Intensive will provide rising 9th-12th graders an unparalleled opportunity to dive deep into Maine’s rich forest ecosystems and understand the interplay of environmental, economic, and community health. Students will take on the role of field researchers, collaborating to design and conduct in-depth scientific studies on topics from wildlife populations to forest management techniques. They will think critically to analyze complex forest data and identify potential improvements, then develop innovative solutions. The students will also have hands-on experiences using various tools and equipment, building their confidence and attaining new technical skills and abilities.

The Game Loft and its sister program, I Know ME, will hold various outdoor activities throughout the school year and over the summer, including overnight camping, outdoor role-playing, hiking, and more. These programs are open to members of the greater Belfast community.

Summer Compass Program: This outdoor experiential programming is free for RSU1 rising 6th through 8th graders. Students will come together for team-building and leadership challenges and explore all of Midcoast Youth Center's adventure and life skills programming opportunities, such as mountain biking, skateboarding, woodworking, trail work, baking, and gardening.

Waypoint Program: Midcoast Youth Center's Waypoint program is a six-year mentorship program for 7th through 12th graders in RSU1. Students meet regularly during and after school with a supportive adult mentor to participate in outdoor education, leadership development, character building, college, and career preparation and more. Each year of Waypoint includes a different overnight, outdoor experience to new parts of Maine and even parts of greater New England.

The Portland Youth Corps promotes personal and professional growth through community service, environmental stewardship, and hands-on conservation opportunities within Portland's beautiful parks and green spaces. Participants implement stewardship projects while also receiving mentorship from program leaders, learning about park management, and experiencing a variety of outdoor adventures with partners like SailMaine and the Maine Island Trail Association. Participants also receive a modest stipend at the end of each session.

Rangeley Lakes Regional School is working to get pre K-12 involved in their greenhouse, including harvesting the vegetables, harvesting crops for their cafeteria, and turning cafeteria waste into compost to go back to the gardens.

The programming will start in the Fall of 2024 after the Greenhouse is constructed, and specific activities will be determined by the classroom teachers in collaboration with the greenhouse coordinators and the Garden Club. (The Garden Club is an extracurricular activity consisting of two teacher advisors and any high student who wishes to participate.) Activities may include tracking planting dates, managing seedling germination, transferring plants, maintaining the compost, adding soil amendments, and managing pests. Academic lessons can include exploring the costs of gardening versus purchasing vegetables, relating germination and growth to heat and light levels, investigating the cultural origins of food, and using plants as models for art classes.

ROLE: A middle and high school outdoor leadership education program called ROLE (Rippleffect Outdoor Leadership Education). Middle school students participate after school once a week for four hours in skill building then culminate with a 3 day wilderness expedition. 

High School ROLE is a semester-long course taught at school with multiple field expeditions throughout the semester. Note: Lyman Moore Middle School ROLE is a daily semester long course for students as well.

Cow Island: Students from Ripple partner schools will have access to summer camp expeditions and overnight programs based on their Cow Island (Casco Bay) campus.

Internship: High School Students from Rippleffect's partner schools will be eligible for one of eight Rippleffect Intern Guide & Environmental Steward positions that will be a summer long internship.

Rivers and Roads Empowering Futures program is a combination of gardening and culinary classes designed as a comprehensive and innovative learning experience for 6th through 12th graders in Fryeburg and the surrounding rural areas.

RSU #4’s Integrated Curriculum seamlessly blends outdoor education with leadership development, providing a distinctive and innovative educational experience through four units covering paddling, fishing, biking, camping, and hiking. 

The Maine Forest Collaborative (MFC) empowers rural youth to contribute actively to the vitality of Maine's forested communities. MFC is a project-based program fostering sustainable school/community partnerships, focusing on giving students access to and connection with their region's natural assets. Using design thinking, inquiry-driven, and place-based approaches, students take ownership of their learning, solving authentic challenges in their community. With guidance from community partners, experts, and each other, students iterate their solutions to natural resource challenges. While working through this project, students engage in outdoor learning experiences, field trips, and cohort days, deepening their connection to natural resources and the outdoors and learning about natural resource innovation in the state.

A school-day instructional unit called Introduction to Field Studies, which will integrate outdoor education opportunities into a disciplinary unit that draws upon district literacy, math, and science standards. This pilot program in a seventh-grade cohort will provide the basis for future professional development in interdisciplinary and outdoor education-integrated curriculum writing.

The Schoodic Education Adventure (SEA) program provides a three-day and two-night experiential environmental education program on Schoodic's campus within Acadia National Park. They work primarily with middle school classes and a small number of high schools. This outdoor education program is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and is integrated across the Common Core. The institute works closely with teachers to integrate SEA into the classroom curriculum, ensuring students in the program are getting the most benefit from the teacher-selected programming. Students receive 22+ hours of curriculum-based instruction over three days.

This is the launch of Somali Bantu Community Association's first After-school program, “Explore Careers! Honor the Outdoors (ECHO).” This is a 9-week spring program that will begin April 3rd and take place every Wednesday from 2:45-6 pm. The target audience for this program are 25 Somali Bantu middle and high school students. This program aims to empower and expand Somali Bantu Youth knowledge in careers based in the great outdoors and local farms while fostering a deep connection with nature, communities, and the wisdom gained from intergenerational connections. These educational excursions are designed to expose students to valuable learning experiences outside the classroom. Through intergenerational connections, we aim to provide valuable insights into various farming techniques and career opportunities in the agricultural and outdoor sectors. All necessary materials for youth to participate in these field trips are provided, offering a low barrier requirement.

The Life Happens Outside® Challenge: The Life Happens Outside® Challenge is a way for an entire middle school community to intentionally spend lots of time outside for one week.

Every minute outside counts — from sports practice to dog walking, camping in the yard, or doing homework in the park. The school that spends the most time outside wins!

It’s best when the whole school takes part and the community supports them.

Middle School Camden Hills Campout: Teens to Trails is excited to be able to offer a FREE middle school campout- a weekend of camping, hiking, exploring, playing, and connecting. Teens to Trails started supporting middle schools in 2021 and have been so impressed with the energy and curiosity of this age group. We can’t wait to go camping with your students!

Due to construction at Camden Hills State Park, this program is currently planned to take place at Birch Point Beach State Park in Owls Head. There will be multiple privy options but zero running water. If the construction is completed before May 10-12 Teens to Trails will shift their program back to CHSP which will be communicated to those who are registered.