We know you’ve all been waiting to know who your instructors will be this summer – so here it is: Introducing the 2015 Adventure Treks Instructor Team!
It’s shaping up to be another great year at Adventure Treks. Again this summer almost 70% of our 2014 instructors will be returning for the 2015 summer. Every instructor has, at minimum, a Wilderness First Responder medical certification, and several are trained as Wilderness EMT’s. All have significant experience working with youth in the outdoors. Most important, each instructor is an outstanding and impressive role model.
Adventure Treks Instructor Orientation 2014 from Adventure Treks on Vimeo.
Here’s some info we think you’ll find impressive about our 68 instructors:
- Average age of 27.
- They collectively have 210 years of Adventure Treks experience (more than 3 years on average).
- Every instructor (but one exceptional rising senior) has a college degree, and 20% of our team currently have or are working toward an advanced degree.
- Eight of our instructors are former Adventure Treks students.
- During the rest of the year, our instructors work as teachers, ski instructors, ski patrollers, mountain guides, and for college outdoor programs, and outdoor education and science schools.
- All of our instructors have done incredible things. For example, some have biked across the country, paddled the Mississippi River, hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trails, or mountain-biked the Continental Divide Trail.
- They have lived, worked, and traveled all over the world.
We’ve had more than 600 applicants to fill the 26 new instructor positions. Each new instructor goes through a minimum of three interviews conducted by our leadership team, three reference checks, and a background and criminal check. Needless to say, the new instructors we selected passed with flying colors, and we can’t wait to see them inspire our students.
Our leadership team—Directors, trip leaders and regional directors—will begin a four-day retreat near Oregon’s Mt. Hood on June 3. The entire instructor team will come together near Portland on June 9 for an intensive, seven-day orientation. On June 15, our instructor group will separate into each trips’ six-person staff team for a second week of trip-specific training.
Aside from trip training, our instructor team starts bonding immediately, and these friendships last long beyond the summer—much like our students’. As role models to our students, creating a strong and close-knit instructor community is crucial, and directly affects our student communities in a positive way. When we see our students modeling respectful, inclusive, and kind behavior when forming their new friendships, we know we’ve done our jobs well.
In the coming weeks, we’ll publish the tentative six-person staff teams assigned to each trip. Instructor teams may change as we create the best possible combination of personalities and skills to each Adventure Treks trip.
Click Here To See our 2015 Staff Biographies
We can’t wait for summer to begin!
Dock, DMAC, Josh, Kate, Amanda, Stacey, & Joan