Empower youth in the outdoors - be a Student Leader for Outdoor School!

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Are you interested in environmental education? Do you enjoy working with kids? Do you like being outside? Do you want to gain leadership experience and teach for a week? Northwest Outdoor Science School is looking for volunteers to serve as Student Leaders this spring!

What is Outdoor School?

Northwest Outdoor Science School is a multi-day, overnight, experiential education program for sixth-grade students. Schools throughout Oregon attend one of our five Outdoor School sites, learning about the natural world in a natural setting. Each day they participate on different science based field studies where learning takes place in small groups. Activities are designed to be hands-on, engaging, and fun. Our mission is to promote an understanding and appreciation for the natural world among students.

Social growth occurs as the students learn, live and play together. Students live in cabin groups and participate in evening campfire programs, cabin unity games, camp duties, recreation, and homeroom time with their classroom teachers. They learn to function as a team as they perform basic duties around camp, such as serving meals, presenting a skit at the campfire program, or cleaning their cabins. Family style dining reinforces table manners, etiquette, and nutritional diet. All sites have comfortable sleeping cabins with heat and electricity, restrooms with showers, a dining hall, and covered areas for field studies.

What is a Student Leaders Role?

College and high school students volunteer as Student Leaders for one week during the season. Student Leaders choose which week they would like to serve at one of our five sites. They live in the cabins with the sixth-graders, engaging the students in a variety of fun activities (games, songs, icebreakers, skits) to build cabin unity and forge friendships. Student Leaders also aid in teaching the activities on the science field studies, allowing the average study group size to be 6 students per leader.

Outdoor School staff provides training in child management, field study activities and teaching techniques, game and song leading, and camp duties. Student Leaders arrive a day before students to begin training and are mentored throughout the week. The staff is always available to assist Student Leaders in any way.

What are the qualifications?

No prior camp experience is required! Nor are Student Leaders expected to be experts in science. You only need to be ready and willing to learn at Outdoor School. People wishing to be a leader at Outdoor School must:

1. Enjoy spending time with children.
2. Enjoy spending time in the outdoors.
3. Take initiative to engage students in activities.
4. Be responsible & mature.
5. Be enthusiastic & positive.
6. Be flexible to do whatever is needed.
7. Be able to communicate clearly.
8. Be ready to commit to a full week of service
9. Focus all of their energy on making Outdoor School as rewarding an experience as possible for students.

What are some benefits?

Gain experience teaching environmental science

Spend a week in the forest or the beach and a beautiful Pacific NW camp

Build Leadership skills and practice student management

Practice public speaking

Earn volunteer hours

Earn 2 transferable college credits for a reasonable price

Receive guidance and performance feedback from program staff mentor

Meet new people

Spring 2019 season is March 4 th - May 31 st. Running 12 weeks across 5 sites. You choose the week you want to volunteer.

For more information about this opportunity or to learn about the Spring 2019 Outdoor School schedule, email Chad Stewart (Volunteers Coordinator) at cstewart@nwresd.k12.or.us or call 503-614-1403.

Visit our website to view the Spring 2019 schedule: nwoutdoorschool.org