More Than 230 Middle School Students experience a Project Success Outdoor Adventure Trip in Summer 2023!

Project Success recently concluded a series of summer PS Outdoor Adventure overnight trips with middle school students to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and to the Apostle Islands. These trips are part of Project Success’ Expeditions programming, which includes adventures that expose diverse opportunities to colleges, nature settings, and international cities. We know that getting out of day-to-day comfort zones will expose new opportunities, worlds, and ways to thrive. On our summer Outdoor Adventure trips, students were able to navigate and connect with nature, build camaraderie with their peers, and nurture self-confidence in their abilities. Project Success continues to make these wilderness adventures accessible to all middle school students through ensuring students have what they need to be successful on these trips. With the help of our generous partners and donors, we offer scholarship opportunities to ensure no student is turned away due to cost and our collaboration with Wilderness Inquiry allows us to provide an inclusive outdoor adventure for students with diverse needs.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA)

During June and July, Project Success BWCA trips included 220 students, 32 Project Success volunteer and staff leaders, and 32 Wilderness Canoe Base experts. During this seven-day experience, students participated in various activities including canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, and camping in tents while cooking meals over an open fire. What makes this year unique was the incredible number of program registrations that came in from students and families, as experiential learning and access to the outdoors continues to be of great importance to students. To accommodate as many students as possible, we were able to secure an additional two weeks of trips in June thanks to our wonderful partners at Wilderness Canoe Base.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Eleven students participated in the Project Success Apostle Islands Kayak Adventure. This 4-day overnight program is designed to help students who might require extra support to access and enjoy outdoor recreational activities, including students with physical, health, developmental, social, and/or cognitive needs. In addition to 3 Project Success facilitators and professional guides from Wilderness Inquiry, our support staff included two Personal Care Assistants (PCAs) and two American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters. This adventure featured kayaking in Lake Superior, exploring the Sea Caves by kayak, hiking to a waterfall, swimming in Lake Superior, and camping at Wilderness Inquiry’s Little Sand Bay Base Camp.

When reflecting on these experiences, Jenny Batten, Project Success’ Senior Program Manager – Expeditions, shared, “It is incredibly inspiring to watch students grow throughout their overnight wilderness adventure. On day one, they might be quiet and anxious about what the experience will be like. They may not know anyone in their group or have never been away from home for this long. By the end of the week, they feel physically and emotionally stronger. When we asked students at the end of their trips ‘What will you take away from this experience?’, responses were – new friends, phone numbers, courage, strength, knowledge, gratitude, laughter, perseverance, determination…and of course, bug bites! They come away knowing that they have overcome a huge challenge and are that much more prepared and able to meet the next challenge that comes along…whatever that might be. In short, students are amazing at what they can accomplish when they put their hearts and minds to it.”

These outdoor adventures not only introduce students to the wonders of nature but also instill valuable life skills and self-belief. As we celebrate the success of this year’s trips, we look forward to witnessing even more young minds conquer new horizons in the future.

When asked what they will take away from this experience students shared…

“Sometimes the strongest thing to do is to let someone else help you…”

“Time moves faster when you live in the present. You find more peace.”

“Being in the moment”

“Not taking food for granted “

“Memories”

“Phone numbers”

“How to work with a group”

“Learn to work together even if you don’t know them or don’t like them”

“I can make it through hardships”

“Don’t limit yourself”

“Perseverance”

“Being comfortable being uncomfortable “

“There are always people that support you”

“Home is more than where you live…”

Testimonial from a BWCA parent:

Hello PS team, as summer is almost done and we are prepping for a new school year, I wanted to share with you that this camp was and will most likely continue to be the highlight of my daughter’s summer.  She continues to talk about the girls she met, the guides, the games that were played, and the list goes on and on.

I wanted to thank you for the opportunity you give kids to do these activities, all the work you do in the schools and the community and for allowing my daughter to experience something that otherwise we would not have access and experience to do, GRACIAS DE TODO CORAZO. 

-Carlos, parent of a 2023 BWCA student