What is ARCC
Twenty-six years ago we brought a group of students together and set off extraordinary locations with a goal to teach adventure travel skills to teenagers. What unfolded was unexpected — and significant. When we placed young people in a fun and supportive environment and presented them with realistic challenges and the grandeur of nature, they flourished. The exhilaration of surfing a wave, running whitewater rapids, or helping in an orphanage for the first time, produced courage and confidence. Working as a team and making decisions as a group created flexibility, compassion, and community.
A Path to Leadership
We have found that leadership has many faces. A shy student can shine in a leadership role as well as an outgoing one. On an ARCC adventure, you have many opportunities to gradually assume leadership, whether by planning the day’s meals, encouraging your peers, or motivating the group to continue service work. ARCC’s philosophy is to cultivate great leaders and encourage peer support and teamwork.
Teamwork Learned Here
It is ARCC’s goal for you to realize how working as a team can make reaching goals easier. While ARCC’s philosophy is to spend as much time doing as possible, sometimes coexisting with other individuals over a two to six week period can be as challenging as SCUBA diving to 60 feet or team teaching English in Thailand. On an ARCC trip, you will learn the value of sharing responsibility, encouraging your team members, finding what each person does well and then moving forward as a team. ARCC’s small group size means you receive individualized attention while at the same time being an active participant in team decisions.
Experience Personal Growth
We’ve observed that through the supportive environment we create, you will experience tremendous personal growth. While on an ARCC adventure, you will become proficient in a variety of new skills. More importantly, however, you will leave an ARCC adventure with intangible rewards: feelings of accomplishment, maturity, and self-reliance.
The Industry Leader
For 26 years, ARCC has offered innovative experiences for teenagers, and has remained the pioneer of adventure travel for young people. Here’s why:
Group Consistency
All of our groups consist of students of comparable ages. We will never group 13 year-olds with 18 year-olds simply to fill out a program — 7th graders have vastly different needs than 12th graders. The students and leaders who meet at the airport on the first day of the adventure are the same ones who hike, raft, sail, and tearfully hug good-bye at the end. We feel that having small groups of like-age students who stick together ultimately leads to a strong family” bond that is the cornerstone of every ARCC adventure.
Our Close-Knit Community
ARCC has formed a worldwide community much like ones created on our trips. Students have the opportunity to meet other ARCC students online even before their adventure begins and parents are given updates of their children’s adventures while the trip is unfolding. Our office staff visit trips as well to ensure the summer is going smoothly and students are having fun. ARCC alumni and parents often stay connected to ARCC through reunions during the year. We are happy to have so many members of the ARCC “family keeping in touch with us for years, sharing with us their own adventures as they move into adult life.
What to Expect From an ARCC Adventure
Having fun is an important goal, but ARCC is not a catered vacation. You’ll be involved in all aspects of the group’s adventure from cooking and cleaning, to map reading and leading the group. There may be some long days of travel as well as classes in Marine Biology and “Leave No Trace” outdoor ethics. Participants will also be asked to occasionally wake up at dawn and may not have access to showers on a daily basis. On the other hand, ARCC is not a survival school. Our purpose is to teach you skills in a fun and positive environment. This does not mean it will be easy or without challenge, but at all times we will eat well, have a supportive group atmosphere, and most importantly, all will have fun in the process.
The Group
All ARCC groups are co-ed and are comprised of 8 to 15 participants. Most often, students come on an ARCC adventure by themselves, although friends are welcome to come together. ARCC students come from all over the USA and from as far away as Europe and Asia. ARCC students are not superstar athletes nor outdoor experts, but average teenagers who simply want an exciting and fulfilling summer experience. The trip will also have at least two experienced leaders (one male, one female) accompany each group with an average student: leader ratio of 6:1.
Educational Opportunities & College Preparation
Throughout the adventure, we set aside time to teach classes on such topics as marine biology, map and compass techniques, route finding and navigation, first aid, geology, weather, astronomy, and the natural history of the areas we are visiting. ARCC actively teaches Leave No Trace, a national education program that promotes responsible travel in wilderness areas. Students also learn skills like leadership, teamwork, and group decision making that are valuable for those entering college.
Community Service Credit
ARCC recognizes the importance of serving the communities in which we operate our adventures. Whether it is working with native Hawaiians in the taro field or teaching English to Fijian children, ARCC students have an opportunity to feel good about their contributions to local communities. In addition, students may earn school credit for their hours worked. ARCC will gladly provide a certificate of the hours worked to any student upon request. Community service adventures range from 40-60 hours.
Food
Most days of an ARCC adventure, the group will prepare three delicious, healthy and filling meals. Pizza, stir-fry, brownies, and chicken quesadillas are just a few things you may learn to cook on your adventure. Certain trips will spend time eating in restaurants when group cooking is inconvenient or sampling local fare is an option. You will be assigned to a rotating cook group that is responsible for the selection, preparation and cleanup of the group’s meals, giving you an opportunity to learn and practice cooking skills. The food we provide is selected with an emphasis on freshness and variety. We buy extra food to ensure that no one is hungry and vegetarian diets can be easily accommodated.
Sleeping Arrangements
Some ARCC adventures spend their nights sleeping in tents alongside a mountain trail, next to a river, or on a beach. ARCC provides lightweight four-person tents for you. You are assigned to single gender tents and have the option of setting up the tents each night or sleeping out under the stars. On other ARCC adventures, you spend your nights sleeping on sailboats, in hostels or small hotels.
Equipment
ARCC will provide all group equipment including tents, stoves, cooking gear, and first aid equipment. We will also provide all gear necessary for the outfitted activities including biking, rafting, kayaking and climbing. You need to provide your own personal equipment, which includes a sleeping bag, a backpack, a sleeping pad, rain gear and personal clothing. Once you are accepted on an ARCC adventure, we will provide a detailed list of clothing and equipment necessary for your trip.
Travel & Safety
ARCC feels that, although perceived risks are most often greater than actual risks, anyone participating in an ARCC adventure must understand that almost any activity is potentially dangerous, whether it’s cooking dinner for the group or simply taking a day hike. Unforeseen storms, snow, rock falls, floods, severe weather and accidents are all possible.
What We Expect of You
There is no experience necessary for an ARCC adventure; however, your responsibility begins by selecting the ARCC adventure that is most appropriate for you. ARCC staff is available to discuss each trip in detail to help you find the most appropriate length and challenge.
A Willingness to Learn
Education is a significant part of every ARCC adventure. All programs incorporate classes on subjects related to the activities on the trip and to the areas in which we travel. These classes may be as far ranging as learning about the marine biology of a barrier reef to how to triangulate the group’s position using a map and compass. We expect all of our students to enthusiastically participate in classes and the learning process.
A Positive Atitude
ARCC also asks you to have a positive and unselfish attitude on the trip. Our adventures require enthusiastic participants in all activities and those who are motivated to act in the best interest of the group are ultimately the most rewarded by their experience.
Physical Preparation
You are responsible for arriving on the trip physically prepared. We strongly suggest an exercise program of running, swimming or cycling. If you can comfortably maintain 45 minutes of vigorous exercise two or three times a week, then you are in shape for any ARCC trip. The better condition you are in, the more you will enjoy your adventure.