The solo is near the end of the trip and is a time when students are separated from one another and the Instructors in order to have solitude from the group. Instructors are never more than a brief walk away from student solo sites and they will check in on students to provide water refills, administer any medication needed, clean up any cuts and scrapes that might have come from the rigors of navigating the backcountry and ultimately check on the general well-being of students.

The purpose of the solo is to reflect on course and any learnings that came up, and also to have a break from the rigors of course.

All potential students will need to submit a completed application, this includes:

• A Letter of Intent
• A Letter of Recommendation from a teacher or mentor (ex. College Advisor, Manager at work, Teacher, Youth Group Mentor).

If selected for an interview, we will contact you to schedule a time. We will reach out to give you a final answer by the end of April. If selected, you'll then begin the medical screening process with our Student Services team.

No, no previous experience needed. You need to be excited to step outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself!

Past applicants have shown creative project ideas, dedication to building community, excellent organizational skills, timely communication, and a willingness to push themselves.

The requirements are as follows:

• Attend orientation first in September
• Complete 10-day wilderness portion in the High Sierras
• Help plan and implement a service project for the group to participate in.
• Have no more than 1 excused absence from a project (make- up service hours available)

The YLC instructors and mentors work with students to help them develop their understanding of what makes an effective leader by teaching SMART goal setting, collaboration, commitment to service, and problem-solving. We do this by providing opportunities to experience real-life situations that force us to rely on each other and practice assessment of a given situation. 

Service day projects are planned and designed by students in small groups (2-3 students). This group will pick a project to support. Every project will consist of a Tone Set, Service Project, and a Reflection. Outward Bound California offers rides from our SF location or from an east bay BART location as needed. 

Every service day will consist of the theme for the day, an organization location to work with, an intention for the group to focus on and finally a discussion topic at the end of the service day.

Yes, Outward Bound California provides lunch on programs that occur during lunch time. If a project is in the afternoon, snacks will be provided and students will be asked to come having already eaten lunch.

We meet once a month from September- May. Each month we complete a service project EXCEPT for the following months:

• September- Instead we will focus on Professional Development and Planning Meeting
• January- Instead we will have 1 overnight camping trip in the Bay Area
• May - Instead we will hold Graduation from the program. 

YES! Students work together to reach out to organizations around the Bay Area. We try to stick to areas easily accessible by public transit, but Outward Bound California can support with transportation if needed (ie Coastal locations, State Parks, etc)

Outward Bound California will be able to offer rides from our SF base in the Presidio. Most projects are close to major public transit lines for better access for students around the Bay Area. If you have concerns about access to transportation, let us know and we can work with you to make sure your transportation needs are considered. 

Makeup service hours will be required to meet the attendance policy. 

However, we understand that life happens. If you need to miss a project for an extraneous circumstance, you’ll be responsible for notifying the YLC Coordinator prior to the project.

To encourage students to plan accordingly we send out the schedule of project dates during orientation in May. 

Outward Bound California has a number of events throughout the year that you may be invited to come and talk about the program with donors and friends of our community.  Every student receives a letter of recommendation from Outward Bound California which students have used in college and job applications. You’ll be a part of a larger alumni network to share ideas with and seek mentorship from each other.