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- Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks
(Nov 21, 2008)
- Dangerous Adventures for Boys
(Nov 19, 2008)
- LG Snowboard FIS World Cup Big Air London
(Oct 07, 2008)
- Free Overseas Volunteering Opportunities
(Oct 01, 2008)
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(Oct 01, 2008)
- Commando Challenge
(Sep 29, 2008)
- Charity Sail 2009
(Sep 19, 2008)
- Council wins £2.5m bid to improve children’s play facilities
(Sep 19, 2008)
- Waterwalkerz The Human Hamster Ball on Water
(Sep 19, 2008)
- Ski and Board Show NEC Birmingham 2008
(Sep 15, 2008)
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February 2008
Posted by: webmaster
| Urban Teens Gain Self Confidence with Big City Mountaineers |
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Big City Mountaineers is a nonprofit organization that gets urban teens outside. They take teenagers from the city and help them to discover more about themselves whilst on inspirational wilderness trips.
We run week-long wilderness trips across the U.S. with our main hubs being Denver, SF Bay Area, Portland/Seattle and the Boundary Waters. The goal of Big City Mountaineers is to provide urban teenage youth with challenging, safe outdoor experiences designed to build self-esteem and positively impact their beliefs about themselves and their relationship with others. We also have a unique ratio of 5 teens and 5 adults on each trip. We believe that bringing together a group of teens and a group of adults can be truly beneficial for all participants. “Sometimes the only way to change someone’s perspective is by providing them a whole new one”.
In addition to our summer wilderness programming we also run a benefit climb program called Summit for Someone. Climbers pick from one of 24 iconic peaks in North America. Climbers raise money, get gear and go climb! The money raised from these climbs goes directly to getting more teens outside.
Below is a story from one BCM participant this past summer, Devin Cunningham:
When I first found out I was going to BCM, I was excited, scared, and very doubtful. Excited because I have never been on a backpacking trip before, and I knew that it would be a great experience for me. I was scared because I didn’t know anything about the wilderness. I was also afraid of all the bugs and animals. I also had high doubts for myself. I told myself I couldn’t make it up the mountain or do anything, for I was so out of shape.
When we got on the trail and started hiking, I felt weak and like I couldn’t do anything. As we kept going along the trail, I got stronger and stronger. It was then I made my first turn around. I ended up being one of the strongest youth that went on the trip. I became stronger mentally and physically. As the days went by, I got to learn more about the people I was hiking with. I learned that Yehoshua has played the piano all of his life. I learned that Brandon can seem rough, but he is a nice guy who has big future ahead of him. I learned that Adarious would like to go to college with me in the future.
What I learned from BCM is that everybody did not come from the same background, and that I have no right to judge anybody. I also learned that patience is a virtue. I learned that you can’t do everything on your own. I learned that you are who you are. I learned that I don’t have to try and impress people. If a person doesn’t like me, then they just don’t like me. The last thing I learned is that I can do every single thing, if I just put my mind to it. I had high doubts for me when we started hiking, but by the end of the day I was so confident in myself I wanted to do it again! I will never forget BCM, and I will never doubt myself again.
Note: If you have a story to tell about your own wilderness trip, register and submit it to Active Outdoors. We would love to hear from you.
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