Program OverviewBCM, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, combines many of the elements of a mentoring program with an outdoor wilderness expedition designed specifically for under-resourced urban youth. The BCM program is a weeklong trip; the center of which is a five-day wilderness backpacking trip during which 5 teens are matched with 5 adult mentors or a weeklong canoeing experience which matches 4 adults and 4 youth. A BCM experience combines the innate teaching ability of the natural world, with caring adults, to provide a potentially life-changing experience for teens that may not otherwise have had access to either. By providing outdoor team mentoring experiences in partnership with existing youth development organizations, our program has been shown to positively impact the development of personal, social and community values in the teens we serve. Perhaps more than anything, BCM trips provide teens with opportunities to achieve success by drawing on resources they might never have known they had. To learn more about the goals of BCM's program, click here. Youth organizationsBCM targets youth organizations that serve low income urban teens. The specific type of organization (mentoring organization, after school program, residential facility or group home, educational institution, court ordered placement, etc) is not as important to BCM as factors such as profile of the youth served and geographical location. Fourteen to seventeen year-olds are typically chosen by a staff member from the youth organization to come on a BCM trip as both a reward and a chance for a different perspective. The BCM experience is an opportunity for these teens to continue their development as strong individuals capable of doing anything they set as a goal.
Adult team membersEach trip is single gender and has as many adult team members as teens. One adult Youth Leader comes with the teens from the youth organization, while the others (one Team Leader and two or three volunteer Team Members) are provided by BCM. All Team Leaders have a documented history of successful experience leading youth groups in the wilderness. Most of our Team Leaders return to BCM year after year and play an essential role in training and mentoring new Team Leaders. Our adult volunteers come from every walk of life and are dedicated individuals who have a vested interest in helping urban youth gain a new perspective. Volunteers contribute their time, knowledge, and also pay a fee to participate in our program. The adult Youth Leader is a support for the teens because s/he is a familiar face in the sea of new experiences. The youth organization’s leader is also a support for the adults to help them understand from where the teens are coming and how best to support them. In addition, the Youth Leader is able to continue and expand upon the BCM experience with the teens once they have returned home.
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