Programs

What We Do

Big City Mountaineers’ core program is a week-long wilderness expedition called the Relate Expedition. What had begun as a simple backpack trip with an urban at-risk teen 20 years ago has now evolved into a documented and well-tested progression of experiences coupled to opportunities for reflection and learning.

BCM Relate Expeditions:

• Provide wilderness opportunities to under-resourced urban teens age 13 to 18
• Cultivate relationships between teens and caring adult mentors
• Offer a unique 1-to-1 ratio of adults to teens
• Improve teen self-awareness and personal responsibility
• Promote group development and effective communication
• Celebrate gender differences by offering only single-gender expeditions
• Partner with existing youth development agencies to better address the ongoing needs of under-resourced youth.
• Deliver safe wilderness expeditions led by professional field instructors

Who We Serve

• 71% are from single parent or guardian-led households;

• 83% are from families living below the poverty line;

• 80% have parents with no more than a high school education;

• 62% have never traveled beyond their county of residence.

Where We Operate

BCM Program hubs in 2010