[Background | Application]

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Background

Sierra Club outings leaders, outings chairs and military service members, veterans, spouses, or caregivers are invited to a weekend-long listening session to explore our existing Sierra Club outings programs (Inner city, Local and National Outings) and evaluate how we can make Sierra Club Outings an engaging and welcoming place for members of the military and veteran communities. We want to know how to make the Sierra Club Outings program a place where military service members, veterans and family members can become volunteers outings leaders and chairs.

Over the past six years, the Sierra Club, in partnership with organizations like the National Military Family Association, Outward Bound, the Armed Services YMCA, and emerging partnerships with the USO and Wounded Warrior Project have helped get close to 50,000 military service members, families, and youth outside.

We want to make sure however, that these outdoor experiences are not just a once in a life time event and need your input on how we can build the best outdoor programming specifically for the military and veteran community.

There are three different listening sessions where Sierra Club Outings leaders, chairs, military service members, veterans, spouses, or caregivers will spend a weekend exploring the Sierra Club's existing outings programming and how we can modify it to make it the military and veteran communities own outdoors program.

• Session 1: Feb 17-19, 2011 Islandwood, near Seattle

• Session 2: Mar 16-18, Washington DC - FULL

• Session 3: Apr 13-15, YMCA of the Rockies, Wind River Lodge, Estes Park, CO (specifically for spouses and caregivers) - FULL

Each weekend will bring together 10 military service members, veterans, spouses, or caregivers together with 10 Sierra Club outings and partners leaders from Friday night dinner to Sunday at lunch. All of participants’ food, lodging, training and materials will be covered by the Sierra Club. Transportation, except in extreme circumstances, will be the responsibility of the participant.

Military and veteran participants, you do not need any background in the outdoors, we want to know how we can get you outside! Sierra Club leaders do not need to be currently leading or chairing a program, however previous experience with the Sierra Club Outings program (local, ICO, National Outings) is required. We need people to know about the different types of activities your group conducts, the requirements for leadership, how people normally get involved with the group and how people become leaders. We need folks to be able to share ideas about the best way to get someone involved and trained in YOUR group.

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Application - Personal Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Email:
Best Telephone Number? (xxx-xxx-xxxx)	Cell  Home  Work
For which session are you applying?	Select a workshop FULL - Washington, DC - March 16-18, 2012 FULL - Estes Park, CO - April 13-15, 2012 (Select all that apply by holding down Control or Apple keys while clicking with the mouse.) NOTE: Upon receipt of this application, you will be contacted by the Sierra Club for a brief interview.

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Listening Session Interest:

What is your experience with the Sierra Club?
What is your experience with the Military?
Why are you interested in attending this listening session?
What questions do you have?

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Listening Session Logistics Information
 

Lodging Information: Do you (please check all that apply):	Smoke?   Snore?   Sleep Lightly?
Transportation: You will be responsible for the transportation to the listening session "central meeting location." The Sierra Club will then be offering transportation from this "central meeting location" to the actual listening session site.  How will you be getting to the "central meeting location?" Check one of the following: (We strongly encourage carpooling. )	Driving on my own Willing to offer rides Need a ride Flying, but getting to the facility on my own Flying and need travel arrangements to the facility
If you selected "Willing to offer rides", how many can you take? If you selected "Need a ride", enter your departure/pick-up city.

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Food and Health Questions

Special dietary needs for meals Friday through Sunday:  (Vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, oppotunivore, leave blank if none.)
Allergies: Do you have any allergies to medicines, foods, animals, insect bites and stings, and environment (dust, pollen, etc.) If yes, please describe the allergic reaction and any medications needed (if any).	Yes  No
Do you have any medical issues that we should know about? (Heart, respiratory, seizure, allergies? This information is confidential and will only be shared with )
In case of an emergency, please provide us with the following information:	Name:
	Relationship:
	Phone: (xxx-xxx-xxxx)
Other Questions or comments?