Mark Your Calendar for December 5-7!

Are you interested in outings in the Sierras? Do you believe that everyone should be able to access and safely enjoy outdoor adventure and create a lifelong passion for the environment? Do you want to be a part of a life-altering program for young people with great benefits to our community and to you as an adult in our world? 

…And do you want to spend a weekend with kindred spirits exploring and learning how to lead and support hiking, snowshoeing, and backpacking trips with young people?

From 5pm on Friday, December 4, to 4pm on Sunday December 6th, Reno Inspiring Connections Outdoors (Reno ICO) will hold our fourth Outdoor Leadership Training Retreat. Reno ICO currently has six certified trip leaders and over 30 volunteers. We need you to become part of the community!  No outdoor experience or leadership expertise is necessary to attend the retreat – just a commitment to be a volunteer to help us get kids outdoors.

The Retreat will be held at the Sierra Club Clair Tappaan Lodge at the crest of the Sierra, less than an hour from Reno… Clair Tappaan is a historic rustic mountain lodge with dorms and private rooms that serves great food! And the whole weekend, including food, lodging and the training is FREE, thanks to our donors and sponsors. Donations are certainly accepted! The most important part of your participation is commitment. Once you sign up and take one of our limited slots, we need you to follow through and be there in mind, body, and spirit!

Who is invited? Basically everyone who wants to promote the ICO Vision.  You probably meet one or more of these criteria:

• Current ICO volunteers and trip leaders who want to join in the annual retreat and/or help us facilitate the weekend.
• People with an interest in safe and powerful outdoor adventure.
• Those who have no outdoor experience and want to get started on outdoor adventures in a supportive and warm environment.
• We have reserved 10 of the 25 slots for high school and post-high school youth who have been on an ICO hiking, snowshoeing, camping, or whitewater rafting trip and want to develop their leadership skills. If youth are under 18, either their group leader or a parent must be present for the weekend.
• Experienced backpackers, hikers, whitewater rafters, rock climbers, mountain bikers and others who value and want to share the outdoor adventure lifestyle with others

This is the same training required for leading Sierra Club Outings all over the world. This weekend will be focused on creating fun, safe, and engaging outdoors trips for young people specific to the Reno ICO way – Deep connections with nature, others, and ourselves.  You will acquire skills, resources, activities and technical skills that will enable you to support Reno ICO trips as a volunteer and eventually getting certified as an ICO trip leader.

Our focus for the weekend is on fun and engagement, including group meals, outdoor activities, short hikes and engaging outdoor leadership sessions which include inclusion, growing youth skills, building teamwork, planning food and gear, and facilitating a pre-trip meeting. The final activity is planning a trip in small groups, many of which have become realities. One highlight is the ICO Outdoor Film Festival which takes place on Saturday night.  Here is the tentative schedule.

What to do now:  If you have friends or family that might be interested in joining, please have them send Rob (robschamberg@gmail.com) their email address and they will receive our newsletter. Keep looking out for our newsletters this Fall - The Outdoor Leadership Retreat will be included in every newsletter. As the time gets closer, you will see a signup link.

Questions:  Questions are encouraged!!! Please email Rob with any questions.  If you would like to have a phone/Zoom call to discuss questions, please include your phone number and some times that work for you to talk in the coming weeks. 

The fun, joy, learning, and relationships are guaranteed.  Looking forward to seeing you there!