INSPIRING THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW

Our youth today are vital elements of our communities because they represent the future leaders of tomorrow.  Leaders of the Day specializes in designing programs that invite the best in young people to the surface, and then works with them from a place of strength.

This program accelerates leadership development and helps young people begin to uncover their own possibilities in a fun, exciting and supportive environment. The curriculum has been powerfully designed to assist youth in securing the confidence and skills to work co-operatively with others and to approach new obstacles in their lives with a spirit of optimism.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

The Leaders of Tomorrow Program is designed to take you out of your everyday situations and surroundings and expose you to a fully experiential learning journey in the context of our "wilderness classroom".

If you are a motivated, mature young person aged 16-18, seeking to uncover and develop your leadership talents within the framework of an unforgettable whitewater adventure, then this program is perfect for you.

During the course of the program, you'll learn all the skills required to safely live and travel in the backcountry, with a focus on team building, respectful communication and problem-solving and with the opportunity to explore different leadership styles in action.

You will also spend significant time during the program building the essential skills of: whitewater paddling, navigation, reading river features, establishing wilderness campsites, trail cooking and baking, safety management and critical decision making.  You do not need to have any prior experience to take part in this adventure.  We begin wherever you are and will take your skills from there.

Through a progression of very carefully imagined challenges and activities on course, you will begin to deepen your sense of self-confidence. As you learn to “dig deep and to stand strong”, you'll achieve invaluable opportunities to experience success and in the process discover important inner resources that you might not have previously acknowledged.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. - Aristotle

FROM LEARNER TO LEADER

In addition to the specific Leadership Curriculum, the Leaders of Tomorrow Program includes a number of Peak Transformative Experiences that assist you to confidently move through the journey from Learner to Leader:

1. Experience being the Leader of the Day – This is a valuable opportunity for learning that lets you and a partner take the lead.  Together you will help to plan, oversee and support an entire day of the expedition, with the background safety net and available guidance of your experienced Instructors.
2. Overnight, Wilderness Solo on expedition – This very transformative experience unfolds towards the end of the program and marks the crossing of a very important threshold from Learner to Leader. It is an opportunity that few people in the world today ever experience. It is a time to experience the beauty and quiet of the wilderness, to integrate learning and to engage in personal reflection.
3. Leadership Practicum – In the final stages of the expedition, the Instructors will fade more and more into the background as the members of your group gain the capacity to assume greater responsibility and leadership.  For the final days of the journey your group will collaboratively plan, manage and negotiate all aspects of the expedition down the river to your destination.  Your Instructors will remain as well positioned, invisible risk managers and safety nets only.  This is your moment as a group to shine and to take responsibility for the day-to-day decision making.

THE IMMERSION EXPERIENCE

The first aspect of the expeditionary equation is called Immersion.  This 3-day journey takes place on the lower Madawaska River.  It is designed quite literally to get your feet wet.  During this time you will take part in important expeditionary workshops, deepen your paddling skills and begin to come together as a group on a river that has a great teaching progression.  This allows you to practice, stretch and leap without having to feel “over your head”.  Deepening trust and forming strong ties with your fellow group members is a strong theme that will get transferred to the more advanced stages and elements of your program.

EXPEDITION

The expedition for this program takes place on the mighty Missinaibi River in Ontario’s far North.  You will spend 15 exciting days traveling from Peterbell, all the way north to the community of Moosonee, poised on the edge of James Bay.  You will then travel south by train on the world famous Polar Bear Express and be picked up in Cochrane for the final shuttle home.  It is a truly remarkable adventure for young explorers and aspiring leaders.

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

BUILDING CHARACTER, CONFIDENCE & LIFE ASSETS

After decades of research, many school boards have recognized the importance of experiences which focus on the development of character, confidence and important life assets.  These essential ingredients are the cornerstones which assist our youth to become happy, successful and resilient people.

The Leaders of Tomorrow curriculum integrates the 40 Developmental Assets promoted by the Search Institute in Minneapolis. Their body of research defines the Life Assets as being: “concrete, common sense, positive experiences and qualities essential in assisting young people in becoming healthy, caring, and responsible adults. The 40 Assets have the power during critical adolescent years to influence the choices all young people must make, building responsibility, resiliency and self-esteem.”

35 years of research have statistically shown that as young people acquire a greater number of these important, identified Life Assets that they are dramatically more likely to positively navigate young adult choices and less likely to engage in at-risk lifestyles or behaviours.  Leaders of the Day grounds their teaching approach in these vital foundations, putting 35 years of respected research behind its youth programming.

YOUR INSTRUCTORS

At Leaders of the Day, we hire talented Instructors with deep knowledge and experience of the outdoor world. They hold the highest industry standard certifications; have vast teaching experience and deep log books. As well as being practiced guides, mentors and role-models, our Instructors are also skilled facilitators of the Transformative Experience.

They are experts at living, teaching and traveling in the wilderness and have been selected not only for their significant technical and facilitation skills but also for their wealth of unique life experiences that make them interesting, approachable people.  They are passionate professionals teaching what they love to teach most and have great energy for working with you and inspiring them to strive for their greatest gifts.

PHYSICAL READINESS

This is a program with strong physical elements.  You do not need to be an athlete to thrive in this program, but it is important to make good preparations that will set you up for success. 

Registration Deadline: June 30, 2011