Northern Forest Explorers Youth Program - Northern Forest Canoe Trail

Click here for a Summer 2013 Registration Form.

Visit our Northern Forest Explorers website and like us on Facebook!

Northern Forest Explorers Youth Program: For youth ages 10-14 that live in communities along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Participants go on week-long paddling trips that support outdoor educational experiences, healthy lifestyles, cultivate leadership and teamwork skills, and foster a practical understanding of the natural environment.

Program Purpose:  To provide youth who live in communities along our Trail with an opportunity to develop lasting skills and relationships with their backyard waterways that will increase their confidence and teach respect for the natural environment.

History:  NFCT piloted the program at a small scale with private funding during the summers of 2008-2010, working with communities in Maine and New Hampshire.  The results are overwhelmingly positive, as communities witnessed the transformation that occurs when young people are given the opportunity to learn and grow in an experiential, outdoor setting in their own backyards.

Since then, over 300 kids have developed a whole new appreciation for the natural wonders of the wilderness around them, and a newfound sense of pride and purpose.

Remarks from past participants:

"This experience was a lifelong one that brought us together and made us long to learn more about our surroundings..."

"I've always lived here and now I can share local benefits..."

"You learn about your friends, yourself, and nature..."

From parents:

"She learned about working with others toward a goal..."

"... gained more confidence..."

"...a better leader..."

"...respect for the Outdoors and all it offers..."

Get Involved: Twenty sessions are proposed for summer 2012.  Contact us to learn more about our curriculum, and how to integrate the program into your community.

Contact: Youth Program Director Roger Poor, (603) 801-9597, Roger@NorthernForestCanoeTrail.org.

• Summer 2012 Trip Highlights
• Summer 2011 Trip Highlights