Project Success BWCA Canoe Adventure 2024
Welcome to the Project Success BWCA Canoe Adventure! We invite 6th-8th grade students from Minneapolis Public Schools to join us for an unforgettable experience in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Read all the information below before continuing to register your student.
To register, you will need:
- The student and their parent/guardian/caregiver present
- A calendar of the student’s summer engagements
- Health Insurance information (if you have it)
Application Deadline: FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024, at 5 pm
- NOTE: This is a popular trip and may fill up well before the deadline. Apply early.
- Submitting a registration does not guarantee your student a spot on the trip.
- You will receive email notification or a call from Project Success confirming if your student has a spot or is on the waitlist.
Trip Dates - Students can choose to attend one of the following weeks:
- Trip 1: June 15 – 21, 2024
- Trip 2: June 23 – 29, 2024
- Trip 3: July 24-30, 2024
- Trip 4: July 8-14, 2024
Cost and Scholarships
- Cost: $600 per student
- Need-based scholarships are available covering up to $550 of the trip cost.
- Request for a scholarship comes at the end of this application and does not require an additional form.
- We ask that if you do have the funds to cover your trip, that you pay the full amount. However, Project Success wants to ensure that we include all students who really want to go, regardless of cost. If you are not able to pay the full $600, we appreciate the partial contribution you can make toward your trip cost. Your contribution will help us to continue bringing young people to the BWCA each year and to serve an ever-broadening community of students. If you would like to donate towards another student’s trip fee, it would be greatly appreciated!
Informational Meetings Held Online: May 6-9, 2024
- Look for notification emails in April with more details
- The parent/guardian/caregiver and the camper must attend via Zoom.
- The meeting covers everything from logistical essentials to packing, safety, and Q & A.
Trip Details & FAQs:About our partner - Wilderness Canoe Base:
We have partnered with Wilderness Canoe Base (WCB) since 1998. WCB not only outfits us with gear and guides, they offer knowledge of the wilderness and teach us the skills we need to support one another during the week. The camp provides a space for community, support and thoughtful practices away from the hustle and noise of city life. WCB’s generous “camperships” have allowed Project Success to introduce many more students to the BWCAW than we ever thought possible! Their guides are well trained, experienced and committed to safety. Although WCB is rooted in the Lutheran faith, there will be no faith-based programming offered on this trip. We do encourage people to do some deep thinking about themselves and the environment. Discussions are led at the beginning and end of each day. This could be stories and thoughts about the beauty of the wilderness, or a reflection about how the day has gone for each camper.
Please email Project Success with any questions or concerns:
jennyb@projectsuccess.org.
Itinerary:
- 7:00 AM departure in a coach bus from the Project Success office on the first day of the trip
- Approximately 7 ½ hour drive north of Minneapolis to the end of the Gunflint Trail (stopping for lunch along the way)
- The first night is the only night spent in cabins.
- The next 6 days will be wilderness camping; traveling by canoe and hiking, sleeping in tents and cooking meals over a fire.
- 9:00 PM approximate return to Minneapolis on the last day
- A detailed itinerary will be sent closer to the trip date.
Trips and Groups:
- Each Trip week has 7 groups.
- Groups are limited to 9 people - seven students and two adults (a Project Success staff leader and a Wilderness Canoe Base guide)
- Groups are randomly chosen and we do not take any personal requests to be with a friend. Part of the magic of a canoe trip is getting to know people who you may not necessarily know beforehand. Trips are much more successful when students are not burdened by roles and expectations that friends put on other friends.
What to Bring:
- A packing list is provided at the end of the online application.
- We discuss packing in detail at the May meeting.
- Project Success has extras of many items students can borrow.
COVID/Illness Policy:
- Knowing that vaccination can be a deeply personal decision, we strongly encourage all campers to get fully vaccinated and boosted when vaccines and boosters are available for you. Proof of vaccination is not a requirement to attend the 2024 BWCA Canoe Adventure.
- The morning of the trip, each camper is required to answer health screening questions before they are allowed to join their group and board the bus.
- Masks are optional but encouraged on the bus ride up and back.
- Illness Protocols: We strongly encourage parents/guardians/caregivers to monitor their camper’s health prior to arrival at camp. Students feeling unwell in the days leading up to the trip or having close contact with any communicable illness (COVID, flu, strep, etc.) and experiencing symptoms will not be allowed to attend the trip. Please contact us immediately to discuss the situation.
- A full refund of your trip payment will be provided if students can no longer attend due to illness prior to boarding the bus.
- On-Site Illness: Students displaying signs of illness upon arrival at Wilderness Canoe Base or during the trip will be evaluated by the camp health staff. If it is determined that students can no longer participate in the trip, prompt pickup by a parent/guardian/caregiver will be required. A refund is not available for students returning home after boarding the bus and arriving at camp.
- Headlice Policy: Please check your students in the weeks leading up to their trip. Wilderness Canoe Base has a strong policy regarding headlice. If untreated headlice is detected at the camp base before campers go out on trail, students will be unable to continue the trip, requiring prompt pickup by a parent/guardian/caregiver.
- Project Success and Wilderness Canoe Base reserve the right to remove any student from programming due to illness.
- We will continue to monitor and follow the recommendations of the CDC and our partner organizations as we get closer to the trip dates and share any updates with families.
Behavior:
In order to provide a safe and respectful environment for campers and staff:
- Each group will create a list of agreements and commit to them throughout the week.
- PS Leaders will facilitate activities for students to get to know one another, create a positive community of teamwork, shared goals, inclusivity and to recognize each other’s strengths.
- Aggressive behavior and language towards fellow students and/or staff or bullying of any kind will not be tolerated.
- Behavior deemed physically or emotionally dangerous to another person will result in the camper being taken back to the camp base and a parent/guardian/caregiver will be required to pick them up from camp.
Please Note: We understand that a week away from home in a wilderness setting may cause stress and anxiety for some students. If you have concerns that your student would not be able to overcome their fears with the help of the staff and support of their fellow campers, please contact us to discuss whether or not this trip is a good fit. It is important to make sure that your student truly wants to attend this camp before signing them up. If a student refuses to go “out on trail” on the morning of the second day, they will not be able to stay at the camp base throughout the week. A parent/guardian/caregiver will be required to immediately pick them up from camp.
Questions? Contact Jenny Batten, Senior Program Manager - Expeditions, at jennyb@projectsuccess.org / 612-874-1277.
This application takes 10-15 minutes to complete.
If you’d like to save mid-way, you can do so by choosing “Save and continue later” in the upper right corner of this form.