It is important that the diversity of our clients be reflected in our staff and volunteers.
Part of “broader perspectives” is allowing our clients to recognize that outdoor pursuits are not just for “those people.” If young people are to believe that they too can enjoy the bounty of the outdoors, they must have role models they can identify with. To help us realize this value, we are focusing our volunteer recruitment efforts on the neighborhoods our program serves. In addition we are offering scholarships and even small stipends to deserving community youth leaders who have the desire, but not the means to be a part of our efforts.
Our volunteers feel rewarded and fulfilled when donating their time and effort to Project GO, and desire to give more.
Project GO is unique among outdoor adventure programs in that we have no paid leaders. The volunteers who lead or programs do it because it feels right. It feels good. Project GO could not exist without our volunteers. We are working to make volunteering easier by systemizing tasks, improving our communication infrastructure, and by conducting volunteer surveys to learn how and where we can improve the volunteer experience.
We’re dedicated to providing opportunities for the ongoing training and improvement of our volunteers.
We are offering more frequent and higher quality training programs than at any time in the past. Swiftwater rescue, first aid and CPR certifications, as well as workshops on facilitation, initiatives, and individual guide skills are offered regularly throughout the season. Our written training materials are carefully researched and prepared, and are recognized as among the best of their sort.
We are committed to recognized best practices in experiential education, and in the particular activities that we participate in.
We are members of the Association for Experiential Education, the world’s leading association of experiential educators, and most would agree that it is the recognized designator of best practices. As new research and methods are published, we incorporate it into our programs and trainings. Best practices for whitewater rafting include compliance with accepted risk-management standards.
We believe that young people take risks in order to test boundaries and see where they fit in the world. We believe that adventure based outdoor programs are a healthy outlet for this risk-taking behavior.
Whitewater rafting is the ideal mix of challenge, adventure and risk in an unfamiliar environment. And it sure beats many of the usual risks young people take today!
We are good stewards of resources, natural and financial.
Project GO is not an environmental organization, but an experiential education organization. Nevertheless, we recognize that the natural world is an asset we cannot do without, so we respect the environment and do everything we can to ensure that our practices are in harmony with the natural world. Our financial resources are also precious, as money is entrusted to us by individuals who believe in the work that we do. We strive to use these funds in the most effective way.
We believe that our programs are more effective when offered as part of an ongoing program allowing multiple contacts with clients and the great outdoors.
While there is research indicating that well-designed and implemented single-day programs can have a positive and long-lasting impact, we believe that multiple and longer-lasting contacts increase effectiveness. In recognition of this, we give preference in our application process to groups who will use our program as part of a larger program allowing multiple contacts with the great outdoors. Additionally, we have designed two new programs, each of which builds on the previous, so that the same group can participate in our program three times in a single year, and get a richer and more challenging experience each time.
We respect and strive to be respected by peer organizations, appropriate governing bodies, and governmental agencies with jurisdiction over our activities.
We don’t operate in a vacuum, and in order to be respected by others, we must act in a manner worthy of respect, and must respect the needs, desires and requirements of others.