Mentor and Volunteer Page

Mentor and Volunteer Information Page

If you are an adult, you must decide whether to attend as an Adult Mentor or as an Adult Volunteer. In general there are 28 adult Mentors needed for each program along with 12-16 Adult Volunteers. Once one of the categories fills up, you may not have a choice. You must be 21 years of age to be an Adult Volunteer or Mentor - or you must have attended two previous YCLC events.

We ask both Adult Mentors and Adult Volunteers to park their "usual role" with youth and enter in as fair-minded referees. While Adult Mentors are more hands-on with the youth - and Adult Volunteers perform "support services", each is creating a safe space for youth to explore how they relate to each other, and how they can succeed at doing so. Using the positive youth development model, we operate on the assumption that youth from 10-19 learn social and emotional competency best by discovery (trial and error) - as opposed to being told what to do and how to be - and that they learn more from positive feedback than from negative feedback (criticism and punishment).

Adult Mentors
Time frame: Friday 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Sunday.

If you have a youth attending the same program, the youth will need transportation separate from you on the day of the event.

ADULT MENTORS need not have any experience working with youth. To become an Adult Mentor you must come a day in advance and receive a special half day resiliency training which would cost you up to $1,000 if you were to purchase it yourself. The second half of the day is reserved for training on the specific events and activities that will take place during the weekend. In addition to this you will be given handouts on all of the events for your own reference during the program. Furthermore, there are always 4 facilitators on site who are there to advise you throughout the weekend. All mentors and facilitators will be provided with medieval costumes by YCLC. Throughout the weekend mentors will be overseeing a team of 8 youth and may also act as High Council - a panel of "experts" who question the youth on what they have learned during the challenge.

Registering as a MENTOR makes you eligible for later training to be a FACILITATOR of the program - should you choose to do so. FACILITATORS, once CERTIFIED, are eligible to be paid for services.

Adult Volunteers
Time frame: 7 p.m. Friday until 7 p.m. Sunday.
Optional pre-event activities: See below
Adult Volunteers are less hands-on with the youth, and can attend at no cost. To become an adult volunteer there is no training required, all you must do is show up for the event. Your job will include tasks such as meal preparation, providing rides, and setting up equipment. Although there is no cost to attend you must still register for the program and are expected to keep your commitment once you have done so.

Your registration does not make you automatically eligible for later training to be a FACILITATOR of the program, but under exceptional circumstances you may become eligible.