Crowsnest Outdoor Leadership Training School

2020, April 26 - August 31

2021, April 25 - Sep 2

Leadership Development – Develop leaders who are learning participants in leadership with a special emphasis on the following three leadership styles:

1. Spiritual Leadership – blending the natural and spiritual qualities of leadership to influence others so that they may accomplish God’s purposes.

2. Outdoor Leadership – strategically utilizing wilderness areas to bring together outdoor training and leadership principles.

3. Servant Leadership – following Christ’s example of leading by means of servanthood.

Wilderness Guide Training – Equip participants via intensive training designed to provide them with knowledge and skills in seven basic areas pertaining to leading groups in wilderness settings:

1. Wilderness Ministry – methods by which to minister to the “whole person” (i.e. physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually), but with a special emphasis on how to minister in a spiritual sense.

2. Group Management and Leadership – the theoretical, communicative, and practical aspects of leading and managing groups in a wilderness setting and remote context—focusing on sound decision making while leading a group.

3. Outdoor Skills – become competent in a wide variety of skills necessary to travel and camp in the backcountry.

4. Emergency Response – prepare participants to critically think, communicate, and respond effectively and thoroughly in emergency situations that may arise while leading groups in the wilderness.

5. Risk Management – identify, assess, and manage risk that is inherent with outdoor pursuits, providing appropriate supervision and direction in programmed activities.

6. Environmental Stewardship – foster a biblically-based paradigm that acknowledges God as the maker and sustainer of all creation. (Romans (1:20)

7. Administration – the imperative aspects of planning, preparation, and organization of outdoor-based programs. (Proverbs 16:9)

Instructive Teaching – As graduates of COLTS, participants are expected to be leaders who teach and instruct the summer staff and campers at CLBC in the following six areas:

1. Whole Person – minister to the whole person in order to create enjoyable, learning, and challenging experiences for camp staff and campers.

2. Outdoor Skills – teach wilderness skills to camp staff and campers with the intention of increasing their ability to effectively participate in outdoor programming.

3. Wilderness Ministry – influence followers in devotional and spiritual insight towards greater effectiveness in an outdoor setting while applying both a biblical and theoretical knowledge in both a supervised and unsupervised nature. 

4. Leadership – instruct in leadership and demonstrate effective approaches to guiding people in God’s creation.

5. Discipleship – adhere to and teach CLBC’s missional approach to camp ministry and community.

6. Environmental Stewardship – foster a biblically-based paradigm that acknowledges God as the maker and sustainer of all creation. (Romans (1:20)

Our model for leadership is Christ, our theory of leadership is based on Scripture. Although other theories of leadership help us understand leading principles, God's ideas about leadership is foundational to our program. It is God, not us, who makes the kind of leaders we want to see emerging today. This sets us apart from secular leadership training programs.

We approach the wilderness as a ministry environment. That means we recognise its value to the whole person and especially its spiritual value as testifying to God's reality and character. This sets us apart from training for leadership in other environments, e.g. church leadership or corporate leadership.

We aim to develop leaders who will be able to serve whomever they are leading. Another way to look at it is that we are trying not just to serve our COLTS participants but are equipping them to serve others. This sets us apart from experiential and outdoor skills programs.

1. Growing and mature Christian with a strong desire to minister to children and adults through the wilderness.
2. Current First Aid certificate - Taken within one year of the start of the program.
3. Minimum 19 years of age as of June 28, 2019 or June 26, 2020 respectively.

1. Outdoor Leadership Training (7-8 weeks)
2. Skills Training (1 week)
3. Camp Volunteer Staff Training (4 days)
4. Experiential Practicum (9 weeks)

Outdoor Leadership Training Includes the following items:

Legalities and Risk Management	4 hour session, practiced throughout the program
Safety and Emergency Response	4 hour session, practiced throughout the program
Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Bridge Course	40 hour course
WFA Extracurricular Practice & Technique	30 hours training, practiced throughout the program
Leadership Theory	4 hour session, development throughout the program
Navigation and Orienteering	12 hours training, practiced throughout the program
Outdoor Equipment Usage and Repair	8 hours + weekend trip, practiced throughout the program
Meal Prep & Back Country Culinary Skills	16 hours, practiced throughout the program
Outtrip Programming	3 hour session, practiced throughout the program
Introduction to Weather	4 hour session, practiced throughout the program
Avalanche Awareness	2 hour session
Campcraft	12 hours training, practice during training outtrips
Helicopter Safety	3 hour session, practiced throughout the program
Improvised Carries	3 hour session, practice during training outtrips
River Crossings	4 hour session
Nature/Plant Identification	3 hour session, practiced throughout the program
Environmental Stewardship	8 hour event, practiced throughout the program
Invasive Species in Plant Life	2 hour session, practiced throughout the program
Forms and Professional Documentation	2 hour session, practiced throughout the program
Bear Awareness	3 hour course hopefully not practiced throughout the program

* Course Outline is subject to change or be modified. 

Route-planning Assignment (4 hours of work)

Overview:  This is an assignment that uses all three of the students’ supplied maps to get them to practice route finding and map familiarization.  Using their maps and route-planning resources they will decide which route to take between map coordinates, how to calculate elevation, decide which routes are preferable to others, estimate hiking distances and times, etc.

Equipment and Gear Research (6 hours of work)

Overview:  Students will be asked to research a certain type of equipment or gear that we use in our outdoor pursuits.  This could include, boots, backpacks, sleeping bags, etc.  Once completed, each student will give a presentation to the rest of the group and teach them about what they have learned.  This assignment is to help students research and present ideas to others, as well as familiarize themselves to outdoor gear.

• Students are required to research, by any means, and collect as much information as possible about a certain type of equipment or gear.  They then practice teaching each other by presenting their research in a way that assists the other students in their learning.

Leadership Assignment (6 hours of work)

Overview:  This assignment will get students to analyze themselves as leaders. They will see what kind of leaders they are and what kind of leaders they would like to be.  This assignment can be used for future reference.

• Students are asked to reflect on different situations or experiences in their lives that has shaped them to be the leaders that they are.  They are also asked to look to the future and see what kind of leader they would like to be.  This assignment allows them to document their progression in their leadership development and gives them an idea of leadership aspects they need to work on.

Outtrip Programming Assignment (3 hours of work)

Overview:  In this assignment, students will be programming a typical Intermediate outtrip.  It is meant to take them through all the steps of programming and outtrip and things to consider.  This outtrip plan could be used for future reference.  A summarized form of this assignment will be required for every outtrip that students lead.

• Students plan a 3 day outtrip and document all of the programming that they would like to do on the outtrip.  This helps students understand that they need to be intentional about the programming they do for every outtrip that they lead.

Individual Project (6-10 hours of work)

Overview:  This project is to be completed by the end of COLTS training.  This way it is finished before summer sessions begin.  It should be something that would enhance Outtrip Directing in some way and would help with the development of outdoor programs.  Students are encouraged to come up with ideas of what they could do and then get approval from instructors.

• Students are given ideas of projects that could be done, but are also given the freedom to come up with their own idea.  Ideas could include, making options signs or compiling game ideas.

Individual Evaluations (On-going)

Overview:  The instructors of the program see the value in working directly and intentionally with each participant therefore the instructor to student ratio is usually 1 to 2 or 1 to 1. They take a coaching style approach to leadership and will be intentful in the development of each participant's skills and competence by recognizing the needs for their learning accordingly. All camp staff receive ongoing feedback with respect to performance, while the COLTS participants receive consistent feedback in regards to leadership development.

Bible/Leadership Studies:

Overview: Periodically throughout the program, each student will be given 30-45 minutes to lead the rest of the group in a Bible or book study.  Scripture and books will vary each year.

Outtrip Leadership:

Overview: Each student will be responsible for leading a portion of each training outtrip (this could be a few hours or multiple days). This gives them an environment in which the can learn how to lead others with the capacity of making mistakes. Instructors take a back seat approach and assist each student in their personal leadership growth.

First Aid/Emergency Simulations:

Overview: Throughout the COLTS training, instructors will conduct a variety of First Aid and Emergency Simulations to give students practice in dealing with different situations.  Each situation is followed by group and personal debrief to aid in the students learning.  Risk management, group management, decision making and Wilderness First Aid techniques are emphasized during simulations.

Solo:

Overview:  Each student at the completion of the COLTS training partake of a 1 night solo in which they use all of the skills learned to navigate to certain locations and set up their own camp.  The solo is intended to give students time with God in reflection and as a chance to prove to themselves that they now have the skills needed to look after themselves in the wilderness. 

Final Exam:

Overview: The final exam consists of written and practical portions.  The written exam focuses on factual information learned during the training as well as situational questions and is in short answer format.  The practical portion changes depending on needs of the group and individuals.  It can consist of simple campcraft testing (tarp set up, bear line set up, fire making), and/or First Aid simulations that test the decision making and judgment of the student.

Skills Training (1 week)

Participants will receive instruction in either rock climbing, canoeing, archery or mountain biking.  The purpose of this instruction is to gain a good understanding of safety, general skills, and how to lead that particular program at Crow.  The goal of the training is to prepare participants to teach that skill during the summer.

Acclimatization Weekend (4 days)

This training will prepare both COLTS participants and other summer staff to work intensively with campers. Cabin Bible study, evangelism and camper discipline are some of the topics covered.

An orientation to Crowsnest Lake Bible Camp, its philosophy, purposes, and resources will be provided.  In addition, there may be a one or two night outtrip and introductory sessions in climbing, canoeing, archery, etc.  Both the skills session and the outtrip will be led by COLTS participants.

Experiential Training (July and August)

Throughout the remainder of the summer, COLTS will be involved in the various camps in whatever capacity is determined by the camp leadership staff.  Due to possible staff shortages, this may not be Outtrip Directing.

Fees including tuition, food, accommodation, supplies and transportation for the COLTS program are free upon a 4 month commitment to the end of Experiential Training. The fees for the program, but excluding the experiential training (here for May/June only) is $6500.00. See below for a supporting document on course fees.

For a list of required gear/equipment, see Gear List.pdf

For a sample of the course schedule, see Sample Schedule.pdf

For a sample daily schedule, see Sample Daily Schedule.pdf

For details on the course fees, see Course Fees.pdf

To read an article on our training approaches, click here

*To request an application please contact daniel@crowcamp.ca (link sends e-mail)​ or call the office at 403-563-5120