NOLS Blog
Outdoor Leadership Programs for High School Students: Why Wilderness Matters
Parents searching for summer opportunities face an overwhelming marketplace of camps, programs, and experiences. Sports camps, academic enrichment, traditional summer camps, leadership programs—the options seem endless. But among all the choices, one category consistently produces deeper, longer-lasting outcomes than the rest: outdoor leadership programs for high school students. These programs combine the transformative power of…
Why Teens Need Leadership Skills: A Guide for Parents
Every parent wants their teenager to succeed—good grades, college acceptance, a fulfilling career. But there's something that predicts ...
Ship’s Log: Sailing in Greece’s Ionian Sea Alumni Trip
Photo by Nick Braun After a few days of moderate winds, good introductory sailing and island exploring while ...
Teen Gap Year Programs: Adventure-Based Options for Before College
The traditional path says: graduate high school, start college immediately, don’t look back. But a growing number of families and college admissions advisors are questioning this formula—and discovering that what looks like a detour often becomes the most valuable part of the journey. Gap year programs for teens have moved from the fringe to the…
Best Backpacking Trips for Teens: Wilderness Adventures That Build Character
Something happens when a teenager shoulders a pack, leaves cell service behind, and walks into the wilderness. Something that organized sports, academic programs, and traditional summer camps—though these experiences have their benefits—simply cannot replicate. Backpacking trips for teens offer more than adventure. They offer transformation. And for parents searching for experiences that genuinely change their…
Leadership Programs for High School Students: What Parents Need to Know
Your teenager stands at a pivotal moment. The skills they develop now—how they handle challenges, work with others, and step up when it matters—will shape their path through college, careers, and life. But here’s what many parents discover too late: traditional classroom settings rarely build the kind of leadership that matters in the real world.…
The Poley-Poley: A Chronicle in the Himalayas
It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop. —Confucius The air was thick. My strides were slow and purposeful, careful not to disrupt the group’s cadence. The thrill of spotting Everest Base Camp, still two hours away, motivated me to maintain the syncopated rhythm of deep breathing. Hypoxia…
Case Study: Injury on the Grand Canyon
The Setting You’re on day 12 of a 21-day Grand Canyon expedition, enjoying a well deserved stretch of flat water, staring at the canyon walls and not paying attention to what’s downstream. While enjoying the last of your morning coffee, you hear someone cry out from a nearby raft. You look over and see a…
NOLS Releases Newest Edition of Leadership Educator Notebook, an Instructor’s Toolbox
NOLS is pleased to introduce the newest edition of the Leadership Educator Notebook, a collection of the educational tools NOLS instructors use to incorporate leadership ideas and activities into courses. What is the Leadership Educator Notebook?Filled with activities, lessons, prompts, frameworks and quotes, and edited by Zach Taylor, Liz Tuohy, Phoebe Gebright, and other members…
Kayakers Finish Expedition Down Elk River
Kearns went on a trip with the National Outdoor Leadership School down Utah’s Green River. There, he met Swisher and the two hit it off.
Thriving as Women Boaters on the Main Salmon River
Thriving as Women Boaters on the Main Salmon River
NOLS to Match AmeriCorps Education Awards (Americorps – 2016)
NOLS to match AmeriCorps Education Awards
How to Find the Best Campsites in the US
Marco Johnson, Field Staffing Director at NOLS outlines how to pick the best campsite. His tips include: explore the nearby area, go in the off-season and more.
Forest Kindergarten Teacher Trained at NOLS
She pursued continuing education courses with the National Outdoor Leadership School. That coalesced into the Kindergarten Forest program at Antioch School.
Ugly Boxes Doing Beautiful Things: How You Can Do Sustainability
Ugly Boxes Doing Beautiful Things: How You Can Do Sustainability
Quantifying the Unquantifiable: What I Learned after a Week in the Wilderness with the Archer School for Girls
Quantifying the Unquantifiable: What I Learned after a Week in the Wilderness with the Archer School for Girls
Filling the Gap
For the newest high school generation, some students have decided that taking a year before starting college is in their best interests.
Self-Care in the Backcountry: Red Flags You Shouldn’t Ignore
Self-care, any action or behavior that helps us avoid triggering health problems, is totally necessary but often goes ignored.
Results from National Gap Year Survey Show Positive Outcomes
The American Gap Association (AGA) released a report containing results from a new survey on gap year participation among college-age students.
