Nonprofit Big City Mountaineers is now taking applications for its much lauded program that, in the words of the group's mission statement: “… provides urban teenage youth in need of positive adult mentoring with challenging and safe wilderness experiences led by qualified adult volunteer guides.”

Founded in 1989, Big City Mountaineers (BCM) provides urban teenage youth in need of positive adult mentoring with challenging, safe outdoor experiences designed to build self-esteem and positively impact their beliefs with regard to age/ethnic diversity, environmental awareness, and interpersonal relationships. As a result of their BCM experience, these teens become better equipped to make critical career, educational and healthy lifestyle decisions. Historically, the basic format of the BCM program has been an eight-day backcountry wilderness trip - coordinated in partnership with a pre-existing youth development organization - during which five teens are matched with five volunteer adult mentors. Following an age and gender-specific curriculum, the trip offers a potentially life-changing experience that becomes a metaphor for the challenges these teens experience on a daily basis. In the words of one participant:

“Life is like these hills. You hit your high point and your low but you look into yourself to draw strength and carry on. If I ever hit another really low point in my life, I can draw on my self-confidence to bring myself up again.”

For more information on the organization and about volunteering to lead a trip, and to fill out a volunteer application, go to bigcitymountaineers.org