What Do I need To Do Over The SPring

The mission of Summer Search is to find resilient low-income high school students and inspire them to become responsible and altruistic leaders by providing year-round mentoring, life-changing summer experiences, college advising, and a lasting support network.

There are three main things that you need to do as a Summer Search student over the spring:

1. Weekly Calls with your Mentor
2. Preparing for your First Summer Program
3. Mandatory Summer Search Events

WEEKLY CALLS WITH YOUR MENTOR

The mentoring calls are a really important part of Summer Search. Our goal is for you and your mentor to develop a strong and trusting relationship. Your mentor will listen to you, work with you to develop life skills, and help you prepare for your summer experiences. Together you will identify things that will make you successful or might hold you back.

• Make sure that you are attending and doing your best at school
• Prepare for your summer experience.
• Develop your Reflection, Altruism, and Performance (RAP) leadership skills. Ask your mentor about RAP!

These are your calls. Jump in and try to get the most out of them! If you have to leave a message, be sure to leave all the information we need to call you back, including your mentor’s name and a two-hour time period when you will be available to talk.

PREPARING FOR YOUR FIRST SUMMER PROGRAM

For most students, your first summer program will be a wilderness expedition. The reason for this is that the challenges you will face on this type of expedition allow you to develop your self-confidence, ability to adapt to new situations, and teamwork skills.

Over the spring, you will need to focus on three different kinds of preparation to make sure your trip is a success:

1. MENTAL PREPARATION
   Talk with your mentors about what makes you excited about your trip, as well as what makes you anxious, like getting homesick, or being afraid of heights. They are there to help you problem-solve ahead of time, so that when you’re actually on your trip, you have strategies to be successful.
2. PHYSICAL PREPARATION (EXERCISE!)
   From carrying a 50lb (pound) backpack to climbing a mountain, you need to be physically fit to succeed on your summer program. To prepare, you will need to:
   • Exercise for at least 30-45 minutes a day, four days a week. The exercise should be strenuous enough for you to break a sweat.
   • Check in with your mentor each week about how you have been exercising.
   • Practice carrying up to 50lbs (pounds) on your back. Fill your backpack with a pile of books!
   • Be able to run at least 3 miles without stopping. We will also have a Summer Search 3-Mile Run in the spring for you to measure your fitness and preparation.
3. PRACTICAL PREPARATION
   There are a lot of practical things that need to happen before you can go on your first trip. It is your responsibility to fulfill these requirements. Your mentor will work with you on this and be available to answer any questions.

Download your trip readiness checklist as a pdf here.

MAndatory* Summer Search Events

* “Mandatory” means that you HAVE to attend these events. They are a core part of the program, just like the weekly mentoring calls and the summer program preparation. They are not optional. For each event, the date, time, and location will be announced nearer the time (by postal mail and email, during one of your phone check-ins, as well as online here. Your job is to reply (“RSVP”) confirming your attendance (and your parent or guardian’s attendance for the Spring Event) as soon as possible.

SOPHOMORE WORKSHOP
This is a group event for new Summer Search sophomores and their mentors. We will have interactive workshops and activities with the goal of:

• Getting to know each other
• Preparing you for your summer experience
• Learning about what you need to do to start preparing for college
• Thinking about and sharing our individual goals and dreams for the summer and beyond.

Since most of your time in Summer Search is spent on the phone with your mentor, this event is an important chance to meet your fellow Summer Search students from schools all around the area.

SPRING EVENT
This is an early evening dinner and gathering of all Summer Search students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) and their parent or guardians. We will welcome you—the new sophomore class—to Summer Search. Current Summer Search students and parents will give speeches about their experiences, so that you will have a better idea of what to expect on your summer trip and in Summer Search. All Summer Search mentors and staff come to the event, and so do some board members, donors, and teachers who refer students to the program.
Check here for your Spring Event date:

SUMMER SEARCH RUN
All Summer Search sophomores have to complete a three-mile run in the spring to show that they are on track with their physical preparation. Summer Search volunteers and staff will be there cheer you on and even run alongside to keep your energy high!

YOUR FIRST SUMMER PROGRAM!

This is when all the hard work you did in the spring, planning and preparing, will pay off. You will do things you could never have imagined, see new things and meet new people, push yourself to your limits and have fun. Most importantly, this is your chance to take your leadership ability to the next level, by being a role model in your group, by encouraging others, and by rising to the challenges of the trip. You have what it takes to succeed, and to help everyone else succeed too!

You should continue to check in every week before and after your summer trip. You do not need to call in while you are away on your trip! However, we are available if you need to talk. Call us as soon as you return from your trip! We want to hear all about it.

We will also be available to answer any questions or concerns your parents have over the summer.

To find out more, read about Jocelyne’s month-long wilderness adventure here.