After-School Programs / Adventure Clubs

These resources are meant for those interested in developing an outdoor-based after-school program or Adventure Club for Middle and High School age students. The resources will guide you through the process of developing and facilitating your program or Adventure Club using guides, templates, and samples that will teach you best practices for managers and facilitators.

PLANNING YOUR CLUB

Prior to implementing and facilitating your program, it is important to plan ahead and prepare. Planning will include engaging community stakeholders, scheduling events and activities, and gathering necessary materials. This section will walk you through the planning process and get you prepared for the next steps.

Guide After School ProgramsGUIDE Afterschool Programs / Adventure Club – Introduction and Overview

This document will give you an overview of everything you’ll need to successfully deliver an outdoor based after school program. It addresses FAQ’s, common concerns, and challenges after-school program facilitators face. Instant Advice from professionals will help you to avoid making mistakes and set you up for success.

Guide Manual After SchoolGUIDE After School Program Models / Adventure Club Manual

This document is a comprehensive guide that walks facilitators through the process of planning, establishing, recruiting, and executing after-school programs. Use this document as a reference to guide you through the challenges you may encounter in after-school programming.

Template InternalTEMPLATE Internal After-school Program Scheduling 

This template can be used when scheduling events for a year’s worth of after-school programming. This will help you to take in the “big picture” of your programs and work towards creating a seamless progression of activities

External CalendarTEMPLATE External After School Program Calendar

This template is designed to be an external document which can be used to communicate information regarding the series of events you hope to facilitate. Use this document to deliver information to students, admin, and staff.

Sample CalendarSAMPLE Adventure Club Calendar September-December

This is a sample After-school program calendar provided by our partner Outdoor Outreach. Use this document as a reference when formatting your calendar to distribute amongst students, administrators, and staff.

ENGAGING COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS

After the planning stage is complete, it’s important to engage with stakeholders in the community you wish to work in. “Buy-in” from existing organizations can lend your program legitimacy, develop community advocates, and enable you to facilitate activities outside your core competency (e.g. not outdoor education related).

Template Business PlanTEMPLATE Business Plan PPT Presentation

Download and use this power point template to create a presentation you can use to communicate the vision and details of your program to stakeholders.

RECRUITMENT

Recruitment is a crucial step in implementing your Adventure Club. The following section will walk you through proven successful recruitment strategies.

Sample FlyerSAMPLE Lunch-time Recruitment Flyer

This is a sample flyer used to distribute information to students, admin, and staff for upcoming events. This sample can be used when developing flyers for your recruitment stage.

Sample Parent LetterSAMPLE Parent Letter

This letter is an example of how to distribute basic information about after-school programs to parents. This letter can be used as an example when developing student registration packets.

Sample PresentationSAMPLE Adventure Club Student Presentation

This is an example student presentation for the Adventure Club kick-off meeting. This slideshow can be used for presenting to students during recruitment or kick-off meetings. Small changes to the slideshow can be made for different audiences.

EXECUTION/IMPLEMENTATION

After planning your program, receiving approval from community stakeholders, and recruiting and enrolling participants you can begin to execute/facilitate your program. The following checklists, templates, and samples can ensure that you are fully prepared to facilitate and evaluate your after school activities.

Lesson PlanTEMPLATE Lesson Plan

This document is meant to aid you in the process of developing lesson plans for adventure club activities. Utilize the formatting and guidelines of the template to create detailed lesson plans.

Sample Climbing FlyerSAMPLE Climbing Flyer

This is a sample flyer used to distribute information for upcoming trips following after school events. This is a great way to get necessary information to students about what they will be participating in, what to bring, etc. Use this document as a reference when developing flyers.

Trip LogTEMPLATE Trip Log

This template is set up to contain simple information that is pertinent to your trip. You can customize this template in any way you choose by adding anything specific and relevant to you.

Lessons LearnedTEMPLATE Lessons Learned Archive 

This template is used to create an archive of important lessons learned from after-school program activities. This can be used by program facilitators to evaluate how to best improve their program for following years.

Scheduling NotesSAMPLE Adventure Club Scheduling notes

This document is a sample archive of lessons learned from after school outings. Use this document as a sample of how to reflect on your programs and develop a plan for improving activities for following years.

OTHER RESOURCES

Club ManualSAMPLE Adventure Club Manual

The following document is an example of an established after-school program model or Adventure Club by our partner Outdoor Outreach. This document can be used as a reference when developing objectives, establishing roles and responsibilities of your program facilitators, and addressing challenges your program may face. See the following documents for further guidance in the day-to-day management and facilitation of your club.

Volunteer ClubSAMPLE Adventure Club Volunteer Job Description

This document is a sample job description for an after-school Adventure Club volunteer. The Adventure Club Volunteer furthers the success of the Adventure Club by adopting the project’s mission, vision, and values; attending all club events; creating a safe environment for participants; providing assistance to the Adventure Club Manager, Staff and Faculty Advisor in facilitating the Club; developing strong relationships with club participants; providing individual support as needed. Each volunteer must attend an orientation with the Volunteer Coordinator and passing a “Livescan” background check.

Club StaffSAMPLE Adventure Club Staff – Job Description

This document is a sample job description for an after-school Adventure Club staff member. The Adventure Club Staff (ACS) furthers the success of the Adventure Clubs by stewarding the mission, vision and values of the project. Their key functions include recruiting participants; creating a safe environment for each Adventure Club participant; facilitating club activities aligned with the projects values and program model; engaging each participant in all club activities; developing strong relationships with the students to provide necessary support; and ensuring a positive, supportive group dynamic.

Club Program ManagerSAMPLE Adventure Club Manager Job Description

This document is a sample job description for an after-school Adventure Club Manager. The Adventure Club Program Manager furthers the success of the Adventure Clubs by stewarding the mission, vision and values of the project. It is the responsibility of the ACM to build, train, and manage a committed team of individuals to ensure that the Adventure Clubs are having the desired impact on the participants and ensure clubs are operating under the guidelines outlined in the Adventure Club Manual.

Club Faculty AdvisorSAMPLE Adventure Club Faculty Advisor Job Description

This document is a sample job description for an after-school Adventure Club faculty advisor. The Adventure Club Faculty Advisor is a teacher or faculty member at the school who furthers the success of the Adventure Club by adopting the project’s mission, vision, values; recruiting participants; providing a venue for all after-school programs; attending and assisting in the facilitation of all club events; working with the Adventure Club Manager, Staff and Volunteers to create a safe environment; engaging participants; providing ongoing campus-based support to club participants; and collecting third party data.