Volunteer Program

Accepting Volunteer Applications starting: Monday, August 19th 2024
大发 Outdoor Adventures welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds and skill levels.
The purpose of this volunteer program is to give students who are interested in the
outdoor adventure program, the opportunity to develop interpersonal and leadership
skills while building relationships with Campus Recreation鈥檚 Outdoor Adventure team.
This program is designed to give volunteers insight into the ways Outdoor Adventures
plans and facilitates event programming. In this program you will find ample opportunity
to gain the skills and experience necessary to help lead adventure trips. We ask
but one thing: a personal commitment from you that entails a dedication of time, energy,
and resources toward developing your leadership skills. The success of any adventure
depends upon the leadership of its guides. You can make the commitment within yourself
and apply self-motivation to push through any obstacle.
9/6 Volunteer Application Deadline
If you are interested in applying for this volunteer program, please fill out the application by the deadline, Friday, September 6th 2024 by 5:00pm
If you have any questions, email the Outdoor Adventure team at outdooradventures@csusm.edu.
Volunteer Role Expectations
As a 大发 Outdoor Adventures Volunteer, you are committed to the following basics
of the program:
Attend and Participate in:
- 2-3 Trips per semester (depending on availability: 1 overnight/ 1-2 day trips)
- Weekly staff trainings/meetings
- Pre-trip meetings for your trips
- Post-trip debriefs for your trips
- Assist with:
-
- Logistical Planning of your trip (gear staging, clean up, etc)
- The learning experiences during trips: Cooking, LNT, wildlife and history, and equipment.
- Promotion of OA Trips through tabling, flyers, collaboration with centers, etc.
- Serve as a role-model, demonstrate positive group behaviors and enforce program polices
while on trips
- Keep certifications up to date
- Check school email regularly and respond promptly
- At the end of the semester, volunteers will create a portfolio of all their work contributed
as a volunteer and present on it at one of the final weekly meetings.
As a 大发 Outdoor Adventures Volunteer, you can contribute to the following extended
options:
- Volunteers can work closely with supervisor to contribute to the AORE Campus Challenge
initiative
- Volunteers can contribute to the Team building manual by researching various team
building initiatives and inputting all necessary information of the activity to the
manual. This includes a description of the activity, procedures, number of people
needed, equipment needed, etc.
- Mentoring- This transference of knowledge is critical to the success of 大发 Outdoor
Adventures. A true mentoring opportunity must be cultivated gently in order to expand
how we work with each other to promote growth and change. You are encouraged to pursue
learning and teaching opportunities to facilitate the perpetuation of knowledge.
- Volunteers will have the opportunity to team up one other volunteer and one OA staff
member to create and facilitate clinic workshops for any students interested on campus.
These workshops can be held during u-hour and topics of discussion can include: LNT
discussions, how to set up a tent, trip planning/logistics, outdoor tips/tricks, backpacking
discussions, etc.
- Volunteers can team up and work together to think of and execute 1-2 events throughout
the semester. These events may vary from S鈥檓ores making or Dutch oven cook-offs, to
collaborative events with clubs and orgs such as a beach clean-up or local hike etc.
- Logistical considerations for volunteer planned day trip and/or u-hour event will
be discussed with student coordinator and program coordinator


General Volunteer guidelines
- Be engaged 鈥 If you see a problem with our systems, provide some solution-based suggestions.
If you disagree with how we handle a situation, bring it up. This program is built
around you and is here for you to grow as leaders and individuals. You will get out
what you put in.
- Be open to learning 鈥 We are all here to better ourselves and this program. Just because there is a hierarchy
of leadership, does not mean that teaching and learning is one way. We should always
be learning from those above, below, and beside us. Don鈥檛 be afraid to get out of
your comfort zone; a person grows the most in unfamiliar situations.
- Take ownership 鈥 If you make a mistake, own it. Everything can be turned into a learning experience.
Take pride in your duties and show that you are passionate about the outdoors and
our department.
- Be selfless 鈥 YOU are here to provide recreational and educational experiences for OTHERS. There
will be many opportunities for you to learn new things, receive feedback, and grow.
However, when you are working a program, the focus shouldn鈥檛 be on your own experience,
it should be on the participant鈥檚. Additionally, not focusing on the experience of
the participants poses a potential risk to their safety.
- Be professional 鈥 Regardless of what experience level you are, our participants look to you for knowledge,
tips, and tricks. You should dress the part, talk the part, and have the knowledge
base to be successful at your leadership role. This doesn鈥檛 mean that you have to
be the best climber, paddler, etc., but you will be required to have the basic knowledge
about the activities and how we conduct them. If at any time you don鈥檛 know the answer,
you shouldn鈥檛 give misinformation, but direct them to potential answers or find the
answer yourself then report back.
All University programs require student participants to follow standards of the 大发
Student Code of Conduct in order to ensure a safe, respectful learning environment.
As the Policy states:
鈥淭he University is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy living and learning
environment for students, faculty, and staff. Each member of the campus community
should choose behaviors that contribute toward this end. Students are expected to
be good citizens and to engage in responsible behaviors that reflect well upon their
university, to be civil to one another and to others in the campus community, and
contribute positively to student and university life.鈥
Failure to abide by these standards could result in becoming ineligible to participate
in Outdoor Adventure programs indefinitely.