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Are you interested in joining an expedition team next summer? We don’t require any specific skill sets, just a willingness to learn, explore, and challenge yourself in a new environment!
Inspiring Girls* Expeditions is a tuition-FREE program for high school youth that interweaves field science, art, and backcountry travel. Expedition teams of 9 are selected through an application process that asks applicants to reflect on their sense of self, abilities, interests, and curiosities. We believe a breadth of experience, passions, family life, and perspectives create stronger, more insightful teams. We are dedicated to providing a welcoming, inclusive experience where participants of different races, ethnicities, heritages, gender identities, faiths, economic statuses, and geographic settings are learning together.
We are looking for participants who meet the Essential Eligibility Criteria described below, and have an interest in being a part of a supportive community. We are also looking for participants who are excited to try new things and see new places, want to further a healthy sense of self-confidence, and learn more about who they are and what they are capable of achieving.
Want to learn more about what our alumni have to say about Inspiring Girls* Expeditions Alaska? Check out ourAlumni Testimonials!
Essential Eligibility Criteria
We offer field expeditions and virtual programs for high school girls* to empower them to lead and succeed through science, art, and outdoor exploration.
The Essential Eligibility Criteria (EEC) explain the basic abilities each participant must possess to safely and successfully participate in our programs. Please note that all specialized skills listed below (i.e. the ability to ascend rock walls with limited support, or the ability to perform self-care in a remote environment) will be taught and demonstrated by qualified instructors before participants are asked to attempt them. We do not expect our participants to arrive at our programs with the knowledge and skill to live outside for multiple days, hike, mountaineer, rock climb, sea kayak, and/or packraft, but participants must have the ability to learn and implement the skills necessary to participate safely.
These EEC are intended to be helpful and constructive for all participants who are considering attending our programs. However, these EEC are only intended to give an overall ‘snapshot’ of EEC for Inspiring Girls* Expeditions Alaska activities, and do not encompass every criteria or function of the various activities you may encounter on a given expedition. Please review these EEC prior to completing an application for Inspiring Girls* Expeditions Alaska. If you do not meet the EEC, with or without reasonable accommodation, for one type of expedition (i.e., a mountaineering program) but you do meet criteria for another (i.e., sea kayaking), you will be able to specify that in your application. We welcome participants who identify as disabled and recognize that individuals may need to discuss these eligibility criteria and potential accommodations before or after applying.
Please note that while Inspiring Girls* Expeditions Alaska values teams from a wide range of backgrounds and lived experiences and strives to provide culturally responsive programming in a positive learning environment for all participants, our programs are not wilderness therapy. Our instructors are skilled scientists, artists and guides, but they are not trained therapists or medical professionals, and do not specialize in experiences for people with significant mental health, emotional, or behavioral conditions.
The EEC apply to all participants. Participants are evaluated on both the Criteria for all Expeditions and the activity-specific criteria listed below. If participants cannot meet the EEC, a determination will be made as to whether we can reasonably accommodate them without jeopardizing the health, safety, and positive learning environment for all participants and staff members on the expedition, and while still adhering to the fundamental nature of the expedition as planned. If you have any questions about the Essential Eligibility Criteria, including exploring reasonable accommodations relating to these criteria, please contact us at alaska@inspiringgirls.org.
Criteria for All Expeditions
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Participants must be able to…
Come with an open mind and willingness to try new things
Contribute to a physically, emotionally, and mentally safe and healthy learning environment for all
Display tolerance, respect, and compassion towards all
Maintain appropriate relationships with other team members and instructors; refrain from behaviors that disrupt the learning and safety of the group
Work effectively as a team member throughout potentially stressful or difficult conditions. This includes taking personal responsibility for your belongings and behavior, effectively communicating ideas and concerns on an individual and group level, accepting differences, and possessing a willingness to put the needs of the group before those of the individual.
Understand that every participant shares in the responsibility for their own well-being and the well-being of the group
Refrain from the use of alcohol, tobacco, controlled substances, and any misuse of prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. If using prescription drugs, participants must be able to follow the correct dosage and usage and maintain the medicine in good condition while in the field.
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Understand and follow instructions, whether supervised or not
Understand visual instructions (i.e., hand signals) in conditions where verbal instructions are not possible
Understand hazards and safety concerns when explained, and follow safety precautions whether supervised or not. Examples of hazards and safety concerns might include, but are not limited to: adverse weather conditions, challenging terrain conditions, wildlife, fatigue, or state of mind
Effectively communicate to others personal distress, injury, or need for assistance, and communicate to others any hazards and dangers that they perceive
Live in a remote wilderness environment for an uninterrupted period of eight days, where “remote wilderness environment” is defined as greater than one hour away from definitive medical care, lacking infrastructure, and without cell and internet services
Able to adapt to the physical, mental, and emotional rigors of the expedition, given a supportive and welcoming environment
Tolerate being outdoors for multiple days in all types of weather, with a variety of stimuli, including bugs, extreme temperature changes, rain and/or snow, intense sunlight, wind, storms, and wildlife
Tolerate changes in diet, group living, long days filled with mentally and physically challenging activities, and a routine that is likely much different than your routine at home
Respond appropriately in the face of unexpected challenges such as inclement weather, changes in itinerary, unfamiliar surroundings, and homesickness
Perform necessary self-care in an outdoor environment, including personal hygiene, dressing appropriately for weather conditions, and taking responsibility for personal belongings including loaned gear
Monitor and address personal hunger, thirst, and tiredness levels, with or without assistance and in a timely manner, in order to maintain energy levels required for expedition activities
Remain alert and focused for several hours at a time while traveling through wilderness and other remote environments
Learn and practice ‘Leave No Trace’ camping and travel techniques
Exhibit willingness and ability to participate in small and large group activities including camp chores (cooking, water purification, etc.), group lessons, and science and art projects
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All expeditions involve some amount of hiking. Participants must be able to travel up to eight (8) miles/thirteen (13) kilometers per day while doing the following, with or without assistance:
Lift and carry weight, including personal and/or group belongings, gear or provisions
Maintain balance and direction while traveling on and off trail, over uneven, rocky, snowy, vegetated, or rough terrain, on potentially narrow or winding routes, often while carrying weight
Maneuver over, under, through, and around obstacles (i.e. boulders, fallen trees, or river crossings)
Negotiate stream crossings with a group, where fast moving water and slippery or loose rocks and other obstructions are present
Possess the mental and physical strength, fitness, balance, and agility to accomplish the above tasks.
Criteria for Specific Activities
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Participants must be able to…
Correctly wear a climbing helmet and harness while mountaineering
Understand, follow, and communicate instructions while traveling on a rope team
Maintain balance traveling over uneven ice and snow while traveling on a rope team
Quickly and safely arrest their own fall using safety tools (i.e., an ice ax) in the event of an unexpected fall, or assist the arrest of another person on their rope team
Possess the mental and physical strength, fitness, balance, and agility to accomplish the above tasks
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Participants must be able to…
Be able to swim or be comfortable in the water, including cold, fast moving, and/or deep open water, while wearing a personal flotation device (PFD, a.k.a. life jacket)
Correctly wear a PFD for up to eight (8) hours at a time
Wear a drysuit with neck, wrist, and ankle gaskets for up to eight (8) hours at a time
In water that is deeper than knee height, make forward progress in potentially rough water with a strong current and obstacles toward safety (land or a rescue boat) while keeping head above water
Safely enter and exit a sea kayak or packraft from the shore with or without assistance
Sit, with or without assistance, in a sea kayak or packraft for up to two (2) hours at a time and up to ten (10) hours per day
Make forward progress in a sea kayak or packraft; control a paddle and pull it through the water in order to steer the boat and propel it forward
In the event of a boat capsizing in moving water: exit a flipped boat, maintain rescue position (floating on back, feet pointed downstream, head above water), and/or actively swim toward land or a rescue boat
In the event of a boat capsizing in deep water: exit a flipped boat and actively swim toward land or a rescue boat
Possess the mental and physical strength, fitness, balance, and agility to accomplish the above tasks