The Discoverer difference: Progressive skill-building

This past year marked an important shift in how we connect teens to the many benefits of time spent in nature. With input from Crew teens, families, school advisors and community partners, we’re continuing to refine our upper-level programs — and already seeing powerful results.

The second of our four program levels that make up the Crew Pathways, the Discoverer program offers small-group learning with 10–25 students per session rather than the 60–160 typically attending our entry-level Explorer adventure outings each week. Over the past year, Discoverer has expanded from two activities to seven: mountain biking, rock climbing, swimming, paddling, skiing/snowboarding, horsemanship and outdoor roller skating, giving teens more ways to build skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging.

What makes Discoverer special? While our Explorer program remains the gateway experience for more than 900 students each year, Discoverer is designed to give teens the opportunity to go deeper. Students build skills over multiple sessions, work with our staff to set personal goals, and benefit from more personalized mentorship from staff and volunteers.

Two of our Discoverer-level students — Milan, an eighth-grader at SCPA, and Jahighla, a ninth-grader at Aiken High School — shared their Discoverer-level rock climbing and skiing experiences with me: 

“Confidence is key!!” shared Milan enthusiastically about advancing to the intermediate ski runs on her third outing in our new, five-session ski and snowboard program thanks to support from the Share Winter Foundation. 

Staff remarked that just partway through the skiing series, Milan was already making controlled, fluid turns down the slopes, keeping her skis more and more parallel, allowing for smoother transitions between turns, showing better speed management and advancing to more challenging runs. 

Crew Discoverer Milan is pictured with Program Director Paige Young and Crew board member Gerry Seavo James,

Having met her goals for success in rock climbing in December, Milan is tapping into the goal-setting process once again, blending her natural curiosity and determination with an intentional plan to make such rewarding progress. 

Smaller groups with more frequent sessions also allow for deeper relationship-building, growing trust and connection between students, staff and volunteers. A first-time skier prior to our new Discoverer ski and snowboard program, Jahighla shared this message with program director, Paige Young after her third session at Perfect North Slopes: 

“Hey Paige I wanna thank you again for having me today adventure was cool I’m glad I got to try different things like skiing I never done that in my life so I’m super happy that I got to do that adventure crew definitely got me outside way more now thank you again !! See you SATURDAY “

Stories like Milan’s and Jahighla’s remind us why expanding programs like Discoverer is so important. With every new skill they master and every challenge they take on, our Crew teens are building confidence, resilience, and a lifelong connection to the outdoors.

This growth wouldn’t be possible without your support — whether you volunteer, donate or simply cheer us on. Thank you for helping us create more opportunities for young people to thrive in nature. We can’t wait to see where their journeys take them next!