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Our Program
CORE is a non-profit organization on empowering youth in the Morganton community through experiential outdoor education and adventure programming. CORE offers weekly meetings, weekend adventures, service projects, and wilderness expeditions, while emphasizing ongoing involvement by allowing students to progress through different age groups and graduate upon high school completion. This provides a unique and transformative experience that helps participants develop advanced recreation skills, strengthen communal ties, and cultivate lifelong passions for outdoor activities and environmental stewardship. These activities and their intended outcomes, detailed below, develop future community leaders, skilled outdoor enthusiasts, and committed environmental stewards.
Weekend Adventures
Weekend adventures inspire and empower students to recognize and appreciate both their own strengths and those of their. CORE offers a variety of outdoor adventure activities, including:
- Rock climbing
- Bouldering
- Caving
- Canoeing
- Backpacking
- Camping
- Hiking
- And more!
These activities aim to build individual confidence while providing young people with a chance to test their limits in a safe and supportive setting. While becoming skilled in many areas of recreation, students will also develop skills to overcome challenges, face adversity, and enhance their leadership abilities. CORE students are offered one to three weekend trips per month September to May.
Weekly Meetings
Each week, CORE students gather for a structured meeting that includes an opening circle, discussions on upcoming trips, engaging team-building games, and lessons on recreation skills or naturalist topics, capped off with hands-on activities and a closing circle. Some lessons taught at CORE encompass:
- Identifying fascinating herbaceous plants, trees, macro-invertebrates, birds, amphibians, and mammals
- Wild crafting
- Exploring the life cycles of various organisms
- Setting up tents and rigging tarps
- Packing a backpack
- Cooking with a camp stove
- Embracing Leave No Trace principles
- Learning bear safety and food storage tips
- Contributions of women and other historical figures in climbing
- Mastering knots and hitches
- Rappelling, prusiking, belaying, bouldering, and slacklining
By meeting weekly, students forge strong friendships and develop invaluable skills. Every lesson is designed to gear them up for thrilling weekend trips or nurture a deep sense of stewardship!
Service Projects
Participating in service outings allows students to develop perspective, empathy, and a deeper understanding of their community, while also gaining insight into social and environmental challenges.
Regular service activities at CORE include:
-Food Packaging
-Trail maintenance
-Recycling Projects
Through these experiences, students will recognize the effects of their actions and choices on themselves and others, fostering essential awareness for shaping the leaders of tomorrow while helping better our community. At CORE service opportunities are embed in the schedule as a weekend trip or a special weekly meeting.
Wilderness Expeditions
Being immersed in nature promotes mental well-being, reducing stress and enhancing overall happiness. Each year, the oldest group of CORE students, known as "Amphibians," have two exciting opportunities for extended wilderness adventures.
During spring break, CORE takes students on a five-day backpacking trip along a section of the stunning Appalachian Trail. The summer expedition varies each year but typically last 21 days and features activities such as:
-Backpacking in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains
-Canoeing large sections of rivers in Northern Canada
-Rock Climbing in Wyoming and Idaho
Our middle groups, the "Frogs and Salamanders," also have the chance to participate in the annual spring break backpacking trip and a five-day summer expedition closer to home.
Spending extended time in the wilderness offers numerous benefits for youth. It fosters personal growth, resilience, and self-confidence as they navigate challenges in a natural setting. Additionally, it encourages teamwork and communication skills through group activities and shared experiences.
"CORE teaches girls to cheer each other on, lift each other up, and work hard together to achieve their goals. CORE builds positive self esteem and surrounds my daughter with positive role models. We love this community!" - Shea Magill (CORE Parent)