Adventure Leadership team building programs are great for work teams, community organizations, families—any group who wants to learn, grow and have fun.

Our experiential education philosophy allows everyone to engage at their own pace and comfort level. Our programs can focus on physical challenges or activities that are more based on strategy and collaboration. All programs are customized specifically for your groups’ interests and skill level. And as the world changes, so do we! We offer virtual programs to meet you where you’re located virtually.

We offer onsite opportunities at the Adventure Education Center, a 150-acre site in northeast Ann Arbor. Our beautiful, wooded facility includes a multi-element low course, 45-foot climbing tower, a two-tiered high ropes courses, a zip line and a 3,000 square foot building perfect for meetings, retreats or conferences.

Our Adventure Education Center courses and challenge elements are safety inspected every year to meet the standards of the Association for Challenge Course Technology.

We’re thrilled to announce some exciting improvements taking shape with Adventure Leadership!

Coming Spring 2022, Adventure Leadership will be opening a new and more inclusive high ropes course to our community, and expanding our in-person team building program capacity to accommodate groups larger than 24 participants. All of this is designed to bring you the most customized experience possible to ensure impact and learning are maximized!

In order to focus our efforts on these improvements, we’ll be working at a decreased capacity throughout our off-season offering a limited number of in-person and virtual team building programs. We encourage you to still submit your inquiries, and appreciate your continued support of our program.

Stay tuned for updates and photos of our progress throughout the season on our social platforms.

Adventure Leadership Paid Internship

Adventure Leadership is an outdoor, activity-based, team building and skill development program.

This is not your average internship.
Our interns provide participants opportunities to explore leadership, organizational behavior, and the environment through adventure education practices and outdoor recreation. Programs are provided to a diverse client base, using experiential tools which can include ground initiatives, low challenge course elements, high ropes course elements, and a climbing tower.

This is where you can make a difference.
As an intern, you will design and deliver custom experiential programs for students, educators, corporate groups, nonprofit organizations, and beyond—you’ll learn how to meet a group where they are at, and guide them towards their goals. Interns can also learn how to create community by leading day, weekend, or week-long trips. Past trips have included dog sledding in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, backpacking Cumberland Island, and paddling the Huron River.

What’s in it for you?
An internship with Adventure Leadership will provide networking opportunities within various fields. As a trained facilitator, you will have a platform for showcasing valuable skills to potential employers in the private, public, and voluntary sectors. Understanding models of group development by seeing them firsthand, providing excellent customer service, and managing relationships with a wide-ranging client-base are among just a few skills that Adventure Leadership works on every day. Over 50 hours of paid training will be provided.

And you’ll get the chance to take on a project of your own design.
Adventure Leadership interns will be tasked with completing a culminating project of their own creation by the end of the summer. Projects can include creating and building a new element or initiative, conducting outreach to underserved populations, establishing a relationship with a relevant stakeholder group and tailoring program options, etc. – the ultimate goal being that the individual work aligns with each intern’s unique strengths, reflects their passions, and furthers their professional ambitions.

Compensation:         $15/hour

You can expect to learn:

• Models of group development.
• The experiential learning cycle.
• Outdoor skills.
• Team building activities and initiatives.
• Challenge course inspection and set-up procedures.
• Common industry practices.
• Components of assessing a group.
• Theories and concepts of facilitation.
• Strategies for reflecting with a group.

You will need to:

• Obtain and/or maintain First Aid/CPR/AED certification.
• Communicate clearly and concisely.
• Remain calm under challenging circumstances.
• Be open-minded.
• Have a desire to learn.
• Have a healthy fear of heights.
• Be able to focus on a task.
• Use your intuition.
• Be able to follow directions.
• Have a sense of personal responsibility and awareness.
• Understand yourself, including personal strengths and weaknesses.
• Be charismatic.
• Give and receive feedback.
• Be able to traverse uneven ground and lift at least 40 lbs.
• Work outdoors in a variety of conditions.

At the end of your internship, you will be able to:

• Collaborate across cultural and professional spectrums to accomplish goals and solve problems.
• Demonstrate cultural literacy through interactions with diverse groups.
• Actively and collaboratively reflect on the learning process in the experiential context.
• Apply facilitation skills to create desired outcomes in group development.
• Instill clients with a sense of self-efficacy while increasing confidence, testing endurance, and practicing resilience.
• Foster holistic health and wellness through activity-based learning.
• Identify and practice effective leadership skills.
• Communicate effectively in a variety of circumstances.
• Reflect on and improve work performance.
• Extract meaning from a multitude of experiences.
• Discuss the values and beliefs that shape learning, behavior, and professional goals.

Internship Time Frame

The following dates are required for all potential interns. Please disclose any conflicts in the online application. Last chance to list additional conflicts will be at the Individual Interview Session.

• February 1, 2023 AL Internship Applications Due
• February 4, 2023 Interview Invitations Sent
• February 8, 2023 @ 6:30PM – 8:30PM Group Interview Session I
• February 15, 2023 @ 6:30PM – 8:30PM Group Interview Session II
• February 22, 2023 @ 5PM – 9PM Individual Interview Sessions (by appointment)
• February 25, 2023 Internship Offers Sent
• March 9, 2023 Deadline for Internship Acceptance
• March 25, 2023 @ 9AM – 5PM Facilitation Training I
• March 26, 2023 @ 9AM – 5PM Facilitation Training II
• March 29, 2023 @ 6PM – 9PM Facilitation Training III
• April 5, 2023 @ 6PM – 9PM Facilitation Training IV
• April 16, 2023  @ 5PM – 11PM Banff Film Festival (Optional)
• May 1-6, 2023 Wilderness First Responder Training
• May 10-12, 2023 Trip Leader Training (Overnight)
• May 17-19, 2023 @ 9AM – 5PM Challenge Course Training
• May 24, 2023 @ 9AM – 5PM Skill Assessment
• July 24-28, 2023 Camp Session 1
• July 31 – August 4, 2023 Camp Session 2
• August 7-11, 2023 Camp Session 3
• May 31 – September 6, 2023 Bi-Weekly Evening In-Service Sessions MANDATORY
• August 19- 27, 2023 Peak Week  MANDATORY
• May 29 – August 27, 2023 Minimum 15 hours/week (maximum 40) as assigned
• August 28, 2023 – November 30, 2023 Hours available based on performance & availability

Internship Application Requirements

Let’s get started!

Please send a copy of your resume and attach a document with your responses to the following prompts (short paragraphs of 3-4 sentences) to jessal@umich.edu by February 1, 2023.

1. How did you hear about this opportunity?
2. Do you have prior experience working in an adventure, education, outdoor recreation, experiential learning, camp, or challenge program? Please list any certifications you possess as they apply to this type of work (not required), or skills and qualifications that you feel will make you a successful, contributing member to the AL Internship 2023 Cohort.
3. Please share an example of a time where you took a risk and how that choice impacted you.
4. Tell a story about a time that you had to overcome conflict with an individual or group. How did you resolve the conflict?
5. What do you hope to gain as a member of the AL Internship 2023 Cohort?
6. Please list any dates/times that overlap with the internship time frame. This information will be used to create each intern’s individual schedule, so please be as thorough as possible. Examples include but are not limited to: classes, family vacations, study abroad programs, research expectations, part time job hours, other commitments, etc.

If you have questions or would like more information contact:
Jessa Lytle
Phone:734-936-0609
Email:jessal@umich.edu