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 based on strategy and collaboration. All programs are customized specifically for your group’s 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, a 45-foot climbing tower, a high ropes course, 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.

Adventure Leadership uses an action-reflection model – throughout your program, your group will participate in engaging activities together, and our staff will facilitate meaningful discussions about their experiences.

• Programs can be recreational, educational, therapeutic, or focused on the development of specific team and leadership skills.
• Join us for a couple of hours, a half-day, a full day, or a multi-day series of experiences.
• All programs are customized to meet your group’s needs, including levels of ability and desired learning outcomes.
• Programs usually take place at our beautiful site, or we can come to you.

Adventure Leadership would love to create an amazing experience for your group. Please contact us to discuss options that best meet your needs.

Submit an inquiry by completing this form.

Adventure Leadership Paid Internship

2024 application information will be posted in mid-October.

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 2, 2024 AL Internship Applications Due
• February 5, 2024 Interview Invitations Sent
• February 7, 2024 @ 6:30PM – 8:30PM Group Interview Session I
• February 14, 2024 @ 6:30PM – 8:30PM Group Interview Session II
• February 21, 2024 @ 5PM – 9PM Individual Interview Sessions (by appointment)
• February 23, 2024 Internship Offers Sent
• March 4, 2024 Deadline for Internship Acceptance
• March 23, 2024 @ 9AM – 5PM Facilitation Training I
• March 24, 2024 @ 9AM – 5PM Facilitation Training II
• March 28-30, 2024 AEE Regional Conference (Overnight, Optional)
• April 3, 2024 @ 6PM – 9PM Facilitation Training III
• April 10, 2024 @ 6PM – 9PM Facilitation Training IV
• April 14, 2024  @ 5PM – 11PM Banff Film Festival (Optional)
• April 17, 2024 @ 6PM – 9PM Facilitation Training V
• April 20-21, 2024 @ 9AM – 5PM High Adventure Training
• May 7-11, 2024 @ TBD Wilderness First Responder Training
• May 13-14, 2024 @ 9AM – 5PM Challenge Course Training
• May 15-17, 2024 Trip Leader Training (Overnight)
• May 23, 2024 @ 1PM – 5PM Training Review & Skills Practice (Optional)
• May 24, 2024 @ 9AM – 5PM Skill Assessment
• July 15-19, 2024 Camp Session 1
• TBD Camp Session 2
• August 5-9, 2024 Camp Session 3

• May 29 – September 6, 2024 Bi-Weekly Evening In-Service Sessions MANDATORY
• August 18- 25, 2024 Peak Week  MANDATORY

• May 27 – August 25, 2024 Minimum 15 hours/week (maximum 40) as assigned
• August 26, 2024 – November 15, 2024 Hours and projects 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 2, 2024.

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 setting? 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 2024 Cohort.
3. Please share an example of a time when 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 2024 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