our objective
YWCS helps youth use climbing and adventure based team building as a catalyst for personal change and growth. To meet this mission, we are committed to developing effective, meaningful and adventurous courses.

YWCS courses are a blend of theory and practice. We utilize a variety of time tested teaching principles from the Colorado Outward Bound School (COBS), the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Project Adventure (PA), and the Sierra Club. It is through this blend that adventure learning begins to take form and meaning - there is a reason for activity; there are connections between the adventure and our personal lives. Helping students make these connections is our greatest design challenge.

Each course offers students the opportunity to chance, to risk, to trust, to try and to learn. Our courses are designed to allow students to learn by doing. Students will be asked to be an active participant, to experience adventure based programming firsthand. And found in the midst of all this learning is excitement, self-discovery and fun! It is our belief that when work and learning are fun, creativity, productivity and achievement peak. When what we are doing challenges and engages us, then the learning is making an impact. You will find that our courses can leave a lasting impression on students.

Values:
LEADERSHIP - Whether scaling a mountain, climbing a vertical cliff or creating a human bridge across a river, individuals gain an awareness of and faith in their own ability to lead and follow. They have opportunities to test their ability in critical group decision-making and thereby become more confident individuals.
TEAMWORK - Success in each YWCS activities depends as much on teamwork as individual effort. Under the pressure of reaching a difficult goal, each individual undergoes rapid growth. This growth occurs in group efforts that become catalysts for new relationships between people. Participants become connected by shared experiences as they forge the foundations for new and effective teams.
CHANGE - In wilderness settings, participants are taken out of their "comfort zone" and immersed in a changing environment. By handling new circumstances, teams learn to turn problems into opportunities for success. Each challenge mastered is a satisfying achievement that prepares them for even more opportunities.

2007 - 2008 YWCS Courses

group initiatives and trust course (No. GTC-0010)
Two concentrated days of activities.
All of our courses incorporate some trust games and group initiatives. These exercises act as both an "ice" breaker and as a group foundation. Initiative exercises offer a series of clearly and often fanciful defined problems. Each task is designed so that the group must employ cooperation and some physical effort to gain a solution. Some problems are more cerebral than physical and vice-versa. This problem-oriented approach to learning can also be useful in developing each individual's awareness of decision-making, leadership, and the obligations and strengths of each member within a group.

Participants engage the problems in groups to take advantage of the combined physical and mental strengths of a team. These initiative problems also can be employed to promote an individual's sense of his or her own competence, and they also serve to help break down some of the stereotypes which exist so comfortably in our social network. This course involves an overnight campout.
.......Ages: 12 to 17 years old
.......Prerequisites: Willing to explore the unknown!
.......Group size: 6 to 12 participants
.......Primary Activities: Trust and team building skills, wilderness and minimum impact camping skills
.......Cost: $275* (per student - includes all camping equipment and food)
.......Dates: Call for dates.
.......Course Status: Open

summer beginner I & II climbing course with campout (No. CB-0011)
Rock climbing, the heart and soul of team building.
This course instills group bonding, cohesion, leadership skills, self-confidence and trust to its highest level. Spend two days with YWCS's experienced staff learning a new skill, having fun, and building confidence to climb!! You will learn, bouldering, use of technical climbing equipment, belaying, knot tying, rope handling and rappelling. You will also learn specific climbing techniques, along with the jargon related in the sport. This course also places a major emphasis on safety. Includes an overnight campout.This summer course is held in the cool alpine areas of Prescott near Watson Lake.
.......Ages: 13 to 17 years old
.......Prerequisites: Wanting to climb!
.......Group size: 6 to 12 participants
.......Primary Activities: Climbing, rappelling, safety, using good judgment in stressful situations, rope systems, site selection, camping skills
.......Cost: $415* (per student - includes all camping/climbing equipment, transportation (from meeting point and food)
.......Dates: Call for dates.
.......Course Status: Open June, July, August

arizona to california climbing and camping adventure course (No. CWCA-45)
This is truly a "hands-on" course that takes place at the top climbing rocks in Arizona and California, not an indoor climbing gym.
You learn to climb starting with the fundamental safety systems and basic movement on rock progressing to "state-of-the-art" techniques used by world class climbers. Practicing on a variety of rock surfaces-boulders, slabs, cracks, faces and chimneys, you become thoroughly versed in protection placement, belaying, anchor systems, multi-pitch climbing, rappelling and rescue techniques. Qualified students may choose to lead a climb for the first time. These courses are 6-days and 5-nights.
.......Ages: 12 to 17 years old
.......Prerequisites: Wanting to climb!
.......Group size: 6 to 8 participants
.......Primary Activities: Climbing, rappelling, safety, good judgment, rope systems, site selection, camping
.......Cost: $1275* (per student - includes all camping/climbing equipment and food)
.......Dates: Call for dates.
.......Course Status: Open

"ACAS allowed me to build stronger character and become more out going. I hope to continue growing in many aspects to build that stronger personality and great work habit. I will always carry what I learned at ACAS with me."
- Erin Randall, 2005 and 2006 corpsmember

About Us
The ACAS Conservation Corps is an organization involved in high priority conservation and public service projects that incorporate service-learning and youth development. The Summer Youth Program’s philosophy is to develop youth through natural resource work and educational and recreational activities. The summer program provides summer jobs for male and female teenagers, ages 15-18. It is unique in that it involves both hearing and non-hearing youth . The program is an 8 week residential camp where corpsmembers will work on various outdoor, conservation projects. These projects are often physically demanding, where youth learn basic work skills and help maintain Arizona's habitats. Corpsmembers also participate in educational and environmental learning each week. This isn't the typical classroom setting; it’s hands-on learning that is exciting and rewarding!

The Challenge
At the residential site, corpsmembers live with other youth from across Arizona and neighboring states, whose backgrounds, interests, and abilities may be different than their own. ACAS can be challenging in that corpsmembers work, live, and spend time with each other for the whole summer. The challenge comes from stepping outside the comfort zone, meeting new people, learning to live and work with different people, which results in having the experience of a lifetime.

The Work Component
Corpsmembers work hard, rain or shine, on a variety of outdoor natural resource and service projects. Projects in the past have included trail maintenance and construction, foot bridge construction, invasive/exotic species removal, building retention walls for erosion control, and wildlife projects. ACAS provides a service to other resource agencies and the community by completing high priority conservation projects. We expect our corpsmembers (staff and youth) to work hard and uphold the mission of ACAS. Much of the work is exhausting but the rewards are great. Whatever the job, ACAS staff and youth will learn new job skills and learn to work as a team.

Youth will be traveling to various site locations (called “spike” trips) accomplishing these projects. Most of the summer will be spent in State Parks working and camping for one to two weeks at a time. Crews will be working outdoors, camping in tents, cooking over stoves, and exploring Arizona.

Educational and Recreational Activities
Corpsmembers have many opportunities to increase their awareness and understanding of the environment, develop a commitment to the stewardship of the natural world, learn about conservation careers, and develop leadership, teamwork and positive decision making skills. Corpsmembers participate in educational activities each day and recreational activities each weekend. ACAS promotes learning and personal development through active participation in outdoor, hands-on learning experiences. On the weekends corpsmembers can try their hand at a variety of recreational activities, such as canoeing, hiking, fishing, visiting interpretive centers and museums, and learning about local history and native cultures.

Residential Living
At the residential conservation site, you'll sleep in rustic cabins and have family-style meals with other corpsmembers and crew leaders. ACAS provides free room and board for all corpsmembers. As a ACAS summer corpsmember, you'll spend several weeks on "spike." Spike trips are work projects that are completed outside the daily travel distance of the residential site, and can last anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks long. You will work in crews usually made up of six corpsmembers and two crew leaders. Crews will work at state parks or wilderness areas, sleep in tents, and cook meals over an open fire, all under the guidance of an experienced crew leader.
 
Summer Program Rules
Corpsmember will have to live by some basic ground rules. These rules are put in place for the safety of each corpsmember and the growth of healthy young adults. Breaking these basic camp rules are grounds for being sent home. Here are the Summer Youth Programs dos and don’ts:
DO
• Be on time for work and activities
• Work hard and follow the directions of your crew leader.
• Be a helpful and contributing member of your crew and the camp community
• Push yourself to develop new skills, try new challenges, and meet new friends
• Respect yourself, others, ACAS equipment, and the environment
DON'T
• Abuse drugs
• Drink alcohol
• Smoke cigarettes
• Fight
• Gamble
• Vandalize or steal property
• Harass anyone

.......Ages: 12 to 17 years old
.......Prerequisites: Wanting to work outdoors!
.......Group size: 19 to 28 participants
.......Cost: Call* (per student - includes all camping gear and food)
.......Dates: Call for dates
.......Course Status: Open