News

Warren Christopher Scholars to participate in a Boojum Leadership Program
A group of academically gifted high school scholars from Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools were recognized on June 11 at the Los Angeles Public Library during the annual Warren Christopher Scholarship Awards. Ten extraordinary honorees and their families, teachers, academic counselors, past scholars and supporting business leaders gathered for the annual awards ceremony and luncheon where each young scholar was presented a $20,000 college scholarship from the Warren Christopher Scholarship Fund. As a benefit of this esteemed award, current recipients and past scholars will have a unique opportunity to participate in a three-day Boojum Institute outdoor leadership experience near Idyllwild, CA.

The Warren Christopher Scholarship Fund was established in 1992 with a gift by O'Melveny's partners to honor Warren Christopher, its former chairman and senior partner, when he was appointed U.S. Secretary of State by the Clinton Administration. Secretary Christopher is an alumnus of Hollywood High School in LAUSD, and the fund provides scholarships every year to 8 to 10 outstanding LAUSD high school sophomores. The challenges facing Christopher Scholars are profound. Often attending high schools with exceptionally high drop-out rates and living in circumstances ravaged by drugs, violence, and poverty, Christopher Scholars have gone on to attend some of the finest universities in the country. Many Christopher Scholars are now teachers, public servants, doctors, lawyers, or business people - and they are all shining examples of success against long odds.

As is often the case, many of these students have not had the opportunity for educational enrichment activities as part of their academic preparation, whereas many of their academic peers have. The Boojum Institute will provide a special opportunity for this group of young scholars to develop critical leadership skills, foster friendships as a cohort group, and discuss issues of college preparedness and studies away from home.

"We are so proud to work with these incredibly gifted young scholars," states Kurt Merrill, Executive Director of the Institute. "Their personal stories are simply amazing! We are very excited to provide this educational experience and to assist them as they prepare to matriculate into college and university life."

Boojum Institute Earns National Distinction
California's leading outdoor and environmental education provider has reaffirmed its distinguished place among its peers by earning re-accreditation for five years from the internationally respected Association for Experiential Education (AEE), making it one of only fourteen wilderness/adventure programs in the country to achieve this distinction.

"Accredited Programs are the ones out there striving to be the best," states AEE Accreditation Director Shawn Tierney. "Programs like the Boojum Institute that have completed the AEE Accreditation process have distinguished themselves in the growing field of experiential education." In response, Boojum Executive Director Kurt Merrill noted. Earning this honor speaks volumes about our wonderful course leaders we are just so proud of them and all that they do in the field to deliver meaningful, life-changing experiences for our students. He then went on to say, "we are very proud to continue to be recognized as a leader in the field of Experiential Education in California and the nation."

Study Finds Positive Impact of the Boojum Experience
In a recent study, students participating in a Boojum Institute program significantly increased their environmental knowledge, self-awareness and leadership skills. These are just three key areas of growth identified in a recent study funded by the Dwight Stuart Youth Foundation. "Evidence supporting the positive impacts of experiential outdoor programs is becoming well documented," noted Kurt Merrill, Executive Director of the Institute. Merrill went on to note that, "students participating in a Boojum Experience will engage with nature and develop leadership skills in ways that will change their lives and better prepare them for the future."

In a three-part program, a 50-question survey was administered pre and post program to inner-city Los Angeles students participating in three wilderness experiences that included a single day challenge course and 5-day wilderness backpacking trip through the San Jacinto Mountains. The study found that The Boojum Experience significantly impacted the students environmental knowledge, their ability to work with one another and their leadership skills.

Boojum Receives Three More Grants!
The Boojum Institute is delighted to announce that it recently received three new grants in support of its efforts to help young people become stronger community leaders and environmental stewards:

The Idyllwild Community Fund, Operated under the auspices of The Community Foundation Serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, the Idyllwild Community Fund (ICF) works to improve the quality of life for residents of Idyllwild. The ICF generously made a $1,000 grant to the Boojum Institute to fund a presentation of our Honeybees and World Health program featuring live honeybees to students of the Idyllwild Elementary School as part of the schools science programming.

The Desert Legacy Fund The Desert Legacy Fund (DLF) promotes ...the awareness and conservation of desert parks, wilderness, and other natural open spaces in the California desert. Operated under the auspices of The Community Foundation Serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, the DLF made a grant of $3,000 to Boojum to take a group of young people into Joshua Tree National Park for a two-day program aimed at teaching them about the fragility and importance of desert ecology through directly experiencing the desert's wonders, mysteries and ecosystem.

The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation The Norris Foundation...supports programs that advance better health and intellectual enlightenment through education, cultivation of the arts, individual responsibility, freedom and dignity.The Norris Foundation once again provided the Boojum Institute with a $10,000 grant for general operating support, supporting Boojum's overall operations and services to young people.

Boojum Receives In-Kind Support for Program
The Boojum Institute received generous in-kind support for the Honeybee and World Health Program funded by the Life Technologies Foundation from Mann Lake Ltd, a leading beekeeping supply company. Mann Lake's generous gift of beekeeping equipment and supplies will help Boojum carry the Honeybee and World Health program to southern California classrooms, and we much appreciate Mann Lake's support of this critical educational effort.

Much thanks to these supporters and our other funders who partner with us in serving young people, their schools, families and communities. We could not fulfill our important mission without their generous support.

Boojum Institute Awarded Major Grant for Honeybee & World Health Program
The Boojum Institute for Experiential Education, a nationally-recognized leader in the field of outdoor environmental education and leadership development for 35 years, has been awarded a $25,000 grant for its Honeybee & World Health Traveling Programs by the Life Technologies Foundation, Washington, D.C., a program of Life Technologies Corporation, a global biotechnology tools company that includes Carlsbad, CA-based Invitrogen Corporation.

The program is intended to encourage young people to become interested in science through teaching the joy and excitement of honeybee biology, the importance of the ecosystem, genetic biodiversity and the honeybee's inextricable link to the health of our world's food supply.

Through it, the Boojum Institute will bring classrooms alive with a hands-on experiential science-based education program involving live bees that focuses on the current challenges facing honeybees and the endangerment to our world's food supply. Students and teachers will also be able to continue their learning from Boojum Bees throughout the year via a bee-blog on Boojum's website created specifically for this effort (www.boojum.org).

The Boojum Institute has helped over 80,000 young people and others learn more about nature, the environment and themselves in Boojum wilderness-based programs since its inception in 1975, and its Honeybee & World Health Program continues that legacy. The program also reflects Boojum's commitment to expand the impact of its programming by bringing the Boojum experience directly to schools and nonprofits, making it easier for them to benefit from Boojum's staff expertise and programming in difficult economic times.

Boojum Institute Expands Programming
This year, Boojum expanded programming by over 40%, extending its mission to many more schools and hundreds of more students. "We are very pleased and would like to thank the staff, supporters, and school partners for making such a great year possible," says Kurt Merrill, Executive Director of the Institute. "We look forward to continuing to reach young people in meaningful and impactful ways, challenging them with new experiences that help them to become leaders and environmental stewards of their family, school and community."

Boojum Institute awarded grant by the Youth Grantmakers Fund
The Boojum Institute was recently awarded a grant by the Youth Grantmakers Fund, a new effort by The Community Foundation, serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties to promote youth philanthropy in the Inland Empire, to help train young people as environmental education leaders.

Shown at the YGF awards ceremony are (l to r) Tishiana Mann from North High School, Riverside; Lon Burns, Boojum Director of Development; Jessica Sayegh, Aquinas High School in San Bernardino; and Boojum Executive Director Kurt Merrill.

G.R.E.A.T Kids Rock Boojum's First Program of the Season
The Boojum Institute completed a very successful program with the Banning, CA Police Department's Gang Resistance Education and Training Program (GREAT) at Joshua Tree National Park last Saturday.

Boojum Instructor's Isak Ziegner and Robert Stockstill along with Executive Director Kurt Merrill facilitated a day of personal growth centered on a natural history hike and a full day of rock climbing in the Park. Twelve young adults along with several officers and the Banning Chief of Police, Leonard Purvis, spent the day supporting one another as they scaled the rocks at the Indian Cove area of the Park.

"Boojum's mission is to Unlock Potential, Promote Self Discovery and Inspire Growth," comments Executive Director Kurt Merrill. "We are delighted to work with the GREAT Program and the Banning Police Department. The kids and staff were just terrific. We believe that the program will help enhance the lasting impact of the GREAT Program."
February 2009

Boojum CEO Honored
Kurt Merrill, Executive Director of the Boojum Institute for Experiential Education and a nationally-recognized leader in outdoor education programs and risk management, was recently recognized by the Wilderness Risk Management Conference for his "extraordinary positive impact to outdoor programs and professionals.

The Conference is sponsored by the Wilderness Risk Managers Committee, a national consortium of outdoor schools, guide services, organizations and land managers, all working towards better understanding and management of risks in the wilderness.

In citing Merrill's contributions, the Committees leaders went on to say, "The work you accomplished has led to the WRMC annual conference being one of the most highly regarded conferences offered for the outdoor industry, and has set it up well to continue that strong level of excellence and impact into the future."

The citation was signed by the Committee's members, representing a broad spectrum of national leaders in outdoor education and risk management.
October, 2008

Nationally Respected Physician Joins Boojum as Advisor
We are very pleased to announce that nationally respected wilderness medicine physician and outdoorsman Doctor William Forgey, M.D. has joined Boojum as its Physician Advisor.

Dr. Forgey, often referred to as "the Father of Wilderness Medicine," has written more than 20 books on the subject. In addition, he has held leadership positions with the Boy Scouts of America's National Health & Safety Committee, Wilderness Medical Society, Wilderness Education Association, International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers, National Health Advisor to Eckerd Youth Alternative Camps and National Health Advisor to The Student Conservation Association.

"We are very pleased to have Dr. Forgey working with Boojum," said Boojum Executive Director Kurt Merrill. "Doc is one of the most highly respected doctors in the field and to have his experience, insight and advice here at Boojum is an incredible asset."
August, 2008

Boojum Institute has been selected for the 2008 Best of Pioneertown Award in the Junior Colleges & Technical Institutes category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA)
The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community...
August, 2008