Ropes Course offers two training sessions

Challenge Sonoma Adventure Ropes Course (CSARC) is gearing up for two of its annual spring ropes course leader training program scheduled first for March 10 to 12 and again for May 5 to 7, on Sonoma Mountain above the Sonoma Developmental Center in Eldridge.

Potential ropes course leaders, ages 15 years and up, are invited to participate in this unique training which provides opportunities both to enhance outdoor leadership skills and also to “give back” through voluntary community service. This year’s first of two training programs will begin on Friday, March 10, and run through Saturday and Sunday, March 11 and 12, with a second opportunity for training on Friday, May 5, through Saturday and Sunday, May 6 and 7. Training session times are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Trained leaders are required to volunteer a minimum of seven days during CSARC’s season of operation from April through November each year. Thirty hours of shadowing are required after training sessions. Three refresher days are required each year thereafter. After completing the shadowing and refresher days, facilitators are paid at the beginning rate of $11 an hour.

Established in 1984, CSARC is a nonprofit group of dedicated community volunteers serving Sonoma Valley school children and youth-at-risk. At the heart of this far-reaching organization are CSARC’s leaders and skilled trainers, who engage more than 1,500 participants annually in outdoor experiences that promote self-awareness, inspire learning and offer strategies to success.

This training is “site specific” for the Challenge Sonoma Adventure Ropes Course and is invaluable for anyone considering a career in the field of experiential education.

Tuition for the training is $125. For more information and to enroll in CSARC’s spring ropes course leader training program, contact Diana Rhoten at 484-7759 or email her at info@challengesonoma.org. Participants can sign up online.