Ropes Course adds class

Challenge Sonoma Adventure Ropes Course (CSARC) is offering a second additional session for its annual spring Ropes Course Leader Training program April 30 to May 3.

The program will be held above the Sonoma Developmental Center in Eldridge.  

Potential ropes course leaders, ages 15 years and up, are invited to participate in this training which provides opportunities both to enhance outdoor leadership skills and also to “give back” through voluntary community service.

This year’s spring Ropes Course Leader Training Program begins on Thursday, April 30 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and continues from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1, Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3.

Leaders are required to volunteer a minimum of seven days during CSARC’s season.

Established in 1984, CSARC is a nonprofit group of community volunteers serving Sonoma Valley school children and youth-at-risk.

At the heart of this organization are CSARC’s leaders and skilled trainers, who engage over 1,500 participants annually in unequaled 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 for anyone considering a career in the field of experiential education. 

Trained leaders will have the opportunity to work with diverse groups including fifth-grade classes, sports teams and community organizations as well as family groups and corporate bodies.

For high school students, this training experience creates opportunities for young adults to give back to their own community.

Local students, including at-risk and disadvantaged youth, from both public and private schools are the focus and most frequent participants in CSARC’s adventures.

Since its beginning, CSARC has served a wide variety of youth and other client groups, including the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance and groups such as the Creekside Senior Community, Girl Scouts of America, the California Academy of Sciences, School for the Deaf, the Arthritis Foundation, ROTC, UC Davis Veterinary Medical Students, Sonoma Developmental Center’s Recreation Therapists, and San Mateo Pals (Police & Kids). To help defray costs for these youth and other offerings, premium ropes course programs have been provided to corporate groups, such as Google, Cross Fit, Zendesk and Laundry Locker, to name a few.

Tuition for the training is $100. 

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.