As a rising eighth grader, you will begin your Crossroads-C5 New England journey with three weeks at Camp Lapham in Ashby, where you learn about yourself, develop fundamental leadership skills and create your first personalized leadership plan. Your personal leadership plans map out your academic, extracurricular and community service goals for the school year. Don’t worry, we help you do it!

During the school year, you will be involved in monthly community and group learning experiences teaching you to lead yourself, volunteer 30 or more hours of community service, and carry out your personal leadership plan for the year.

YEAR 2:  Camp Leadership U – Leading Others

As you are are preparing for ninth grade, the second year of the program builds on the first and emphasizes ongoing relationships with staff and peers. This summer  you will use your newly developed leadership skills to put together a theater production in just 24 hours, plan and prepare for an off-site trip, and to begin providing leadership for camp activities.

The school year activities continue and include initial planning and preparation for next summer’s NOLS Leadership Trek. Community service requirements increase to 40 hours and you will continue to progress and report on your personal leadership plan.

YEAR 3:  Bridges – Expanding My Horizons

During the summer before tenth grade, you are challenged to demonstrate leadership skills as you finalize planning and preparation for the NOLS 9-day back-country leadership adventure. The trip – to a wilderness location – provides real challenges and real consequences as you make decisions, solve problems, and learn to work together effectively.

Throughout your sophomore year, you will collaborate with other youth to plan a community service project and lay the foundation for your upcoming college campus tour. Volunteerism requirements increase to 50 hours.

YEAR 4:  Road to College – Exploring My Future

Prior to your junior year in high school, you will move away from the outdoor camp experience and explore choices for post-secondary education and career opportunities. You will embark on a 10-day college campus tour that takes you to regional schools and allows you to get a taste of what college life will be like!
Along the way, you will engage in a volunteer service project in one of the communities you visit. During the year, you will work with your Leadership Coach who will help you identify options as you put your plans together for the future. You will visit additional colleges and trade schools, participate in career exploration seminars, meet with experts in different fields, and complete 60 hours of volunteer service.

YEAR 5  A.C.T. Now Summit – Engaging My Community

The final year of the program focuses on community advocacy and is themed “A.C.T. Now – Actively Change Tomorrow”. During this year, you will engage in a one-week community leadership experience designed to show how decisions are made and how needs are met in the communities where you live. You will also plan and fundraise for a service learning trip during the April vacation of your senior year. Following your Summit, teens are able to join the staff at Camp Wing or Camp Mitton as a Junior Staff member, continuing your professional and career development and earning money for college.
School year programming includes continued opportunities to meet community leaders and legislators, college access and preparedness programming and career exploration seminars.

In May you will graduate, from both high school and C5! Congratulations! But, don’t worry, you will always be part of the Crossroads C5 family, and will have many opportunities stay involved either through our alumni program or perhaps even as a seasonal staff member!