• Leadership
• Assistance
• Challenge
• Wonder

About YMCA Boys Outdoor Leadership Development

Boys Outdoor Leadership Development (BOLD) is an outdoor education program of the Metrocenter YMCA that develops multi-cultural leadership skills in young men through wilderness experience. Our 5 to 16 day backpacking, rock climbing, and mountaineering expeditions provide an opportunity for young men from different economic, ethnic, religious and social backgrounds to build multi-cultural leadership, communication, and decision making skills through shared challenges, problem solving, and fun. We believe that BOLD addresses a need in our community for:

• Emotionally intelligent programming for boys.
• An authentic and celebrated rite of passage event from adolescence to man hood.
• An emotionally and physically safe place where boys from different backgrounds can gather.
• Opportunities to develop the multi-cultural leadership and communication skills needed to be successful in an increasingly globalized world.
• A place where boys can find glory, be of service, be allies to others and feel needed.
• Affordable Outdoor Education.

The BOLD Vision: To create a world where young men have the emotional intelligence, courage, and compassion to be positive multi-cultural leaders in their communities.

The BOLD Mission: To use wilderness experience and challenge to create emotionally and physically safe spaces where boys from different backgrounds can communicate and develop to their fullest leadership potential.

This year BOLD is offering 12 expeditions ranging from 5 day introductory backpacking trips for middle school boys to a 16 day glacier mountaineering expedition to climb Mt. Olympus.

The success and growth of BOLD is due to the hard work of our exceptional staff. Each expedition has 3 instructors and 9 students. On each instructor team there is one professional wilderness guide who is certified as a wilderness first responder and has at least five years of experience leading back country expeditions and managing physical risks, one facilitator who has significant experience as a youth worker and educator, and one community volunteer or elder who has a unique gift, wisdom, or skill to bring to the expedition team. In addition, BOLD is committed to, and has succeeded in having an instructor team that directly reflects the demographics of the students we serve. Our expeditions are exceptional and that is a direct result of the great skill, experience, diversity, and dedication of our exceptional staff.