The Rocky Mountain Chapter of ICO depends entirely on volunteers for its operation.  This guide is intended to help prospective volunteers understand what ICO does, how the program is operated, and the different roles and responsibilities volunteers can assume.  Do please contact us with any questions that are not answered by this guide.

 What does ICO do?

 Through Inner City Outings, Sierra Club volunteers provide free outdoor adventures to individuals who would not have them otherwise.  Most of these individuals are children whose parents lack the financial resources and/or outdoor experience to provide these outdoor adventures on their own.  The aim of the program is to establish an enduring connection between these children and the natural world. 

 The Rocky Mountain Chapter of ICO is composed of several ICO groups.  Each ICO group partners with a school or other organization within the community (the “partner agency”) – the partner agency provides the kids, and ICO runs the outings.  ICO provides the food and transportation for its outings.  ICO also lends participants any gear that they may need from the Chapter’s gear depot in Golden.  ICO outings are also insured by the Sierra Club.

 What type of outings does ICO run?

 Most outings are single-day events, but many ICO groups also run a few overnight or multi-day trips during a typical year.  Common outings include hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, sledding, and whitewater rafting.  Some groups also go downhill skiing and snowboarding during the winter.  High-risk outings like rock-climbing are theoretically possible but rare because they require leaders to satisfy more stringent planning requirements.

 How can I get involved?

 There are generally three capacities for ICO volunteers: certified leaders, adult volunteers, and administrative support.  Certified leaders serve as the ICO liaison with the partner agency, schedule the outings for the group, and are principally responsible for planning and running the group’s outings.  Adult volunteers help a certified leader by helping provide transportation, coordinate logistics, and/ or run the trip.   Adult volunteers may help with only an occasional outing or, at their discretion, they might assist one or more certified leaders on an ongoing basis.  In order to become a certified leader, adult volunteers must help run two trips, with two different leaders.   

 The roles and qualifications of each type of volunteer are set forth below: 

 In addition to these two basic types of volunteers, volunteers are also needed for certain discrete tasks like website design and maintenance, authoring and updating curriculum for the Compass Youth Leadership program, and fundraising.

 Those interested in volunteering with ICO should begin by contacting Lisa Dawson, the ICO volunteer coordinator.  The groups presently operating are listed below.  Currently scheduled outings for each of these groups are listed in the RMC ICO Calendar.

 If the group with which you first check does not sound like a good fit for you, you are encouraged to check with other ICO groups to see if they might be a better fit.

 How do I get my criminal background check done?

 Whether you are interested in becoming an adult volunteer or a certified leader, you will need to have your criminal background check completed before you participate in your first ICO outing.  To get your background check done, contact Lisa Dawson.  Let Lisa know which certified leaders should be notified of the results of your background check so that she can copy these leaders with notice of the results.

 What type of first aid training is required of certified leaders?

 The required minimum – CPR & Basic First Aid (4 hours):

 The Sierra Club requires that certified ICO leaders maintain certification in Adult, Child, & Infant CPR and basic first aid.  This course can be taken through the Red Cross and other organizations in the community.  ICO will reimburse certified leaders and those working toward leadership certification for the cost of this course.

http://www.denver-redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=healthnsafety_classes_cat1

 What RMC ICO recommends – Wilderness First Aid (2 days):

 The Red Cross, the Wilderness Medical Institute of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Wilderness Medical Outfitters and other institutions along the Front Range offer a course in Wilderness First Aid (WFA).  As its name suggests, this course is tailored to those who might provide first aid in a remote setting.  The Rocky Mountain Chapter of ICO recommends (but does not require) that certified leaders maintain this level of first aid certification because ICO groups along the Front Range often travel to remote locations where the skills taught in this course could prove useful.  RMC ICO will reimburse certified leaders and those working toward leadership certification for the cost of this course.  The Sierra Club regularly sponsors NOLS offerings of the WFA course:

http://www.nols.edu/wmi/courses/wildfirstaid.shtml

 The gold standard – Wilderness First Responder (9 days):

 Those who spend a lot of time in the wilderness ought to at least consider certification as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR, pronounced “woofer”).  This course teaches all of the first aid protocols taught in Wilderness First Aid but provides a great deal more practice.  This course is for those for whom the prospect of rendering first aid in the backcountry is not merely a possibility but an eventuality.  Note that this certification lasts two years and can be recertified with WFA.  RMC ICO will partially reimburse certified leaders and those working toward leadership certification up to the cost of WFA.  This covers only about 30% of the cost of the WFR course, but this is a one-time out-of-pocket expense for those who maintain their WFR certification.  Note, too, that at least one school in the Denver/Boulder area offers this as an evening course spread out over six weeks instead of the usual 9-day immersion program.

http://www.nols.edu/wmi/courses/wildfirstresponder.shtml

http://www.wildernessmedicine.com/welcome.html

 If you have questions about the different courses and schools in the Denver/Boulder area, contact Michael Le Desma.

 What is the Compass Youth Leadership Program?

 The Boulder ICO group is piloting a youth leadership program for ICO participants.  This program aims to create a new generation of ICO leaders who come from the very communities that ICO serves.  An expansive curriculum will expose these kids to the civics of environmental protection, critical thinking skills, natural history (through the lens of evolution), and, of course, outdoor leadership.  While some of the curriculum will be classroom-based, most of it will be taught through outings.  Kids who advance in the program will then gradually take responsibility for organizing and leading ICO outings (with adult supervision, of course).  For more information on this program, please visit the Compass Leadership page.