Club Planning
Start Here!
The Trailblazers program guide is updated annually and can be viewed, downloaded, and printed by below. The program guide includes information on the goal of the Trailblazers program, timelines, club planning, club reporting, and fundraising.
We recommend you keep a hard copy of the program guide so that you can refer back to it easily and share Trailblazers information with your Principal, colleagues, and club members. Note that new clubs will be mailed a copy of the program.
Gaining Club Support
Below you can download and print resources to assist you in promoting the club and allowing interested students to sign up. We recommend sharing the flyers with your Principal and local community partners, so that you can build future support for your club activities. The sign-up poster can be printed and put in visible areas, such as bulletin boards, so that adventurous students have the opportunity to learn about your club!
Locate Outdoor Resources
The interactive activity finder map can help you locate outdoor recreational areas, like State Parks and National Forests, as well as campsites, outdoor activity centers, and equipment rentals.
We update the map often, so check back to see what's new in North Carolina.
What Activities Can We Pursue?
Permissible outdoor activities are displayed below, but the list is not exhaustive. If your club is interested in an activity not listed, reach out to see if its permissible by emailing GoOutside@nc.gov
Archery
Backpacking
Biking
Camping
Canoeing
Climbing
Fishing
Hiking
Horseback Riding
Hunting
Kayaking
Sailing
Shooting Sports
Snorkeling
Snowsports
Swimming
Club Member Positions
As club advisor, you may be a confident outdoor leader with lots of experience planning field trips. Or, this could be your very first time organizing and leading outdoor activities. Either way, we have resources and suggestions to assist you in building out the club activities for the year.
Your role as club advisor will be to the lead the club and take responsibility for scheduling club meetings, planning trips, purchasing equipment, and club reporting. You may be a sole advisor, or there may be several of you – it’s entirely up to you.
Electing student members to roles within the club can provide an excellent way for students to develop leadership and communication skills. You may choose to include positions such as President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Trip Leader, etc. Feel free to be creative!
Including positions is not mandatory but we encourage you to allow your members to play an active role in club planning and maintenance, as this promotes a sense of ownership and belonging.
Field Trip Ideas and Learning Objectives
In addition to planning your field trips, your club will be meeting regularly to learn and practice new skills. We suggest your curriculum follow a formula that allows students to first learn, then practice and finally utilize skills.
Example Fishing Trip:
- Learn about knot tying
- Practice knot tying with fishing line
- A fishing day trip
Example Camping Trip:
- Learn about outdoor safety
- Practice putting up a tent
- An overnight camping trip
We strive to provide as much flexibility as possible. We understand that every school is different and that access to particular activities can be restricted by location, experience, and student interest.
Remember: while we encourage clubs to push their limits and try out new activities, there is no obligation for you to go outside your comfort zone.
This sample curriculum is designed to give you some ideas on how to distribute your field trips and meetings. You are not required to complete all the activities in this sample. If you’d like to use the curriculum template to assist you in planning, you may download it below – but you are not required to submit this.
Completing Your Club Plan
In your club plan you will expand on the ideas in your original application and develop your club’s itinerary and purchase list for the school year.
Your club plan will detail the field trips you intend to take, outdoor skills your members will develop, equipment purchases, and other costs associated with running your club.
You may decide to allocate 100% of the your funds to purchasing camping, fishing, or archery equipment. If equipment isn’t an issue for your club, you may choose to put more funding towards field trips to State Parks and recreational areas, or you could mix it up with a combination of equipment and travel funding.
We require you to submit cost evidence with your plan, as it provides us a clear picture of how you intend to use funds. Cost evidence includes quotes from outdoor activity centers and transportation companies, links to online purchases, etc.
You can choose to submit a club plan for the entire upcoming school year, or you can submit separate club plans – one each for the Fall and Spring semesters.
Our preference is that most of your club’s funding directly impact the students through field trip and equipment costs, including:
- Entry fees, bus mileage, gas, food, or purchases like tents, backpacks, kayaks, bows, etc.
Safety courses are encouraged for advisors – the costs of which are assessed on a case-by-case basis:
- AED, Archery Instruction, Wilderness First Aid, Kayak Safety, etc.
Guest speakers are also beneficial in club meetings – if there are associated costs this will be viewed as lower priority and assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Yes! What we will consider here is:
- The amount of field trips and their potential student impact.
- The quality of the equipment and how long it will last the club. If you have a plan for how to routinely make use of the equipment, all the better!
When we assess club plans, we look for balance – we are seeking the greatest amount of student impact, with consideration given for making funding last.
A club plan might be returned to you for further review for the following reasons:
- A large mount of the club’s funding has been allocated to too few field trips.
- Field trips are not appropriate to the age-level of the club members, or include too many indoor components.
- Equipment does not fall within our guidelines (e.g., “traditional” sports equipment, or purchases that seem reasonable for a school to be self-funding).
- Structures are included (this would be funded instead by our Go Outside Grant.
Club Plan Submission
Return the completed form, along with any additional supporting documentation you would like included, by either email, fax, or mail.
919.707.0148
NC Youth Outdoor Engagement Commission
1715 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1715
Need to Make A Change?
If you need to amend your existing Club Plan, you may complete and submit an Amendment Form. Please ensure you do not make any changes until the amendment request has been approved by the Commission.