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Orange County Inner City Outings
Jump to Planning an Outing | Becoming a Leader | Forms for Leaders | Leadership Status
Info for Leaders
The Inner City Outings program exists because of the merit of our Leaders. Two
Sierra Club Leaders ("O" or higher rated) must accompany each Inner
City Outings trip. At least one of these Leaders must be specially certified as
an Inner City Outings Leader.
Since requests for outings exceed our capacity, ICO has a continuing need for
new Leaders. A Leader can sign up just to be available to lead or co-lead
scheduled hikes, but they can also act as a liaison with a school or agency by:
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Staying in touch with them regarding when/where they would like outings, and
planning outings that suit their needs and interests.
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Helping to prepare them for outngs.
Your energy and imagination can help create exciting opportunities for the
people ICO serves!
Planning an Outing
Two months in advance:
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Schedule the outing with the school or agency contact person.
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Arrange for transport and get plans and expenses approved by OC ICO
Steering Committee.
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Make sure the outing is included in the official outing schedule by
attending the monthly meeting or by notifying
Lorenzo Gonzalez
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Recruit a Co- Leader (at least O-rated). If unable to lead the outing
yourself, recruit an ICO Certified Leader to take your place. Meetings are a
good place to recruit a Co-Leader. You may refer to the back of the Chapter
Schedule of Activities for Leader contact information.
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Call your outing site contact (ranger, restoration coordinator, etc.) to make
sure your group is expected. Inform them of the date, and name of school or
agency and number of participants. Request any necessary waivers youth need to
have signed by parents.
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Attempt to organize for any parking fee to be waived for all vehicles in your
party.
The week before:
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The week of the outing, confirm plans with the school or agency and the
co-Leader including cancellation plan. Recruit additional volunteer assistance.
A phone list of volunteers is available from
Barbara Creighton
.
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If possible, visit or call the school or agency to let the participants know
what to expect. Discuss the trip length, meeting place and time.
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Provide them with
What to Bring/Outing Rules List
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Download either
ICO Trip Release forms - English
(PDF, 47K) or
ICO Trip Release forms - Spanish
(PDF, 38K). Email these forms to agency liaison and assure they have a form
for each youth participant signed by parent/guardian to give to you BEFORE
outing activities begin.
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Clarify cancellation/contingency plan with all participants. Watch the
weather report
in order to make an informed decision regarding cancellation.
Discuss the cancellation with the teacher.
In deciding to cancel, remember the interests of the children and use common
sense.
The day of the hike:
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Things to Bring
In addition to wearing and bringing the same supplies as the participants, your
backpack should include an
Incident Report Form,
first aid kit, extra water, a plastic bag to pick up litter on the trail, and
the school/agency's phone number. You may also want to bring some extra water
bottles, hats, and backpacks for kids who may have forgotten them.
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Arriving at the outing site
Tell the ranger/restoration coordinator you are leading a youth group outing
for Sierra Club Orange County Inner City Outings.
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Setting the Tone
When you first meet the youth, it is important to set an exuberant mood for an
exciting outing. Talk with the agency liaison/teacher about initial plans for
the outing. Ask students immediately to use the toilets (if available) and
assure each has their water, lunch and other belongings from the bus.
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Only students with ICO waivers and permissions slips should be allowed to
participate on outing.
At the Trailhead
Have the teacher count the participants (categorize them for yourself by
students, agency personnel, and volunteers/parents for your report). Introduce
yourself and the co-leader, as well as volunteers. Check hikers’ and
adults’ packs, store unmanageable sacks on the bus, and redistribute loads
as necessary. Make sure everyone has water or access to it. Make sure shoes are
laced properly! Encourage use of sunblock, as appropriate. Quickly review the
rules and talk briefly about the park being visited.
On the Trail
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Keep the group together and wait at all forks in the road until everyone can be
seen. Be mindful of limitations of weak or heavier persons. Tell the fast ones
to slow down and the slow ones to speed up.
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Find interesting things to point out. Discuss plants, animals, and terrain,
mindful of age group considerations.
Lunch
Find a spot for lunch that allows everyone in the group to have a place to sit.
Set the boundaries within which everyone is allowed to walk and sit. Have the
teachers make another head count after the lunch break and be punctual getting
back to the bus, especially on weekdays. Allow 15 minutes for toilet time
before departure.
Ending the Outing
Before leaving the students, thank everyone for coming and encourage them to
come again on their own with family and friends to enjoy the park again and/or
participate in future restoration activities.
After the outing:
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After the trip, complete the
Trip Report Form
within two weeks and mail to the ICO Treasurer, required for insurance
purposes.
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If any incidents occurred, fill out other forms as appropriate.
Become a Leader
There are a few simple steps to becoming a leader. Review this
Leader Requirements Summary
and details below.
Contact
Bruce Boydston,
if you have any questions.
First, become an "O-Rated Sierra Club Leader":
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Join the
Sierra Club.
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Participate on at least five Sierra Club sponsored outings. These may be ICO
outings or any other Sierra Club outing.
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Obtain current First Aid and CPR certification.
The
Red Cross
offers First Aid classes (fees can be reimbursed by ICO). The Angeles Chapter
also schedules free classes annually for potential and current leaders through
the
Leadership Training Committee.
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Attend an Angeles Chapter Sierra Club leader training.
A one-day leadership training workshop is held twice a year (spring and fall).
The
Leadership Training Committee
has details posted on their website.
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Lead a provisional outing.
You simply plan an outing with an experienced certified ICO leader along to
evaluate you.
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Submit your paperwork to the Angeles Chapter Safety Committee Chair.
You will be notified by mail when your application has been approved and
receive a patch indicating you are an "O-Rated Sierra Club Leader".
Next, become an "ICO-Certified Leader":
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Since ICO Leaders work with children, a few extra steps are required to
ensure the safety of our trip participants as shown in
Leader Requirements Summary.
Submit your signed forms, DMV record, and 3 character
references to
Bruce Boydston
.
For details on the ICO
Online Screening Process,
which includes BOTH driving record and background screening, please
contact
Bruce Boydston.
Alternatively, below are links to other methods for obtaining your DMV record:
a) Obtain a copy of your driving record at your nearby
Department of Motor Vehicles
office.
Forms for Leaders
A few forms for Leaders are available online:
Current Leadership Matrix
Incident Report Form
ICO Trip Release forms - English
ICO Trip Release forms - Spanish
Trip Report Form
Contact ICO
View the Contact Us page for contact information.
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