Sideline Stories: Rippleffect – Community Impact
Rippleffect is a community-based, youth development-focused non-profit that specializes in adventure and wilderness experiences that instill confidence, self-esteem, and leadership.
Our team has worked hard to perfect and grow our programs over the years to achieve what you see today – from our summer camps to our community partnerships, to creating curriculum for our own semester programs, and private guiding. In running all of these programs, Rippleffect serves over 5,000 Maine youth each year.
It’s no secret that 2020 presented many obstacles. Throughout the past four seasons, we posed three simple questions:
What CAN we do to serve our community?
What CAN we do to reconnect young people to each other, nature, and to themselves through adventure?
What CAN we do to keep support our vision of being a program of opportunity for ALL Maine youth?
Our team has learned the real meaning of flexing and flowing within the last year. We have chosen to pivot, and we don’t plan on stopping now! Coming together, we answered these questions by curating two unprecedented programs – The Adventure Academy and High School ROLE. Private group/family adventures were introduced as well. We have positioned ourselves as a vital access point for our community to gain the skills they need and inspire adventure on their own.
The Adventure Academy features two cohorts of 12 students – Opportunity and Endeavor. The students come to our office in the morning and are supported by our staff while they attend virtual classes. In the afternoon, you can often find them climbing frozen waterfalls, exploring the mountain peaks of Maine, or sledding on the Eastern prom. High school ROLE visits our office on Tuesday afternoons for a clinic regarding safety and technique. Wednesday they set out early on a day long adventure.
In addition, we have started offering private/group adventures – our main objective is to provide families the skills they need to adventure throughout the winter. From learning how to ice climb to attempting to summit Mount Washington, these programs are meant for everyone. Our guides meet families where they’re at whether at the beginner or expert level.
Rippleffect wants to inspire our community to enjoy the outdoors by giving them the skills they need to adventure on their own after their day in the field. We plan to carry private guiding through the summer along with our summer camps. In just three short weeks we have filled almost all of our programs. We are so thankful for the interest, stoke and capacity we’ve had to make these programs possible!
Hope you’ll come along on a Rippleffect adventure any season!
