Project Wildcat

UPDATE:

We've reached our initial goal of $5000! Thanks to your donations, we'll be able to provide financial aid for the trip and rental equipment to up to a dozen campers. There's still more that can be done to make the program affordable for everybody for this year and into the future, though. We have updated our stretch goal to $7000 in order to cover equipment and training costs, as well as ensure that this financial aid fund will endure as far past this year's trip as possible. Thank you for your support!

Who we are:

Project Wildcat (PWild) is a pre-orientation backpacking program that takes place on the Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota. PWild eases the transition to college by providing incoming students with an opportunity to reflect, enhance their leadership skills, and set goals for college in the tranquility of the great outdoors, as well as develop strong relationships with other incoming students and upperclassmen mentors. Using the wilderness as our classroom, PWild empowers campers as they work with a group of ten other incoming students to overcome challenges and explore the outdoors. The trip helps students self-reflect so that they are well prepared for the next chapter of their lives once they arrive on campus. All PWild trips are led by a team of two upperclassmen counselors who have completed an extensive outdoor leadership training program.

How your support will help:

While Project Wildcat offers a remarkable orientation experience, it is also an expensive one. Transporting nearly two hundred campers to the Superior Hiking Trail (the closest realistic location for the trip) in Minnesota is costly. And although the food that campers and counselors eat during the outing is generally cheap and bought in bulk, it still comes at a cost. In addition, Project Wildcat is able to provide most of the gear necessary for the trip, but our supplies are not infinite and replacing group gear, such as stoves, pots, tarps, and rope adds to the program’s costs. All in all, it costs $350 to attend this trip as a camper. In addition to the trip fee, many campers have to rent equipment or purchase equipment for themselves. Campers who lack camping equipment such as a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, and a backpack are required to rent equipment for an additional $100.

For some, this is an affordable cost. However, our goal is to make this one-of-a-kind pre-orientation trip available for all students who are interested. In the past, Project Wildcat has been able to offer financial aid for a number of students to go on the trip, but unfortunately, our organization now lacks the funds to provide financial aid for all who apply for it. Donations will provide the funds to accommodate the needs of any student who wishes to go on the trip so that Project Wildcat can be as fully inclusive as possible.