Trekkers

10/21/2026

Last weekend, Trekkers gathered with 11th and 12th grade student leaders for our annual Student Leadership Retreat, where students learned about different communication styles, why boundary setting is so important, and how to show up as a facilitator and leader for their younger peers. Our Student Leadership Program not only helps young people learn what it takes to be a leader on a Trekkers trip, it helps build the kind of skills and confidence that help them thrive in college, careers, and beyond.

10/16/2026

We love working with Aldermere Farm and Erickson Fields! For those of you who don't know, over the past few years Trekkers has been partnering with Oceanside High School's alternative-education program, NOVA. Every week, NOVA students hop on the Trekkers bus to participate in a variety of hands-on, experiential learning activities rooted in the youth programming principles we use in our flagship 6-year model. Trekkers gets to reach more young people in our community, and we get to deepen relationships with community partners throughout Midcoast and beyond. A win-win!

It's carrot harvest season! Thanks to Trekkers' volunteers we've harvested hundreds of pounds of carrots for food pantries this fall. These high schoolers work hard and always bring lots of laughs to our farm.

10/13/2026

Student voice and choice is something you'll hear a lot about around Trekkers, and consensus based decision making is one way we achieve our goal of making every student we serve feel respected, heard, and valued. 💚💙

10/10/2026

Today is World Mental Health Day, so we wanted to give a little context as to why Trekkers has a no-phones on trips policy.

A 2025 CDC study asked teens directly about their screen use and health. About half reported 4 or more hours of daily screen time outside of schoolwork. Those teens were more likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety, irregular sleep, and less frequent social and emotional support.*

On short treks and expeditions, being fully present is important to us. Instead of having heads buried in phones, students strike up conversations, play games, write in their journals, and sometimes sit in comfortable silence looking at the stars or a beautiful view. And a lot of our students return from trips claiming to have not missed their phone one bit, or that they were surprised how much better they felt when they weren't spending hours doomscrolling. Tbh, a lot of Trekkers staff can relate!

Have you noticed any impact your screen time has on how you feel?

*Source: Zablotsky et al., Preventing Chronic Disease (CDC), 2025.

09/30/2026

09/30/2026

It's International Podcast Day! We're celebrating by revisiting an episode of Meditations on Leadership with Don Carpenter, where Trekkers co-founder Don Carpenter sits down with our current Executive Director, Stephanie Welch to explore accountability, grace, and how leaders can turn regret into real change. Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accountability-that-heals/id1835991562?i=1000777684181

09/28/2026

The mornings have been getting crisper and the days shorter, but we kind of love it (just don't tell Summer we said that!).

What's your favorite Fall activity? A few of ours here at Trekkers are apple picking, leaf peepin', and, of course, trekking!

We can't believe how quickly September's flown by, but we're getting SO excited for short trek season starting up in October.

09/25/2026

Do you have a funny teenage journal entry or a heartwarming story to share about your time with Trekkers? We're still looking for folks to join in on the fun of Field Notes From My Younger Self!

This community event was inspired by our Development Director's all-time favorite podcast, Grown Ups Read Things They Wrote as Kids. Yep, it's exactly what it sounds like: adults read from their teenage journals, live, on stage, and it always results in belly laughs and teary eyes.

DM us or email Nicole at [email protected] to sign up to read!

Current students, alumni, volunteers, and former staff are all welcome!