The content that follows was originally published on the Rippleffect website at http://www.rippleffect.net/about/

Rippleffect is a non-profit youth and community development organization operating outdoor adventure programming out of Portland, Maine. We own Cow Island, a beautiful 26-acre island in Casco Bay, and run many of our youth and adult programs from this remote eco-campus. Serving over 2,000 youth and adults each year, we are leaders in outdoor adventure and experiential education for the Greater Portland area.

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Who We Are:

• Rippleffect is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization, and our success is reliant on support from individuals, organizations, foundations and program revenue.
• Our youth program offerings include summer camps, teen kayak adventure expeditions, school partnerships, community partnerships and youth leadership programs.
• Our adult offerings include corporate events, lobster bakes, and family programs. We also host weddings on Cow Island.
• Our adventure-based learning model is fun and active, utilizing tools such as sea kayaks, challenge course elements and environmental education curriculum to achieve program outcomes. Our experiential programs also teach youth healthy living skills that facilitate the growth of mind, body and spirit.
• We offer our customized leadership development curriculum for all youth participants, incorporating experience-based activities that focus around the three core skills of leadership—conflict resolution, small group problem solving and communication.
• In 2011, we served over 2,000 youth and adults. Over 55% of our youth participants received some sort of scholarship assistance in order to attend Rippleffect.

Our program differentiates itself from similar outdoor youth development organizations by working with our community to serve primarily Maine youth and integrating our young people into the wilderness outside their front door.

We believe that hands-on education in outdoor classrooms is fundamental to the healthy development of citizens and communities. By exploring Cow Island and paddling the waters of Casco Bay, students build confidence, make new friends and enjoy the outdoors.

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Our skilled staff:

Rippleffect employs up to 30 exceptional seasonal staff each year. Our staff have decades of expertise in leadership training, experiential education and adventure recreation. All of our guide staff are Wilderness First Aid certified and trained sea kayak guides. For our youth programs, we supply a ratio of one guide per seven students. Interested in joining our team? Click here for more information.

Rippleffect does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or national/ethnic origin in its admissions, hiring, or educational and financial policies.