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Mountain Leadership School programs will be offered June 11-19, 2012. Check out a schedule of outdoor leadership and skills training opportunities with AMC here. For more tips on trip planning, risk management, and other outdoor leadership skills, check out the AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership in our online store at amcstore.outdoors.org.

New outdoor leadership programs have popped up around the country over the past three decades, but AMC has been at it since before GORE-TEX and polypropene. Case in point: The organization's 5-day Mountain Leadership School (MLS) is in its 53rd year, and counts thousands of graduates.

"AMC has been a leader in providing these trainings," says AMC Director of Outdoor Leadership Training Aaron Gorban. "MLS was founded to provide an avenue for people to learn more and prevent problems in the backcountry."

Arguably the most visible of AMC's outdoor skills courses, MLS is but one of many outdoor leadership trainings offered by the organization, which helps members develop skills in hiking, backpacking, paddling, cycling, or other outdoor pursuits. Training is offered by staff and chapter committees, at AMC's outdoor program centers and volunteer-managed camps as well as other locations.

Leadership and curriculum needs vary by venue, according to AMC Director of Chapter and Volunteer Relations Roger Scholl. "Every volunteer club unit that leads trips has its own culture," Scholl says, noting that guidelines for an easy, half-day hike in a local park would likely differ from those surrounding a multi-day backpacking trip in the Whites, or a cycling or paddling trip. "Based on the tremendous diversity of activities offered across the club, we generally look to individual committees to determine their own specific leadership training criteria," Gorban adds.

While some programming criteria may be determined by individual committees, all volunteer trip leaders and sponsoring committees are nonetheless subject to the AMC Leadership Requirements and Guidelines document, originally issued in 2004 by the Outdoor Leadership Development Committee and updated in 2010.

In addition, Gorban and Leadership Training Coordinator Jess Wilson provide training for chapter trip leaders and committees in skills like risk assessment, curriculum development, and group dynamics. "Our role is to support the chapters in training," Gorban says. "We do our best to accommodate every request we get for support." Leadership training sessions often include such exercises as "experiential, on-the-trail role-playing that puts the leader to the test in a controlled environment," he adds.

Leadership training standards and guidelines also provide staff with guidance on leader-to-participant ratios and other issues. All AMC staff trip leaders must attain certification in Wilderness First Aid or a higher level of training.

A relatively new program officially launched by AMC's board of directors in 2005 is the Chapter Youth Program, which trains chapter leaders in working with kids. It fosters partnerships with groups and agencies that work with youth and ties directly to AMC's 2020 strategic priority of helping young people become more engaged in the outdoors.

MLS has gained such a strong reputation for solid outdoor leadership instruction that private summer camps have been enrolling their counselors in MLS for years, both Scholl and Gorban note.

In addition to providing training to volunteers and staff, Gorban also works on developing training and leadership standards. To help encourage continuing education among trip leaders, AMC offers each chapter MLS scholarship opportunities. "One of the most important things we can do," says Gorban, "is to try to foster a leadership culture."