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Our Programs
Corporate Groups & Team Building Trips
When your professional team chooses a River Jim Learning Solutions trip for your meetings and team building, not only will your team learn new skills, problem solve, enhance team connections, and have fun, you will also be helping to sponsor a youth group to have their own River Jim experience for free!
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The mission of River Jim Learning Solutions is to help young people and their teachers and mentors build the connections and relationships that change the trajectory of young peoples' lives in a positive way.
Studies show <click to read more> that when a young person builds a trusting relationship with an adult mentor or teacher the likelihood of them being awesome is enhanced.
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When you chose River Jim Learning Solutions for your company event not only are you building a better team yourself, you are helping to build a better community by supporting the youth within your own community.
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We offer both 1-day and 3-day trips for your group or company. Each River Jim trip includes learning how to safely handle and paddle canoes, all meals and snacks, all safety equipment, and a participating Certified Lifeguard and Wilderness First Responder. Explore the details of our trips below!
Youth & Teacher/Mentor Trips
River Jim Learning Solutions has taken junior high & high school kids on canoe/camping trips for over 12 years. The goal of River Jim trips is create lasting relationships between the children and their teachers & mentors through outdoor play & adventure. Much has been studied about the power of people playing outdoors and the positive effects it has on their social, emotional and cognitive well-being <read more about it here!>
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River Jim trips are FREE to the children and teachers who accompany their students will receive a grant equivalent to their per diem teachers' pay. It is important to us that monetary barriers not prevent participants from the River Jim adventure opportunity.
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All River Jim trips include transportation, safety equipment including lifejackets and water shoes, camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, gear to keep their belongings safe and dry), all nutritious meals and beverages including snacks, and, of course, s'mores!
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We offer both 1-day and 3-day trips for your students and teachers. Each River Jim trip includes learning how to safely handle and paddle canoes, all meals and snacks, all safety equipment, and a participating Certified Lifeguard and Wilderness First Responder. Explore the details of our trips below!
River Jim 3-day canoe/camping adventure
Our 3-day canoe/camping adventures begin with your group meeting the River Jim Team around 10am. We talk about the itinerary for the day and the place we will be paddling and camping. We will do a short safety orientation and then pack up our personal belongings on the canoe trailers and then take off for our adventure!
Each lake we paddle on is within a 2 hour drive of Willows, CA & Chico, CA.
Once we arrive at the lake, we stage our camping gear and canoes on the beach then we prepare a nutritious and hearty lunch. After lunch everyone receives a basic canoe paddling lesson and then we launch!
We paddle to our destination as a group with no one left behind or without instruction, encouragement, and support.
When we arrive at our destination, we set up camp: common kitchen area, individual tents, campfire area, and canoe area. The rest of the afternoon is for Play! Campers are free to paddle, fish, relax, play games, swim, go on guided hikes, and have fun.
Dinner is served in the early evening and all campers can participate in meal preparation if they like. We encourage campers in the camp kitchen to help slice, dice and prepare the group meal. River Jim Jambalaya is world famous!
We have fun games to play while cleaning up after dinner and getting ready for campfire and s'mores.
Campfire time often has campers reading from camp stories' books and gazing up a the millions of stars. Campfire time is to discuss out connection with the rivers and lakes on which we are paddling. We discuss the differing ecologies and environments that connect us to the watersheds, the wildlife and ecosystems of which we are a part.
Bedtime is 10pm.
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Campers have coffee (adults only), hot chocolate, and breakfast after 7am. Mornings are pretty chill on River Jim trips.... campers can fish or read or hang out by the fire. Once the day warms up, campers can swim, paddle, fish go on a guided hike and hang out until lunch with our famous River Jim Sandwiches. After lunch, we take a group trip which could be a lake paddle to awesome swimming rapids, or a river walk to play and jump off boulders into the lake, or explore wikiups on the far side of the lake. Once back from the afternoon adventure, campers have free time until dinner and another night under the stars and by the campfire.
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The last day begins breakfast, swimming and having fun. We have another great lunch before packing up our belongings into the canoes for the paddle back to the start point. We often have one last swim time after we have loaded the canoes and before we return home. The campers arrive back in town around 5pm.
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All of the necessary safety and camping gear are provided for the campers. We also provide a personal belongings checklist for all of the teachers, leaders, mentors, and students to bring to ensure a fun, safe and enjoyable camping experience.
River Jim 1-day canoe adventure
Our 1-day trips begin with your group meeting the River Jim Team around 10am. We arrive with all of the canoes, paddling gear and lunch ready to go. We will go over the day's itinerary and have a brief safety discussion and then take off to the lake for a fun day of adventure!​
We arrive at the lake and gather all of the canoes & paddling gear on the beach then we join together for a healthy and delicious lunch of River Jim sandwiches. After lunch we have a short paddling lesson and then we team up and get the canoes out on the water. We practice, play games and can even try paddling the canoes by ourselves. We might have a tug-o-war contest, we practice emptying the canoes when they are full of water, and play! We may go on a group adventure paddle or we might play canoe races, swim or explore the wildlife around the lake.
We pack up the canoes and equipment, change into dry clothes, have a snack, then take a group photo so we can save the fun memories forever.
We arrive back in town to our starting point around 5pm.
What's included:
Full-sized lake canoes & paddles
Lifejackets (adjustable sizes for all people)
Water shoes
Sunscreen
Medical kit
All meals and beverages including snacks and s'mores
Professional paddling instruction
Certified Lifeguard and Wilderness Medical guide
Transportation
Free cost for students/youth
Fun-filled days and a lifetime of memories
