Maine Youth Wilderness Leadership Program
The next generation of outdoor leadership begins here…
Our flagship program for youth cultivates and inspires the next generation of Maine's environmental leaders. Open to all Maine high school sophomores and juniors, the program’s highlight is a nine-day wilderness experience in Baxter State Park, backpacking from one end of the Park to the other.
About the program
Friends of Baxter State Park has offered this program annually since 2009. The program includes a nine-day wilderness experience in Baxter State Park. This 200,000+ acre preserve serves as an outdoor classroom as participants backpack from one end of the Park to the other, working with a variety of specialists and Park staff to understand the wilderness through science, art, storytelling, photography, writing, history, and recreation in 2025 this program was expanded being able to serve 20 students from Maine rather than the previous 10 per year.
Current Maine high school sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply, and thanks to support from generous donors and members of Friends of Baxter State Park, there is no direct cost to the students. Trip leadership and logistics are provided by the Chewonki Foundation, one of the most highly respected environmental education organizations in the United States.
The program begins in April when participants receive required reading materials and other assignments. They then participate in online discussions and do individual research before going to the Park. After the trip, participants give public presentations to share their experiences in their schools and communities. We invite a few willing participants to speak at our Annual Youth Programs Webinar in the Fall.
Maine Youth Wilderness Leaders 2022
Why Every Maine Teen Should Apply to MYWLP
By Nina M - 2025 July Trip Participant
It’s almost midnight, in a lean-to, tucked somewhere in the middle of Baxter State Park, and all 10 of us are squished together in our sleeping bags, dying of laughter, telling stories that should be kept secret, and being way too loud. Five days ago, all of us were strangers from all around the state of Maine. Tonight, crammed together into this lean-to, we can’t imagine saying goodbye, or even goodnight. This was the Maine Youth Wilderness Leadership Program.
When I received my acceptance letter in April, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had gone on many group backpacking leadership trips, but none of them stuck with me. I showed up on that first day and looked around at nine other kids' faces from all across the state, rising juniors and seniors like me, all about to spend nine days backpacking from one end of Baxter State Park to the other. Over those nine days, we worked with many specialists and Park staff, learning leadership skills while exploring the wilderness through art, photography, storytelling, writing, history, and advocacy. We summited Katahdin. We painted with a professional artist. We volunteered with a ranger. We laughed and grew friendships.
What I wasn’t expecting to get out of this experience was the lasting community it created. When one hears the word 'community,' there are many things that come to mind. Potentially, a school community or someone thinks of the people in the town they live in. There are many different ways to define the word 'community' in relation to our own lives, but I think what gets missed in the definition of community is the value community holds and how quickly it can be to form a community with the right people.
Community is anxiously walking into a room of 10 people you weren’t planning on knowing from across the state at a finalist day for the United States Senate Youth Program, and immediately getting excited at the face you saw that you hadn’t seen from the summer before. It’s being in a meeting and smiling when someone you know joins, and immediately calling after to catch up and plan a trip next summer. Community is having a special shared connection with someone at your school whom you don’t speak to often because you spent those nine days together. It's being excited to gather and reunite with a group of people, and it’s looking forward to future memories with friends from Baxter State Park last summer. With applications being open, I couldn’t recommend the MYWLP more for any current Maine sophomores or juniors looking for an unforgettable experience. The connections, experiences, and laughs are super special, and nine days in Baxter might just give you friends that last your lifetime."
