ICO invites individuals to apply to become new leaders during the spring and summer. A written application is made available on this Web site starting in May. Interested applicants with questions should Contact Us. New leaders must attend the fall weekend training activity. For more details about becoming a certified leader, refer to the section that appears in this Web site under the title "How to volunteer."

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Seattle ICO is an all-volunteer organization founded in December 1991. We work through volunteers who represent a wide range of experiences and interests. We are nurses, day care providers, foresters, students, engineers, small business owners, doctors, teachers, managers, publishers and more. Some of us came to ICO through our work and play with children, others came through our work and play in the wilderness. All come with a commitment to youth and a concern for the environment. All come ready to learn and prepared to donate time, skills, and other resources.

Regardless of background, ICO leaders participate in extensive training. Each completes a training course that covers outdoor skills and concepts (including low-impact camping, map reading, and wilderness survival), trip planning and packing, interpersonal problem-solving skills, environmental education, and ICO policies and procedures. Leaders also receive CPR and first aid training, and attend monthly ICO educational workshops. ICO also completes background checks on each potential leader and checks references to make sure that we have the highest-quality volunteers.

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ICO reviews requests regarding new partnerships from schools or nonprofit agencies in the Seattle area. Please Contact Us if you have questions or want to explore a future opportunity.

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ICO does accept donations of selected used gear or clothing that is in very good condition. Please Contact Us to learn if ICO can make use of your gear or outdoor clothing.

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As an all-volunteer organization, Seattle ICO welcomes contributions from individuals and organizations interested in helping us take youth on outings. Most of our financial needs are focused on food, gas, entrance fees, equipment rentals, and other direct expenses of outings. We also support an annual leader training activity. The cost of each youth outing varies greatly based on the number of youth, type of outing, and distance of the trip. More extensive trips such as backpacking or car camping outings can run several hundred dollars due to food costs.

We currently receive about 1/3 of our budget from grants and gifts, about 1/3 from our auction and calendar sales, and 1/3 from Earthshare donations. Preparing for and conducting outings with youth is only one aspect of our volunteers' jobs. Volunteers also help with the annual event, sell calendars, and invite contributions from friends, employers, and family members.

We've been steadily expanding our volunteer leaders and have great potential to serve an ever-increasing number of youth. We can assure that contributions will be directly applied to taking youth on outings. Because we need to plan outings at least six months in advance, it is important that we maintain ample resources so that we don't promise more than we can deliver. Plans for expansion are tied to new sources of revenue. We hope you will join us in bringing youth to the wilderness.

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ICO does not typically conduct special field trips from schools or agencies that are not established partners.

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ICO does not loan its equipment.

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Seattle ICO began conducting outings in 1992. It serves several hundred youth each year.

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