Thank you for applying to be a leader of one of the McKeen Center's 2022 Community Immersion Orientation Trips. As an O-Trip leader, you and a co-leader will welcome a group of first-year students into the Bowdoin community and into a Maine community that they can feel connected to for the rest their time at Bowdoin and beyond. O-Trip leaders will be responsible for:

Participating in an on-campus leadership training in August before the Orientation Trips happen

Communicating with the McKeen Center and first-year students over the summer
Researching the communities they will visit
Planning some logistical aspects of trips (e.g., meals, driving directions, recreational activities, reflection exercises)
Creating an inclusive, fun, and safe atmosphere during trips
Responding to the individual needs of students during trips
Fostering and maintaining positive relationships with community partners

Candidates must be able to problem solve, work well under pressure, manage groups, multitask, and connect well with a diverse group of peers. They must be motivated, energetic, responsible, and thoughtful in their approach to community engagement. Ideal candidates may have a mix of the following experiences: being on a McKeen Center O-Trip, leading extended trips or working at sleepaway camps, facilitating groups, and/or working with non-profit organizations. Eligible candidates must also be community members in good standing, per Dean's Review.

To be an O-Trip leader, you must be available on the following dates*:
Pre-Summer Training: May 6th or May 13th

Leader training: Thursday, August 18th to Monday, August 22nd
Trip dates: Tuesday, August 23rd to Saturday, August 27th
Group Clean Up: Sunday, August 28th

Please Note
Food and housing will be provided throughout training, trips, and time between the end of the trips and when housing opens on Sunday, August 28th.

Students in ResLife and Peer Health are ineligible to be O-Trip leaders.

FINAL Round Applications are due Monday, April 25th by 5 PM

Leaders will be selected by early May 2022.

Contact Sam Cogswell (s.collins@bowdoin.edu, 207-721-5809) with questions.