Core Program

Each year, the Service Board brings together a group of high school students and adult mentors from a diverse range of academic, racial, cultural and economic backgrounds to engage in our Core Program. Program participants meet twice weekly from beginning of winter through spring. Weekday workshops focus on engaging discussions encompassing a broad range of social justice topics. Weekend activities during Core Program rotate between intensive service learning projects and snowboarding, hence our name: the Service Board.

Our Core Program will look a little different this year. After much consideration and a lot of community conversations, we have decided to make some changes. This year’s Core Program will be four months long, beginning in late January and ending in mid-May. We believe this change will provide more flexibility for all of our participants and allow youth to participate in other extracurricular activities.

The Core Program curriculum addresses five core competencies:

  • Relationships & Community Building
  • Identity Formation
  • Positive Risk-Taking & Outdoor Adventure 
  • Social & Environmental Justice Engagement & Praxis 
  • Social Capital

Music, snowballs, fresh food and a sense of community are the common threads that tie the Core Program together. tSB emphasizes the importance of youth voice, supportive community and promoting positive risk-taking to build youth leadership skills.

Before you apply to the Core Program:

  • tSB meets Wednesdays & Saturdays from January – May
  • On Wednesdays, we engage in active workshops centered on our youth-led, social and environmental justice curriculum. Some of our recent workshop topics have included: self care, food justice, gender & sexuality, art & social justice, financial literacy, and more!
  • On Saturdays, we alternate between community service and snowboarding at some of our local mountains! By participating in tSB, youth can receive service hours for high school graduation requirements.
  • We provide the gear, lessons and buses to the mountain. There is a $35 fee per snowboarding trip, but nobody will be turned away for inability to pay – scholarships are available. Over 90% of tSB youth are on full or partial scholarship.

2024 Prophet (first year youth) applications now open

High-school aged youth can apply before December 1st

 

2024 Mentor and Snowboard Instructor now open

Questions? Check our FAQs or contact Melissa, Program Operations Manager at melissa@theserviceboard.org.

the Service Board (tSB) is constantly monitoring the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic closely. tSB’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and programming are subject to change as public health recommendations change. tSB will follow CDC guidelines and Washington State’s Safe Start Plan for COVID-19