About Boojum
Who we are and what we do:
Human Development
The Boojum Institute for Experiential Education offers customized, experiential programs that foster personal growth in a variety of spectacular outdoor settings. Participants on Boojum's are challenged to develop skills in leadership, communication, team building and self-confidence through facilitated adventure experiences.
Environmental Education
Boojum courses can also promote environmental citizenship through a comprehensive environmental education curriculum. Participants study ecological concepts and environmental issues through hands-on investigations. They develop a closer relationship with the natural world and gain real-life skill in using action strategies for responsible environmental behavior. Boojum courses can be offered in mountain, desert, aquatic and marine ecosystems.
The Boojum Institute offers four major types of programs:
• Outdoor Education courses for public and independent school students
• Leadership skills training and organizational development programs for youth and adults, including retreats and Challenge Course events
• Adventure Challenge Program courses for urban and rural youth at-risk populations
• Challenge Course (also known as Ropes Course) programs for groups pursuing individual development or team bonding
Since its founding in 1975, over 80,000 youth and young adults have participated in Boojum's base camp, rock climbing, Challenge Course (ropes course), canoe, kayak and backpack programs in locations such as Joshua Tree National Park, Idyllwild, Point Reyes National Seashore, Yosemite National Park, Colorado River and Lake Mead, and the Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz and San Jacinto Mountains.
Boojum has long been regarded as a leader in the field of experiential education. The Institute was one of the first organizations on the West Coast to develop wilderness based human development programs specifically for youth. In 1997 Boojum was accredited by the Association for Experiential Education, an international professional association of over 2000 members in 20 countries. Boojum was one of the first twelve organizations in the world to achieve this distinction.
Boojum offers programs in a variety of settings:
• Residential courses, in retreat centers, camps and lodges
• Basecamp courses, featuring tenting and day-long excursions
• Wilderness courses, such as backpacking and expeditionary canoeing
The Boojum Institute is based in the High Desert about 80 miles east of Los Angeles.
Experiential Education Defined...
Through experiential education we learn by doing in outdoor environments that incorporate varying degrees of adventure.
• Experiential: that which is acquired from or pertaining to experience; empirical.• Education: to draw out; to develop knowledge, character or skill.
• Outdoor: in the natural environment.
• Environmental: the conditions, circumstances, and influences surrounding, and affecting the development of, an organism or group of organisms.
• Adventure: a remarkable occurrence in one's personal history; a stirring experience.
More about experiential learning at the Boojum Institute.
The Boojum Institute's Mission
To unlock potential, promote self discovery, and inspire growth.
What is a Boojum?
Lewis Carroll's poem, "The Hunting of the Snark," features a mythical creature that eludes definition: the magical and mysterious Boojum. Throughout the poem, as the party searches for the Snark, the Boojum regularly appears, challenging the party's narrow focus and obsession with finding the Snark. The moral of the poem is that our rush to reach preconceived destinations can sometimes blind us to the beauty and wonder of the journey. Boojum is about facilitating life's journey. The Institute has taken an image of the Boojum tree, found in central Baja California, as its symbol. The Boojum tree (Fouquieria columnaris) a member of the plant family that includes ocotillos."