What Do H.O.B.O.'s Do?

We Work - We Camp - We Travel - We Volunteer.

We Do It Without Electronic Devices.

We Are Not A Normal Youth Group.

We camp/work one weekend a month in various National Forests, State Parks, National Parks, Historic Sites, or on Private Land. The kids (students) are all volunteers and not part of a rehabilitation program… and they compete to get the limited spots for each weekend trip to go work and get dirty without any of their personal electronic devices! While there, we work on various projects chosen by the facility/forest/park/private owner. Previous jobs have included building bridges and buildings, clearing trails, diverting streams, and retrieving/repurposing bridges from previous flooded creeks, fencing, invasive species removal/management, habitat rehabilitation, painting, trash removal, and much more. In all our projects and activities the students are taught the proper way to use the tools, job safety, and job scope. Jobs are given based on student's individual capabilities. In the event we do not have a service commitment for the campout/work weekend, we still learn valuable skills through weekend activities that have included primitive skills building, survival skill challenges, primitive cooking competitions, non-electronic navigation, team building, and much more.

In addition to our monthly campout, we also have a fundraiser/service commitment one weekend a month. We build/help customers with home projects and they donate money to our organization. Again, the students are taught the proper tool usage/safety and jobs are assigned based on capabilities. Monies donated from patrons are used to fund our summer service trip and to offset the weekend camping costs. Examples of prior fundraiser projects include concrete work, wooden fences, screened porches, landscaping, custom sheds, timber-framed pergolas, workshop/garage makeovers, doghouses, and many more.

Each summer we conduct a two-week extended trip focused on larger service projects. In 2017, this group traveled to the mountains and cooler weather to provide 2 weeks of service to Carson National Forest in New Mexico clearing trails, building bridges, clearing trees, rebuilding mountain trails and providing other critically valuable services. Monies for this trip were earned through the fundraisers aforementioned. From 2017 to present, we travelled to Utah to help the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest with numerous forestry projects including signage and trail kiosk Installations, bridge building, boardwalk construction, habitat rehabilitation, trail clearing, tool maintenance, trail rerouting, rock work, cairn construction, fence building, landscaping, and much more.

On any given weekend campout and our summer trip, the group size is limited to 13 students and 2 adults. This is an optimal number for our group to remain productive and travel as a team. The kids compete for these spaces. We do ask them to donate $10.00-$20.00 for the weekend trip, if possible. This money helps offset the cost of groceries and transportation expenses. We understand if they cannot donate, and it is not required.

At all times when students are with the H.O.B.O.’s, their electronic devices (inc. Phones) are left behind. Students are provided with appropriate gear/safety items. Students are all in, all the time, making decisions as a team along the way. Students are given the opportunity to remain in the program throughout high school, but must have gone on a HOBO's summer trip prior to entering high school. Those who stay in the program through high school graduation are ready for the real world and all it has to offer. They have faced numerous hurdles in the H.O.B.O.’s activities and prevailed. Mentally speaking, we believe that these students are 20 years beyond their peers.