Launch Of Trekkers Training Institute For Youth Development

Thomaston, Maine - Trekkers is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Emanuel & Pauline A. Lerner Foundation with the launch of the Trekkers Training Institute for Youth Development. The mission of the Institute will be to train youth leaders from across the state in Trekkers’ unique youth development philosophy. The Lerner Foundation’s current philanthropic focus is to support efforts to help raise the post-secondary aspirations of students growing up in rural communities of Maine with a special emphasis on supporting them through the transition from middle school to high school.  They are a natural partner for Trekkers and the Institute.

With this new partnership, Meredith Lynt will become the Director of the Institute, where she’ll lead overall efforts in designing and implementing this initiative.  For the past seven years, Meredith has helped lead Trekkers through their recent programmatic expansion and they’re excited to have her share her expertise of the Trekkers model to other interested communities across the state of Maine.

Within the Trekkers staff, Alaina Ennamorati has been promoted to Senior Manager of Programs and will supervise the day-to-day oversight of all Trekkers programs.  In addition, Alaina will continue to focus her energy on managing her own three classes – Teams Puma, North Face and Allagash. To help with this process, Trekkers has hired a Program Assistant, Josie Gates, and a Volunteer and Office Manager, Jeannie Burnett.  These new positions will help the Trekkers program team spend more time out in the community meeting with students, school administrators, teachers and our other community partners.

Trekkers truly is a one-of-a-kind program. There are no other organizations in the state that provide the same, committed, long-term, life-changing opportunities to young people in quite the same, unique way that Trekkers does. The ultimate goal of the Institute is to put Trekkers in the forefront of youth development so that as many young people as possible across the state – and perhaps beyond – have the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a Trekker.

Trekkers is a non-profit outdoor-based six-year mentoring program that connects young people with caring adults through expeditionary learning, community service and adventure-based education. This year, Trekkers will serve more than 200 7th - 12th grade students from the communities of Cushing, Owls Head, Rockland, South Thomaston, St. George and Thomaston.  For more information about this new initiative or the Trekkers organization,  please visit www.trekkers.org or call the Trekkers office at 207-594-5095.