Project Success: BWCA Application 2020

Project Success invites 6th, 7th and 8th grade students from Andersen, Anwatin, Anne Sullivan, Field, Folwell, Franklin, Jefferson, Marcy, Northeast, Olson, Sanford and Seward Middle Schools to join us on our annual BWCA Canoe Adventure!
We partner with Wilderness Canoe Base, a camp that will outfit us and provide our wilderness guides. Their generous “camperships” have allowed Project Success to introduce many more students to the Boundary Waters Wilderness than we ever thought possible! Their guides are well trained, experienced and committed to safety.

How do I sign up?

Read over all the information in this online application. Here are the components of the online application that you will need to complete and submit by FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020:

• Camper Registration / Health History Form
• Waiver Form / Photographic Release 
• Payment and/or Scholarship Form

NOTE: This is a very popular trip and may fill up before the May 1st deadline.

Spots on the trip are filled in the order that completed forms are received. We accept applications until the trip is full and will continue to accept them after the deadline if space is still available or for a standby list. All students who turn in applications will receive a confirmation call to let them know if they have a spot on the trip or if they are on standby.

It is very important that if you decide to cancel your spot, that you tell us immediately so we can let someone from the standby list on the trip. There is no reimbursement of payment after May 31st.


The Cost

The cost of the trip is $500 per student. Need-based scholarships are available for $50 - $450 of the trip cost. In the past few years we have received an increasing number of students who are in need of scholarships. We ask that if you do have the funds to cover your trip, that you pay the full amount. However, Project Success wants to ensure that we include all students who really want to go, regardless of cost. If you are not able to pay the full $500, we appreciate the partial contribution you can make toward your trip cost. Your contribution will help us to continue bringing young people to the BWCA each year and to serve an ever-broadening community of students. If you would like to donate a spot for another student, we would greatly appreciate it!


Informational Meeting:
There will be an informational meeting in May for all parents/guardians and students who have a confirmed spot on the trip. A postcard will be sent to your house to inform you of the date, time and location of the meetings.

Trip Details & FAQs

Coach buses will transport us to and from the BWCA, which is about eight hours north of Minneapolis on the Gunflint Trail out of Grand Marais, MN. The bus will leave at 7am from the Project Success office in Minneapolis. A detailed itinerary will be sent to your home closer to the trip date.

When we arrive at Wilderness Canoe Base, we go through various orientations on paddling, portaging, packing, and safety. The next morning, we will slip into our canoes and paddle away for a week of camping in the pristine wilderness.

The day we return to the base camp, we will clean up and travel back to Minneapolis on a coach bus. We should return at about 9:00pm. There will be a cell phone on the bus for students to call home with the estimated arrival time. Students will need to be picked up from the Project Success office.

During the BWCA week, Project Success staff will be in the office to answer questions.

Trips and Groups:

Only 9 people can travel together in the BWCA at any time. Each trip will be broken into several groups consisting of seven students and two adults.
The two adults with each group are a Project Success staff leader and a trained Wilderness Guide provided by Wilderness Canoe Base.

Groups will be randomly chosen and we will not take any personal requests to be with a friend. Part of the magic of a canoe trip is getting to know people who you may not necessarily know beforehand. After years of experiencing these trips, we know how much more successful a trip is when students are not burdened by roles and expectations that friends put on other friends.

Tents: Most groups will be co-ed with separate sleeping tents for each gender. “All-girl” and “all-boy” groups are an option and you can choose that option on the registration form. If you have any questions regarding tent/sleeping arrangements, please call Jenny at (612) 874-1277.

What does “ On Trail” mean?
“On trail” is when you have left base camp with your group and are out in a canoe during the day and sleeping in tents at night. We do not return to Wilderness Canoe Base until the last day of the trip.

What do we bring?
A packing list will be provided at the end of your online application, and we will talk about this at the meeting in May. Call Project Success with any questions. We have extras of many things!

Wilderness Canoe Base is a Lutheran camp. Will this influence the canoe trip?
There will be no type of religious programming on this trip. We do encourage people to do some deep thinking about themselves and the environment. Discussions are led at the beginning and end of each day. This could be stories and thoughts about the beauty of the wilderness, or a reflection about how the day has gone for each camper.


Please call Project Success with any questions or concerns.
(612) 874-7710