Cairn Program: Youth & Mentorship

It depends. This is a 9-month long program, and to participate, you will need to commit to attending monthly events. Attending each event is essential as each event builds upon the last, and this helps create a tight-knit group of students. You will earn volunteer hours for participating in the program, but if you only need volunteer or community service hours, we recommend checking out our one-time volunteer projects open to the public. Many are youth-friendly! 

No prior experience is required - just a willingness and desire to participate in outdoor and leadership activities.

The program is designed to support students at all levels, whether you are new to outdoor spaces or already have experience. Mentors and staff provide guidance throughout the program.

Applications for the Cairn Program typically open late Spring each year. The program officially kicks off with a Student & Mentor orientation in August.

Timeline Overview

Late Spring: Applications open

August: 2-hr student and parent/guardian orientation

September through April: Monthly programming events

 If you’re accepted into the program, you’ll receive a tentative schedule of all monthly events at the beginning of the program. If you need to miss an event, please let VOC staff know as early as possible. While occasional conflicts are understandable, consistent attendance is important, and repeated absences may affect your ability to fully participate in the program.

Event locations range from 30 minutes to 2 hours from Denver. VOC can carpool students for most monthly events based on a first-come, first-served basis, as requested, but we have limited seats available in our VOC fleet or rented vehicles. Thus, the majority of students will either need to drive themselves to the event or be dropped off/picked up by someone else. For carpooling, you will need to meet VOC staff at the VOC Office in Washington Park.

Not necessarily. Students apply to the program from many different schools and cities. However, since our monthly events are usually within a 2-hour driving radius of Denver, many students come from the greater Denver metro region.

We encourage students and parents/guardians to evaluate whether the driving distance to our events is manageable based on their location. 

Yes – but there are scholarship options available! If you are accepted into the program, each student will need to pay a $200 program fee at the beginning of the program. This fee covers costs such as materials, transportation, food, etc., to run the program. Students can indicate a need for a scholarship on their application. If you need a scholarship, please don’t hesitate to apply for the program.

Mentors of the Cairn Program are volunteer adults who support students throughout the program. They help guide activities, model leadership skills, and create a supportive and inclusive environment. They come from a variety of professional backgrounds and skills, and are volunteers, just like you!

Cairn Mentors must apply to the program and pass a background check before being selected to serve as mentors.

Mentors serve as role models, activity facilitators, and project chaperones, alongside VOC and other partner staff. Mentors are expected to attend monthly events to motivate and engage students, create an inclusive environment, and support the VOC and partner staff who lead the events.

While attending monthly events alongside students is the main focus of the program, we may request additional support, which can require time outside the event itself. Additional responsibilities may include carpooling students to and from events in VOC-owned or rented vehicles (large passenger vans or pickup trucks), reviewing and responding to pre-event mentor communications, participating in end-of-project debriefs, or packing/unpacking supplies and tools for events.