Wilderness Confirmation Program

Click here to register for the Wilderness Confirmation Program. Please read all the information below before registering. Maximum enrollment for this trip is 18 youth.

• July 29–August 4, 2023 —Exact itinerary TBA upon travel booking Confirmation
• Confirmation Sunday is TBA

This program is designed both to teach an intensive version of the Confirmation curriculum, and to experience the wilderness as a co-teacher, where the lakes and forests, trails and winds themselves offer up wisdom about God and God’s world.

• Wilderness Course Fees:  $1200* plus airfare billed separately

Because current airfare prices are high, a group booking is not yet in place for this trip. Once the booking is made, the ticket price will be added to the fees due. Fees include all ground transportation, leaders and guides, food, equipment, (except boots and personal clothing/items) and any additional costs related to confirmation at Kenilworth Union.

*As with all Kenilworth Union youth programs, cost should not be a barrier to participation. Scholarship support is available. Please email Katie Lancaster with confidential scholarship requests

This year’s trips will take us back to the Pacific Northwest. We are partnering again with non-profit adventure guides at Peak 7 for a backpacking journey through Olympic National Park in Washington State.

Our group will fly from O’Hare to Seattle, where our guides will pick us up for equipment fitting and take us to a campground for orientation and overnight. From there, we will hit the trailhead first thing in the morning and start our 30 mile hike, a course that will take us to the enchanted valley in Olympic National Park. We will spend the whole week outdoors in God’s amazing creation!

Please know students will be challenged both physically and spiritually, as we carry all tents, food, and supplies with us on long daily hikes with significant elevation changes. There will be moments when it takes all your energy to take just one more step; but as we make it to the other side, when we’ve completed our journey, and when we’ve made it through the test, these students will have a newfound sense of struggle, faith, and God’s abiding presence in the midst of trials. Despite the challenges, it is often referred to as, “the best trip ever.”

Please contact Katie Lancaster or Marie Pierre LeBris with questions about the Wilderness Confirmation Program.

All specialized equipment, including backpacks, is supplied by Peak 7. The only equipment participants will need are a good pair of broken-in hiking boots (loaners are available from Peak 7 if needed).

Our group will be spit into teams of up to nine (9) youth, one (1) Kenilworth Union adult, and two (2) experienced wilderness guides from Peak 7.

Kenilworth Union Adults will lead youth on this trip through the confirmation curriculum that would otherwise be taught on Sunday mornings at church. Youth are still expected to complete other confirmation requirements during the school year:

• Meet with a mentor
• Attend worship services
• Complete service hours
• Submit a faith statement
• Meet with a minister to discuss the faith statement
• Be confirmed at worship service on Confirmation Sunday (TBD) or on a make-up date

Registration for this program is now closed. Please contact Katie Lancaster for more information.