Adventure Classroom is a not-for-profit organization founded by Helen Thayer, an internationally recognized explorer. She uses her expeditions to the four corners of the world as metaphors to teach and inspire students. The program began in 1988 after Helen became the first woman to walk alone to any of the world's Poles. She has since spoken to over one million students in schools throughout the USA. She, and her husband Bill, continue to develop educational programs through expeditions to remote regions of the world.
How Adventure Classroom Began
In 1986 Helen Thayer, after spending many years as an accomplished high altitude climber and international athlete, stood on the 24,590 foot summit of Peak Communism in Tajikistan. It was on this summit that the seed that became Adventure Classroom was sown.
In Helen's words here is how it all began: "As I stood in the thin air of the summit on a clear day I looked east into China, south into Afghanistan, and west across Tajikistan. I marveled at the 360-degree view of rugged mountains that fell away to distant horizons and knew the time had come to share my experiences with others. Until that day my photography and writing were filed away. Now was the time for others to share the places I traveled, the exhilaration I experienced as I met challenges head on, set goals, planned, and pushed onward with the resolve to succeed. An educational program for students was the answer.
As heavy dark clouds approached the mountain I began my descent to base camp. Soon the mountain was engulfed in the fury of a black, howling storm. I fought my way downward struggling to keep on a course that would lead me to safety. After several tense hours I stumbled into camp. In the protection of base camp I thought about my idea of creating educational programs. Over a cup of hot chocolate I decided on the name Adventure Classroom. I would use my future expeditions as metaphors to create educational programs for students. The program would inspire young people to reach beyond themselves and live life without limits and plan to win!
After returning home, I chose the magnetic North Pole as the first program. I would live with the Inuit people, polar bears and other wildlife as I walked alone to the Pole, and I would work with Canadian scientists in an environmental project in which I would record daily ice temperatures. I would walk and ski alone pulling my own sled with out the aid of dog teams, or snowmobiles."
Plans for the Future
Now, after expeditions in the Arctic, Antarctic, Amazon, Sahara, Gobi, and treks with migrating herds of caribou above the Arctic Circle, and living a year with wild wolves above the Arctic Circle, we plan to turn our attention to endangered cultures throughout the world. Mongolia and its nomadic herdsmen will be the first Enduring Cultures project. We are planning to walk several thousand more miles as we study ancient lifestyles, beliefs, and customs of peoples who have endured for centuries. We plan to also document the effects of global warming on endangered cultures and their homelands.
Adventure Classroom is chartered as a
not-for-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to education.
