James River Leadership Expeditions

The James River Leadership Expeditions (JRLE) is a year-long leadership program for all high school students who are interested in advocating for the future of the James River. The goal of JRLE is to engage, develop, train, inspire, and help prepare participants in taking personal and community-wide action to address issues facing the James River. The JRLE is one of the best learning experiences for young people, as traveling to an entirely new part of Virginia pushes the boundaries of our comfort zones, both mentally and physically.

As part of JRLE, students commit to helping communities realize the benefits of a healthy James River and support protecting the river with a community capstone project. By joining JRLE, participants get the chance to take on an exciting year-long challenge where they develop leadership skills and working knowledge that will help them in higher education and/or their career.

Information for Current 2022-2023 Participants

Session 1:
Upper: July 18-22
Lower: August 1-5

Five-day, overnight expedition on the river. Session One is offered during the summer as three different week-long experiences. During Session One, JRLE removes barriers and allows for our youth to engage in new experiences that they may have not been exposed to before. With our education staff, youth are given unparalleled access to local culture and history.

Session 2: November 5th & 6th, 2022 (overnight)
Building Project Vision & Stewardship. In Session Two, students will have the opportunity to brainstorm community capstone projects.

Session 3: January 7th, 2023
Inspiring Our Commitment & Working Groups. Session Three includes revisiting personality styles, self-awareness, and relationship management. We will review public speaking skills with demonstrations and games.

Session 4: May 6th, 2023
Leadership Launch and Environmental Symposium. In Session Four, students will celebrate all their achievements from the year with JRLE and present their capstone project.