Nope! Once you receive your acceptance email and letter you will have a six-week period to try on the program. This period is called enrollment, and it is designed so that you can experience the different components of the Summer Search program before deciding to commit. During Enrollment, you will need to complete certain steps. You can find those steps on the enrolment page, and your mentor will also go over them with you. Once you have completed the steps you will decide whether Summer Search is the right fit for you. If not, no problem! We respect your decision either way. If it is, you will sign and submit your contracts and have your parent sign and submit their contracts as well.

We ask students and their parent or legal guardian to submit the Summer Search contracts via DocuSign. Once you let your mentor know that you want to commit to the program, they will have the contracts sent to the email addresses that you and your parent/legal guardian provided in your application. You and your parent/legal guardian will each receive separate emails. Once you receive the emails simply review and sign the contracts. Your mentor will receive a notification when you do. If you are having trouble signing the contracts, just let your mentor know, and they will be able to resend them. Be sure to make sure that you provided us with an up to date and accurate email on your application!

Summer Search Bay Area serves students from San Jose all the way up to Santa Rosa. Summer Search mentors work in certain geographic regions throughout the Bay Area. For example, this means that a mentor who works in San Jose won't be assigned to serve students in Santa Rosa and vice versa. You will be assigned a mentor that works with students in your geographic region. This enables us to best serve our students since it allows your mentor to meet you in person and to attend Summer Search events with you.

Anything you want to! However, we know that is easier said than done, especially when you are just getting to know your mentor. During sophomore year your mentoring calls will largely focus on building a relationship with your mentor, learning about the Summer Search program, and preparing for your first summer experience. Feel free to bring topics to your calls as well. This might look like get-to-know-you games and questions, curiosity about your first summer experience and the rest of the Summer Search program, and/or anything else you are interested in!

During your sophomore year, you will be required to attend the Community Hike and your Send-Off Meeting. The Community Hike is a chance to meet other Summer Searchers who will be attending the same summer experience, pick-up some of your summer equipment, and to try on hiking with a group. You will also be able to meet older Summer Search students who attended the same summer experience you are going on and ask questions about what it was like. Your Send-Off Meeting is a time to meet with your mentor before leaving on your summer experience. During this meeting you will receive and try on all of your Summer Search provided gear, make swaps for anything that doesn't fit, go over your travel details with your mentor, and reflect and make goals around what you want to get out of your first summer experience.

You will be assigned to your first summer experience with Summer Search. However, we do our very best to make sure that we assign you to the experience that is the best fit for you! To do this, we ask students to fill out the Summer Experience Survey sent to you during the enrollment period, and we also ask that you remain in communication with your mentor. Spaces are limited on our summer experiences. By completing the survey by the deadline and by updating your mentor if anything changes, we are best able to match you with the experience that works for you and/or to make switches to a different program if the need arises.

Yes! Summer Search partners with other outside organizations that are experienced in outdoor safety, facilitation, and leadership for your first summer experience. We do this to make sure that our students have the safest and most meaningful experience that we are able to provide. However, this means that you will need to fill out a separate application to the program that you are assigned to attend. In order to make sure that we assign you to the program that is the best fit for you, we ask that you fill out your Summer Experience Survey during Enrollment. You can learn more about that process on the Bay Area Summer Experience website.

Sometime between the end of your junior year and the start of senior year, you will meet your transition mentor. They will work with you throughout your senior year and your first year after high school to support you with your post-secondary plans. You will also gain access to Summer Search’s digital portal CONNECT. On CONNECT, you will be able to find networking, scholarship, internship, and professional development opportunities.

Group will only meet once a month during the first semester of your senior year as opposed to twice a month like it did your sophomore and junior year. You may have group during your second semester of senior year, but this will depend on your group, school, and transition mentor. You will need to connect with your mentor by phone once a month. This means that you will connect with Summer Search twice a month your senior year as opposed to three times a month like you did sophomore and junior year.

Once you are done with the Summer Search High School Program, you will transition fully to the Post-Secondary Success Program. You will say goodbye to your high school program mentor, but you will continue to speak with your transition mentor for your first year after graduation. They will be available to support you as you navigate the shift from high school to the next step in your journey. During years 2-5 in the Post-Secondary Success program you will be able to connect with a tiered support specialist as needed. This person can help you navigate the workforce, your college campus, and can connect you with resources.

Unfortunately, you will need to say goodbye to your high school mentor once you have completed your Senior Transition during Dec-Jan of your senior year. This marks the transition from your time in the High School Program to the Post-Secondary Program. Of course, you are always welcome to drop by and say hello to your high school mentor!

You aren’t required to attend the Senior Celebration although we would love to see you there so that we can celebrate all your hard work over the past four years in high school and so that we can celebrate the past three-and-a-half year that you spent in Summer Search.

The Senior Reflection meeting is a requirement for Summer Search students. You will be able to work with your transition mentor to find a time that works for you the summer after senior year.

Once you return from your first Summer Experience, please make sure to reach out to your mentor. This can be via email, text, or phone call. Once you connect with your mentor, you will schedule a Welcome Home Conversation to debrief your trip with your mentor. We want to hear all about it! Afterwards, you and your mentor will resume mentoring calls for the remainder of the summer. If you’re in group, your group will resume at the start of the school year.

During Junior year you will once again connect with your mentor and group three times per month. If you are a group student, you will see your group twice a month and have one phone call with your mentor. If you are a student who isn’t in group, you will speak to your mentor three times per month.

There aren’t any required events during your junior year, but we would love to see you at our Community Hikes and have you share your previous summer experience with the new Summer Search sophomores. This can count as volunteer hours if you need those for school.

You will be able to work with your mentor to decide what type of summer experience you would like to have your junior year. You can learn more about junior summer experiences on our summer experience site.

Yes, just like your first year you will need to fill out a separate application directly to the summer experience program that you will be attending. You can learn more on the summer experience site.

Summer Search is a year-round program that empowers young people to confidently pursue their vision of success during and after high school through mentoring, summer experiential learning opportunities, individualized college & post-secondary advising, and career supports. We believe that all young people should have the support to pursue their purpose and secure their financial futures. Starting in sophomore year, your student will be paired with a staff mentor and a group of peers for regular conversations where they will work together on building social emotional and leadership skills and exploring college and career options after high school. Your student will receive support from our community for 7-9 years as your student journeys from high school through to launching their career.

Nope! As a non-profit organization we receive donations and government funding which allows us to connect your students with the many resources and opportunities that Summer Search offers. To attend their Summer Experience, your student may need to acquire the appropriate form of ID. This is usually a passport or a Real ID depending on what sort of experience your student selects. We do ask that families cover this cost unless they are facing undue financial hardship. Students may also want to take spending money on their experiences; however, this is not a requirement.

Summer Search’s comprehensive program is designed to provide sustained, holistic support from high school, through education and career pursuits. Each participant is offered: · 1:1 mentoring and mentoring with peers facilitated by trained staff mentors · Summer experiential learning opportunities during high school that are fully funded · Individualized post-secondary pathway exploration, financial aid advising and financial capability coaching · Regular text messages exchanges that include important program updates and help your student stay connected · Consistent network of support for 7-9 years, from high school all the way through participants’ launching their careers · Access to national network of staff, alumni, board and corporate partners for professional development opportunities, including career-based coaching, job shadow days, internships and targeted job opportunities

Summer Search mentors are full-time, paid professional staff who are trained in social-emotional learning, critical consciousness development, college and career advising and trauma-sensitive practices. Summer Search mentors are unique in their backgrounds and skills coming into Summer Search. Some have previously worked as admissions counselors and others have worked with wilderness programs. Summer Search staff are united in their ability to see and center the strengths and voice of Summer Search students. All staff complete a background check before they are hired.

Sophomores who attend one of our partner schools (or are affiliated with one of our partners) and who meet our eligibility guidelines can apply to Summer Search. To be eligible for Summer Search, prospective students must be sophomores from a partner school, be Free and Reduced lunch-eligible and be born on or after August 1, 2005. Your student will participate in a welcome conversation with Summer Search to get to more information about the program and meet some of our staff to help your student decide whether to enroll in our program.

Summer Search participants are awarded scholarships to participate in summer experiences after their sophomore and junior years. These experiences are opportunities for growth and connection that are both challenging and empowering. Traditionally, during the first summer, Summer Searchers go on a 2-3 week outdoor adventure in their home state or another state. Backpacking, rock climbing, kayaking, rafting, and many fun connecting activities are some of the most common adventures that our students experience. To ensure your child's safety, Summer Search does not operate the summer experiences directly. Instead, we partner closely with the best professionals in the field who are specifically trained to lead summer programs for youth. We will give you and your child information about the program they will attend and be available to answer all your questions about it. You can learn more about summer experiences at the Summer Experience Site.

Absolutely. Our staff share regular updates on what’s happening via email and social media and directly with your student. You may reach out to the staff based in your location by visiting our community pages and emailing or calling our staff directly. We aim to partner with you to support your student and encourage open communication throughout our partnership with your student.