Create fun, challenging opportunities for growth.

THE MISSION OF BCSR is to help participants learn to value nature and hard work, to think for themselves, to practice creative expression, to overcome challenges, and to build meaningful relationships and become engaged members of their communities.

Our summer program aims to accomplish this mission by providing authentic, meaningful, character-building experiences for young participants through ranch work, community service, thoughtful discussion, creative projects, and challenging outdoor activities.

Where can young people develop work ethic, integrity, and the self-confidence to overcome challenges on their own? Parents play the most critical role in mentoring and providing wisdom and opportunities for their child’s development, but as parents we also welcome outside support in raising our kids to be independent, engaged members of our communities.

Young people can be so programmed with school, extracurricular activity, and technology that they are unable to commit the time required to practice and prepare for independence. For many kids, especially in those living in urban areas, opportunities are rare for authentic experiences in nature, away from smart phones, social media, and video games—Experiences where they can build community with a group of outstanding teens and counselors, and work, play, and develop resiliency to even greater challenges they may face in high school and years to come.

Birch Creek is here to help! Each session of our summer service ranch, provides opportunities for 30 participants (ages 12-15), 15 staff, as well as volunteers to engage with each other in daily community service projects, and challenging, creative, and fun activities. As we summit a high mountain peak, we experience the grandeur of nature, and gain confidence in our ability to overcome challenges. As we help an elderly couple with yard work or stack hay into a farmer's barn, we learn to value community, relationships and hard work. The community we serve, in return, benefits from our help and the interaction with the young participants. 

WE WORK HARD and WE PLAY HARD in the outdoors, and we discuss the process with all involved throughout the experience. We focus on principled living, demonstrating integrity, respecting nature, being mindful of the needs of the community—how our actions and decisions can have positive or negative consequences for others—and how facing and overcoming challenges, especially when we are helping others, can help us to feel better about ourselves and our own capabilities and goals. The experience is life-shaping for many participants.