As a YNIT student, your training is based on assisting the instructor team at one or several of our school-year programs. These various programs serve students ranging from age 4 to 18, providing YNIT students with the invaluable opportunity to work with students of different ages and experience levels. YNIT begins in early September and ends in late May. The program is divided into two registration sessions - Fall session and Winter/Spring session. The class averages 10 students, with a maximum class size of 16, and an average student/teacher ratio of 5:1. The normal weekly routine involves classes on Monday-Saturday. Most days are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with exceptions noted on seasonal schedules distributed in class. YNIT students spend 1 to 3 days a week "in the field" assisting and being trained by Wilderness Awareness School core instructors. There will also be a planning meeting on Tuesdays before class each week and a planning and debrief on the class day. Training opportunities over the course of the year include one-on-one mentoring of students; small and large group facilitation; and planning running field trips and overnights (in applicable programs). Field trips involve outings to local destinations in the area surrounding Duvall. On these days, class may start and end at different times. For overnight trips, start and end times may also be different. In addition to the field component, YNIT education includes: Bi-Monthly Classrooms: Two Mondays per month, YNIT students come together to learn about our 8 Shields curriculum, reflect and share stories of their experiences, and gain deeper learning and teaching tools to work with their respective age groups. These sessions will run for 3 hours, typically from 9am-12pm. Other training/opportunities: At the beginning of the program, YNIT students will attend an orientation to provide guidance and training before programs start. There is usually the option to volunteer at the Coyote Mentoring spring program. There will also be a closing experience designed to help finish YNIT in a meaningful way. YNIT Seminars are facilitated by core YNIT Instructors and guest instructors.