HATS - Wilderness Leadership Academy

Aug 26 - 28...-OR-...Sept 2 - 4

The HATS Leadership Program provides an excellent curriculum and practical experience for developing exceptional leadership skills, including confident public speaking. These skills will translate well to activities outside of HATS. Wilderness Leadership Certification is an outstanding addition to college application resumes. You will practice these leadership skills in a HATS wilderness setting, explaining the themes of HATS campouts, the life lessons involved in the games played, and how to debrief groups after activities.

The graduates of the Leadership Program will be capable of taking over more leadership on the campouts, as well as taking those leadership principles and applying them to their daily lives in their schools, organizations and families.

The HATS Leadership Academy will offer a "Wilderness Leadership Certification" upon completion of:

September Training Campout
Leading one Fall HATS Campout
January Training Campout
Leading one Spring HATS Campout.
Complete HATS Wilderness First Aid
Mentor 1 recruiting event

These campouts are not going to be ordinary campouts. They will not teach you a skill such as canoeing or rock climbing; it will teach you how to lead a campout.

The certification requirements may be met in the above order anytime between beginning of 8th grade year and beginning of 12th grade year. Mentoring has always been a key part of the HATS program.

Those that have earned their Red Hat can tell you that they often get more out of mentoring a campout than they did when they first attended it.

Through the creation of the HATS Leadership Academy we are ready to take mentoring leadership to the next level!

Our HATS Wilderness Leadership Academy Campout will be Aug 26 - 28 or Sept 2 - 4 at the Bentley Ranch and we would like you to join us.

You can access sign ups by logging in to

HATS MKT > My Account > New Forms > Fall WLA & WFA Campout Sign-ups

You must pay your dues before you can sign up for campouts.