Sound To Summit
Sound to Summit
Sound to Summit takes youth from South Puget Sound to the summit of Mount Rainier, providing urban teens with transformative experiences in local parks, nature, and wilderness.
Sound to Summit crews are comprised of youth (15-18) and two adult leaders. Crews work for five weeks in total. The first four weeks follow our traditional Youth Community crew format, where crews work with the local city and county parks departments completing a variety of local community conservation projects. The crews’ fifth week will take them to a nearby National Park to complete conservation projects, recreate, and learn about natural resources and the outdoors.
Join the Sound to Summit Program
Sound to Summit connects urban youth with local parks and natural areas through hands-on community service and immersive outdoor camping adventures that encourage personal growth and the development of valuable work and life skills.
- For Ages 15-18
- 5-week duration
- Members earn up to $520/week (with potential bonuses added)
- $200 Tuition fee (Tuition Assistance available)
Job Skills Focus
- Teamwork
- Conservation Principles
- Work Ethic
- Hand Tool Use
- Communication
- Leadership
2026 Dates
- Session 1: June 15-July 17, 2026
- Session 2: July 21-August 21, 2026
Olympia: apply here
Tacoma: apply here
*Please note that these dates are subject to change.
Location
Tacoma and Olympia, WA. The first four weeks of each session follow a day-program format, where participants will go home at the end of each workday. The fifth week of each session will take the crews to a nearby National Park, where they will camp while completing conservation projects during the day.
Tuition and Benefits
Members Receive:
- The base stipend is $96.00 a day (up to a possible $480.00 weekly stipend)
- Plus $20.00 weekly Dependability Bonus
- Plus $20.00 weekly Safety Bonus
Participants leaving the program before graduation will receive a prorated portion of this stipend, calculated to the nearest full day of work, but will forfeit all bonuses.
Program Costs: Youth Community programs have a tuition of $200. Tuition assistance is available to help cover most of these costs.