Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP)

Chi Psi's Outdoor Leadership Program

The Outdoor Leadership Program (OLP) is sponsored by the Ahlberg Family. The goal of the trip is for Brothers to come together and have an outstanding adventure in the outdoors and to experience the wellness benefits of the “three-day effect” from an extended retreat in the wilderness. A facilitator will lead some conversation around mental health, the value of offering substance-free activities, the shock and awe of being outdoors, and general leadership. The OLP is geared towards beginners in outdoor excursions so while experience in the outdoors is certainly useful, you can be provided with everything you need to participate.

Past OLPs have included:

  • 2025 – Canoe-packing down the legendary Gunnison River in Colorado
  • 2024 – Hiking through the scenic Great Basin National Park in Nevada
  • 2023 – Bushwhacking in the remote Joyce-Kilner Slick Rock Wilderness of North Carolina
  • 2021 – Backpacking on the Appalachian Trail in the Grayson Highlands of Virginia
  • 2019 – Whitewater rafting on the Chattooga River, bordering Georgia and South Carolina

2026 OLP

In 2026 for the first time, there will be two OLP trips in one year! The first trip on May 28-31 will consist of sea kayaking on the west coast of the United States, and the second trip on June 25-28 will be a backpacking excursion in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. Both trips are beginner-friendly and will be facilitated by Chi Psi Staff and/or volunteers. Each trip has a separate application.

If you are interested and available for both trips, please apply separately to each one! Keep in mind, you may only be selected for a maximum of one trip, but in the case there is higher demand for one over the other, applying for both will give you a better chance at attending one of them.

NOTE: The Educational Trust will cover all  meal and trip expenses (except for those meals purchased while traveling), with the exception of personal travel to the destination airport. In certain cases, the Educational Trust may be able to cover travel costs to the destination airport.