We pride ourselves in providing top-quality, customized leadership programming. Have your organization, whether you are a corporation, school, sports team, or church group, develop their team working skills in a fun setting!
Choose from: the Ropes Course, Leadership Reaction Course (LRC), and Rappel Tower to provide challenging and adventurous experiential learning programs for individuals and teams to learn leadership, accomplish personal and team goals, and promote character development.
The Yates Leadership Challenge Complex supports cadet development through credit-bearing classes, co-curricular support to other academic classes, and the Corps of Cadets as a laboratory to explore various concepts related to leadership and character development.
Have your community group participate at the Yates Leadership Challenge Complex! Each year many high schools, middle schools, clubs, and organizations utilize the course to develop their teams. We custom design programs tailored to your needs and desired outcomes. Come for half a day or spend several days discovering the leader within you.
For more information or information on pricing please contact us.
The Yates Leadership Challenge Complex follows a learning framework that emphasizes character and leadership development through active learning and teamwork. Activities are relevant to life and can be applied to facilitate personal and team growth. In fact our core competencies are embodied in the acronym “APPLIED.” We teach and work by these competencies. Mastering the seven core competencies is what gives you the power to stand out from the crowd.
Our programs focus on seven core competency-based abilities. The outcomes are leaders who…
A … are ANALYTICAL – understand and embrace continuous learning, are adaptable, and exercise sound judgment.
P … are PRINCIPLE-BASED – ascribe to Principle -based leadership acts as a guide to effective leadership, empowers others to act, and is essential for success.
P … are PROFESSIONAL – consistently strive to do their best, are inherently motivated, respects others and is willing to stand firm on principles, and convictions.
L … LEAD THEMSELVES – Sets the example, inspires high competence, and communicates effectively.
I … have an INSPIRING FUTURE – see beyond the ‘now,’ work toward lofty goals, and are able to showcase accomplishments and competencies to others.
E … are ETHICAL – see honesty and integrity as the cornerstone for every action – even if it may be costly, are accountable for decisions, and demonstrate consistency of character.
D … DEVELOP OTHERS – ensures that they are prepared to lead, creates a positive environment, and mentors others to create communities.
The Complex is comprised of a Low and High Ropes Course, a Leadership Reaction Course, and the Rappel Tower. These state-of-the-art courses permits individuals as well as groups to learn and practice leadership that is anchored in experience and challenge. Every staff and cadet facilitator who works at the YLCC is fully competent in safety and proper use of the equipment and events—each is certified as a competent facilitator through the Association of Challenge Course Technology (ACCT), and is current in first aid and CPR, as certified by the American Red Cross.
In general, our activities are adaptable to a variety of individuals and groups at all levels of physical ability. The YLCC utilizes specific activities and exercises to help teams build cohesion and work through common group issues. Personal growth, self-discovery, and confidence begins with an atmosphere of support, care, and trust among teammates. Each person makes his/her own decisions and commitments regarding their level of participation for each activity. Participants are encouraged throughout the program to set their own goals and while still participating as a team member. No extraordinary strength or skills are required to participate – all you need is a willingness to work with others and keep an open mind.
Cooperative games and the Low Ropes Course provide opportunities for fun, physical fitness and challenge in a group setting. Cooperative games are used to challenge a group’s ability to communicate with each other, follow directions and work together as a team. The low ropes course is a series of activities requiring mutual support and cooperation for success. The course consists of various elements constructed from poles, cables, and ropes which are 1 – 12 feet off the ground. Participants gain insight into their inter-personal strengths and weaknesses and gain valuable group and personal experiences.
High Ropes activities usually challenge a participant’s agility at heights of no more than 50 feet and involve a form of belay or safety rope. High Ropes activities tend to focus on confronting one’s fears, emotional self-management, self-confidence, risk-taking, etc. Some High Ropes activities require pairs of people to climb together and help one another. High Ropes activities often involve participants who are not climbing to take responsibility for belaying, communication and supporting someone else who is climbing. In this way, High Ropes courses can also be used to develop compassion, empathy, communication and cooperation among group members.
The LRC is an outdoor adventure-based learning facility. Nine structured “leadership challenges” encourages participants to think, react, work as a team and solve problems in a determined period of time. Leaders receive a mission, brainstorm, execute, and readjust their plans to complete their mission under a time restraint. The obstacles themselves present a fun, challenging and unique learning environment, with mental and physical obstacles that can only be overcome with leadership and teamwork.
While the activities may be physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging, safety studies list them to be one of the safest outdoor activities. Statistics show injuries are far more prevalent in more conventional recreational activities such as soccer, basketball, and even backpacking. All activities are conducted in a manner consistent with the ACCT Challenge Course Standards. Every participant is taught safety techniques on the low course, is harnessed and secured to a safety line (belay) during the high course, and each participant is under the careful supervision of an experienced facilitator who is trained in conducting all events in a manner that complies with ACCT safety standards. NMMI will provide all equipment necessary to allow you to have a rewarding experience. You need to provide only personal equipment, as outlined below, a willingness to try new things and a positive attitude.
Please dress appropriately for the outside weather, typically loose comfortable clothing. There is a good possibility that you could get dirty during the day. Please wear clothing and shoes that you will not mind scuffing up. We recommend the “layered” approach for all pants or shirts in order to adjust to weather conditions. Plan on continuing your experience in most weather conditions bringing a rain jacket is recommended.
Closed-toe footwear is required, such as comfortable running or tennis shoes, hiking boots or combat boots. Please do not bring any sandals or open toes shoes.
Jewelry such as large rings and ear rings should be left at home. We will ask that they be removed before going onto to the course. Wristwatches that are snug fitting are acceptable.
Regardless of the season, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a baseball hat/visor are very important to protect participants from the elements. Clothing should be comfortable. Participants must also bring a refillable, non-breakable personal water bottle containing at least twelve ounces of water – the supply can be replenished while on the course. Take any precautions that you would normally take when participating in outdoor activities to protect your eyes and your glasses and contact lenses.
Alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, and weapons are strictly prohibited at NMMI. We do not allow food or beverages (such as gum or candy) other than water on the course. Participants who may require nutrition at a specific time will be permitted.
For more information or questions, please feel free to contact the NMMI Yates’ Leadership Challenge Course Manager at
Phone 575.624.8139
I had believed that a leader was simply a person who yelled at people a lot and forced people to do things. After experiencing real leadership on the Ropes Course, I now have a very different view on leadership.
The Experience that the Ropes Course leaves you with is amazing. It not only leaves you with the great effects of positive leadership, but it also leaves you with the attitude that you can conquer anything in life.
The [YLCC] ingrains the experience of trust and confidence that you have with others and yourself. Hopefully when a cadet leaves the gate of the ropes course, they will take with them the experience of trust and confidence so that they may know in life how to trust and when to trust and also how far they can go out of their comfort zone.
I recently attended your Low Ropes and High Ropes Course at the Yates Leadership Challenge Complex. I just want to tell you how much it has meant to me to get to do those activities and watch my troop bond a little bit more through the challenges. Before, my troop had very little unity, we were sloppy in how we did things, we were not working to achieve the best that we could do, our work ethic was low, and our morale was completely shot.
During your ropes course, I felt something that I had not felt since the first seven days that our troop had been thrown together, I felt like we were once again a team, not just individuals, but a team that worked toward a common goal, the goal to get over any obstacle that was put in front of us and succeed while we were at it. The feeling I will never forget, having to trust people that I normally would not trust in the corp. Many of the people that normally tried to shoot others down with hateful comments actually helped and did their part to see their troop succeed.
As a group we learned to work together above our differences (Mom wasn’t there to help us sort them out any more,) and to do our best as a team. That is the kind of teamwork that I saw and felt at your leadership challenge. It was almost as if we were family, almost.Another thing that I saw while I was at your course was a willingness to help. Your staff is extremely well trained and had an incredibly positive attitude throughout the whole experience. The person who helped my particular group was XXX. He was an excellent facilitator and did not try to step in and run things. Instead he gave us only the necessary information, and let us work together as a group to try and solve the problem. The other people that I got to observe had positive attitudes and were also available while doing their jobs extraordinarily well. I had a blast.
Thank you once again for letting us come out to the course, and if at all possible, I believe it would be a great experience to have the troops keep coming out and keep learning. I learned a lot and will never be able to repay you and the commandant for allowing us to attend.
Thank you a thousand times.
The YLCC helped to bring out the values and personality traits of each person, and it hit on their strengths, and made each of us show and work more with it to enhance those strengths and their weaknesses as well.
The course brings out the best in everyone and builds on those abilities. This class has brought so much cohesion amongst the six of us in the class, and our friendships is an undying bond that will tie us together in the history of our minds, and memories. The course brought out a lot of my strengths of interaction with others, critical thinking, and learning more on followership.
I can take everything that I have learned in and on the ropes course and apply it to my life. Listening, to others to find out what they feel, reading their thoughts and feelings, and applying that to my life with friends, family, and my girlfriend. After leaving the course, if there are any problems in my life outside of the course, I feel as if I can handle anything that is thrown at me, and I can fix any of my problems or at least come up to solutions for them. Captain Evertsons ability to bring out each of our best qualities made this class so much more fun, due to he made all of us feel as if we could express ourselves, and he treated us as us all as equals rather than as his subordinates.
The skills and the values that were taught on the course will be applied to my life and I can easily apply them to my life to deal with all of my life problems. Every time I think that there is a situation that I feel I cannot handle, I think about how to handle the situation using the skills I learned on the course.
I had been stressed out for about three solid weeks in a row. Grades were low, my personal morale was low, friends were pretty frustrated with me…just everything seemed to be a downer on my life. Then our TC told us we had Ropes Course that week. My first reaction was I had already done the course at Fort Knox, so why should I bother with this one? I was not motivated to do anything regarding the Corps, but I just sucked it up and went to the course, not knowing it would be one of the best experiences I have had here at NMMI.
When we got there, the staff just automatically welcomed us and treated us extremely well. We were allowed to relax, not totally relax, but relax enough to where we could be ourselves. I felt that I could be myself for once in my stay as a cadet here.
So we all proceeded to start the course. It really was a way to get us to bond. I did the course with my new Team Leader. We laughed hysterically when one of us do something completely random. We helped each other figure out how to complete an obstacle. We became good friends up there. I would say that one of the reasons we work so well together is because of our experience on the course. It helped us to understand each others strengths and weaknesses.
On a personal note, the course allowed me to relieve a lot of the stress I was feeling. The course kept my mind off of the problems I was having. But it didn’t just keep my mind of the obstacles; it ultimately has played a role in helping me overcome those obstacles. The course did something amazing for me, and I really don’t know how to explain it on paper. I would say that in order to feel what I felt, one would have to actually do the course.
Please download, fill out, and bring with you the
YLCC Liability Release and Medical Information Form (PDF)
If needed here are
Travel Directions to the Yates Leadership Challenge Complex (PDF)
and a
The following form forwards information to the Daniels Leadership Center Staff in order for us to provide your group the best experience possible at the Yates Leadership Challenge Complex. It does not guarantee the availability of the date and time/s you are requesting. Our Programs Director will contact you to confirm the date and time/s once the form is submitted.
If you have any questions about this form please feel free to contact us.
We look forward to your visit!
The Yates Leadership Challenge Complex abides by the highest standards for safety, operations, and instruction outlined by the Association for Challenge Course Technology.
For more information or questions, please feel free to contact:
Phone: 575.624.8148, Email: dlc@nmmi.edu
