Explorer program enables youths to learn about careers

Not every 14-year-old can learn how to shoot a gun, sit in the air traffic control tower at Spokane International Airport or help search the back country for lost hunters.

But for local teenagers who sign up for the Explorer program, all that is possible. The program, affiliated with the Boy Scouts through the Learning For Life program, provides hands-on exposure to future careers.

Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Duncan oversees the Explorer post with the Sheriff’s Office. His Explorers, about 18 in all, help provide security for large events like Bloomsday. “Sometimes they help do crime scene searches,” Duncan said. “They’ll go out in the community to pick up found bikes instead of patrol going to do it.”

The teens get to ride along with deputies as they patrol and are also taught how to shoot, though they aren’t allowed to carry weapons on the job.

The Explorer program started in 1972. Posts that have been around for years include the Spokane Police Department, the Department of Emergency Management (Search and Rescue) and Spokane County Fire District 10. There is also a drama and the arts post that exposes teens to music, art and history.

New programs have begun in aviation, medical health science and engineering as well as a newspaper program at The Spokesman-Review. “We work with area high schools,” said program director Tamatha Tracey. “We work with their counseling teams and get an assessment of what career choices kids are interested in.”

Each post commits to teaching classes each month. The teens are also required to volunteer a certain number of hours. The national program only requires that youths be age 14-21, but each post can create its own criteria, Tracey said.

Duncan requires his Explorers to wear a uniform and keep their hair short. Alcohol and drug use is prohibited, and no criminal record is allowed. “They have to live up to the same standards we do,” he said.

Trevor Jones, 21, is about to leave the Sheriff’s Office Explorer program because of his age. He joined at 15. “I always had an interest in law enforcement,” he said. “This is the best way to learn about it.”

He is required to put in at least 14 hours a month but has racked up hundreds of hours a year. “It’s easy to do 40 or 50 hours a month without even trying.”

Jones has decided that a law enforcement career is the thing for him and has applied for positions at several agencies.

“I enjoyed all the work we did,” he said. “It’s a great program. I’ve enjoyed every minute.”

One of the new Explorer posts is at the airport. Teens signing up there can choose between seven different areas of interest – air cargo, passenger service, air traffic control, aircraft modifications, airport administration, airport security and pilot training.

“It’s important to let the students know that there are a whole host of industries,” said airport spokesman Todd Woodard. “It will be a very broad-based exposure to the industry.”

The Explorer program costs only $7 a year, but other fees may be charged in individual posts. Students in the drama and the arts program, for example, raise money for a trip to Europe.

“The goal is to get them out there and expose them to different career choices,” said Tracey. “Any kid can say, ‘I want to be a nurse.’ No time is better than now to get an understanding of where you are going to head.”