Mid-year Impact Report
On behalf of our board, staff and the youth we serve, thank you for supporting Outdoor Outreach and our work providing transformative outdoor experiences for San Diego youth. Already this year, your contribution has allowed us to provide 2,055 youth with opportunities to share new experiences, overcome challenges, and discover their strengths. We are pleased to share the results of our work in 2021 so far, and the impact we’ve made with your support.
Building on New Program Models
Each year, Outdoor Outreach facilitates out-of-school time Adventure Clubs at local Title I high schools, encouraging youth to develop friendships and discover their strengths in the outdoors. With the pandemic stretching into 2021 and many students still attending school virtually, it was crucial for us to continue supporting youth from under-resourced neighborhoods like City Heights, Southeast San Diego, and El Cajon. Pivoting to an open-enrollment, community-based Adventure Club model, we connected 238 youth from those neighborhoods with opportunities to discover their world and connect with positive peers and mentors through adventure-based program outings including surfing, rock climbing, hiking, and stand-up paddle boarding.
And our Family Engagement Program, piloted in 2020, has continued to be a source of joy and strengthened relationships, introducing 173 youth and caregivers to new outdoor spaces through a series of fishing, kayak, tidepooling, and mountain bike outings. Araceli, a parent of two from City Heights, learned about her local program through her apartment complex. At first, her kids were hesitant to sign up! But after their first kayak trip with Outdoor Outreach, both her daughter and son were eager to return. Araceli shared:
“I realized that the whole year we’ve been in lockdown, we aren’t as fit as we thought we were! We have plans to invest and buy gear to do more things on our own as a family. A lot of kids in our communities don’t have these types of opportunities. I want you guys to know you’re making a difference and it feels good. I just want to tell you guys thank you.”
Re-establishing Signature Programs & Key Partnerships
This summer, we were thrilled to bring back two signature programs. Our team of positive Outdoor Outreach instructors led a record-breaking nine sessions of our week-long Summer Adventures day camps this summer! In partnership with San Diego Unified School District and The San Diego Foundation, seven of those sessions reached youth ages 11-13 from low-income households who the District identified as most impacted by trauma and learning loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud to have been part of this initiative, called Level Up SD, where local nonprofits collectively served more than 30,000 students this summer.
At the same time, our Leadership Program provided 12 young adults with 8-weeks of nature-based job training and civic engagement opportunities. Participants developed critical career skills and honed their identities as leaders in adventure-based settings including overnight surfing camp at Imperial Beach, a night hike at Mount Laguna, and a 5-day backpacking trip through Little Lakes Valley in Inyo National Forest. Says program graduate Shayda:
“I did things I’ve never done before in the Leadership Program, like surfing. It’s definitely my favorite now! And the leaders and other participants were a wonderful community. None of us were afraid to say what we were thinking and feeling.”
Responding to Urgent Community Needs
Finally, Outdoor Outreach was invited by The Children’s Initiative to join with several community-based organizations and government agencies to provide support for 1,400 migrant youth housed at the San Diego Convention Center from March through July. Many youth experienced trauma during their journey to seek asylum, and then faced the additional heartbreak of having to wait to be reunified with their families or placed with adoptive families. Our goal was to create moments of joy, grounding, and support. On average, each child spent 30 days at the Convention Center under strict federal regulations that made it challenging for them to leave the facility in any capacity. We were thrilled to be granted permission and support to bring the children outside to a nearby park, where instructors engaged youth in movement-based activities including soccer, obstacles courses, dance, and team building games.
Youth housed at the Convention Center were primarily from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Employing a team of positive, passionate instructors who could speak their language and who have been trained extensively in working with trauma-impacted youth was critical to our success in serving these vulnerable kids.
Thank you!
Thank you for believing in our work, and for your partnership in providing positive outcomes for San Diego youth. As we’re preparing for a fall season that brings Outdoor Outreach back to lapsed Title I school partners and our first ever FALL Leadership Program cohort, we can’t wait to share what we’re able to accomplish in the remainder of the year!
Outdoor Outreach is a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects youth to the transformative power of the outdoors. Through our programs, we’re helping youth build resilience in the face of challenges, and confidence in their power to make a difference.