By partnering with local youth organizations, Shred Love provides free snowboarding programs to inner city students in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. On the mountain, lessons such as teamwork, goal setting, confidence and trust are taught.4
The City Surf Project works to teach underserved youth from low-income communities of San Francisco valuable life skills through surfing. By connecting urban youth to the outdoors through after-school programs, students are able to relieve stress, deal with trauma, and have fun in the ocean.5
The Hoods to Woods Foundation strives to develop awareness of the environment and the outdoors to 11 to 17 year old students in Brooklyn, NYC. They organize year-round activities such as snowboarding, rock climbing, and hiking and use media tools to allow youth to document their experiences. Hoods to Woods programs teach environmental awareness, writing skills, and fosters confidence and a sense of individual discovery within students.6
The Blue Sky Fund is an organization that partners with local public schools in Richmond City, Virginia to bring students outdoors. They lead school based, after-school, weekend and summer programs that strive to teach students environmental stewardship, teamwork, and respect through activities such as canoeing, fishing, and hiking.7
Rocking the Boat is a semester long program that empowers students in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx – the poorest zip code east of the Mississippi – by introducing them to boat building, rowing and sailing. Students work together to build and subsequently travel in wooden boats, restore local waterways and revitalize their community. In addition, Rocking the Boat has a job skills program, takes students on college tours, and educates them about local environmental issues.8
Buffalo Urban Outdoor Education is a program that partners with public schools to bring students from Buffalo, NY out on Lake Erie on tall ships. Half-day or five day programs teach students about the science of the Great Lakes, seamanship, and personal development through lessons aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.9
Working with youth in Richmond’s public housing, Richmond Cycling Corps provides students access to bikes, training opportunities, and leadership development. The organization strives to “reengineer the behavioral and developmental gaps that are prevalent among youth in public housing” through cycling. Richmond Cycling Corps have also launched the nation’s first and only inner city high school cycling team and mountain bike park.10
cityWILD is a Denver based organization that strives to bring low income youth of color outside. All programs are free and work to instill feelings of empowerment, leadership, and community ownership among participants.11