City Kids Wilderness Project

City Kids Wilderness Project (City Kids) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the development of youth from under-resourced communities in Washington, DC through innovative outdoor experiential education and career readiness programs. We operate year-round programming in DC and Wyoming for more than 130 DC youth. Programming is carefully structured to provide age- and stage-appropriate support as youth mature. Our unique long-term peer cohort model allows participants to grow together each year from 6th to 12th grade, fostering life-long friendships and essential social skills.

City Kids’ programming directly addresses the lack of access, participation, and connection to the outdoors by BIPOC individuals who have historically been excluded from parks and other wild places. In a recent landscape analysis of local and national organizations, Boston Consulting Group found that City Kids is the only DC-based organization to create a free, nature and experiential-based program that is long-term, routine, and tailored to small cohorts of youth.

Our model also addresses the current crisis facing young people: unprecedented social isolation, excessive screen time, educational disengagement, and widening opportunity gaps. We understand that these challenges are interconnected symptoms of deeper systemic inequities that require courageous, innovative responses. By using experiential education and outdoor adventure experiences as a lab to help youth learn the values of “plan, prepare, proceed”, we are helping them build their resiliency, broaden their sense of personal possibility, and build the skills they need to work well with others as both team leaders and members. Our blend of outdoor adventures and experiential learning helps participants develop leadership skills and improve wellbeing for the long term through our unique seven-year programming.

Services Offered
During the school year, youth participate in out-of-school time programs after school and on the weekend. Trips include weekend day trips and overnight adventures in wilderness spaces around the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area, including Rock Creek Park, Shenandoah National Park, Whitetail Ski Resort, Movement Gyms, and the Potomac River. In the summer, youth attend our residential program in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where they participate in adventures such as white-water kayaking, backpacking, camping, horseback riding, and explorations of national parks like Grand Teton and Yellowstone. City Kids also hosts six weeks of DC-based programs as part of the Summer Youth Employment Program.

Older youth serve as Job Experience Trainees where they serve as peer leaders and assistants to programming and participate in career exploration training. In addition, we provide support to alumni as they transition from high school to college and beyond. As youth progress through the program, their exposure to outdoor adventure and skill sets increases in degree, difficulty, and duration, culminating in great self-reward and a sustained connection to the outdoors.

Cost to Participate
City Kids is dedicated to making outdoor recreation accessible to all. We eliminate barriers such as the cost of gear, permits, and travel expenses, ensuring that life-changing experiences in nature are available to youth who might otherwise miss out. Unlike most programs that charge high fees, City Kids offers its summer camp and all programming free of charge, thanks to our generous donors and partners.

Future Plans
Last year, our Executive Director, Sarah Cryder received the 2024 Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) Leaf Award, which honors leaders who have made significant contributions to connecting youth with nature. This recognition validates our innovative approach to youth development through outdoor experiences, and places City Kids among distinguished outdoor education leaders nationwide. We are currently developing a comprehensive 5-Year Strategic Plan to ensure our long-term growth and sustainability. As we look to the future, we are placing greater emphasis on: providing critical mental health and mindfulness resources to equip youth with tools for navigating challenges; overcoming rising transportation costs to provide opportunities for youth in DC and Jackson Hole; expanding mentorship opportunities and fostering collaboration across cohorts to build stronger connections and a sense of belonging; and updating our career-readiness curriculum and forming strategic partnerships to ensure youth are prepared for postsecondary opportunities. 

Contact Dan Ebert, Director of Development & Communications dan@citykidsdc.org City Kids Wilderness Project

Populations Served
Each year, City Kids serves more than 130 youth who attend DC Public Schools, with 71% identifying as Black/African American, 12% as two or more races, 9% as Hispanic/Latino, 5% as American Indian or Indigenous, and 4% as Other. Approximately 80% of City Kids youth qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, with roughly 65% living in DC’s historically underinvested Wards 5, 7, and 8, and many households benefiting from TANF and SNAP programs. In 2023, only 35% of the OST need is being met in Wards 7 & 8, by existing programs (DC Policy Center’s OST Needs Assessment). The other 35% of youth served live in Wards 1, 2, and 4, with the most residing in Ward 4. 

Staff Composition
City Kids is led by a dedicated and diverse group of individuals who bring a wide range of skills, knowledge, and experiences to the organization. The full-time staff is made up of 12 individuals in DC and WY, and the seasonal staff consists of roughly 32 employees each summer. The collective expertise, capacity, and commitment across the entire City Kids team have been instrumental in the organization’s success and continued growth over the years. 

The leadership team—consisting of five senior staff members, 60% of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC)—provides strategic vision and direction to the organization. Their extensive experience in education, youth development, experiential learning, and post-secondary education preparedness enables them to effectively guide City Kids’ programs and initiatives. 

City Kids is committed to ensuring staff are representative of the population served, with lived experiences of the problems we seek to solve. Our Director of Programs in DC, Taylore Willis, has extensive experience engaging Black families in the DC region in outdoor recreation, including the creation of Black Families DO Hike!—a community-based, passion project. In addition, our Camp Director, Montae Franklin, joined City Kids when he was 11 years old as a participant. Since his graduation, Montae has served as a volunteer, a Weekend Trip instructor, Camp Counselor, and Alumni Engagement Manager—making him the longest tenured City Kids employee with over 19 years of connection to the program.