Outdoor Outreach

About

Outdoor Outreach has engaged with youth in over 23,000 participant hours of outdoor activities, including hiking, mountain biking, indoor and outdoor rock climbing, fishing, surfing, paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkeling, environmental stewardship, and camping. These outings took place at numerous parks and outdoor recreation venues around San Diego County, and also included overnight outings to more distant destinations, including Joshua Tree National Park. By providing free equipment, transportation, and guided instruction, Outdoor Outreach helps participants experience the power of nature in new ways.

Categories Program Children & Youth Community & Advocacy Educational / Vocational Therapeutic

Program Details

Since 1999, Outdoor Outreach has provided opportunities for more than 19,000 young people to explore their world, cultivate belonging, and discover what they’re capable of. The youth in our programs come from communities that have been historically impacted by social inequities. With every opportunity to surf, bike, kayak, or climb, our programs provide two things that increase their chances of success. First, we provide opportunities for youths to share new experiences, explore close-to-home green spaces, and discover their strengths. And second, we provide meaningful connections with supportive peers and mentors who believe in the participants and show them that they matter.

Services Offered

Youth Development
Adventure-based programs
Leadership Development

Contact info@outdooroutreach.org (619) 238-5790 Outdoor Outreach

Populations Served

Youth
Underserved communities
LGBTQ+

Cost to Participate
There is no cost to participate; we work with different schools and community organizations to provide services.

A leader wearing a blue shirt and a backpack points at a sign. Young people stand around looking at the sign among a dry, brush landscape.

A diverse group walks a path through dry brush. A leader in a blue shirt talks to a girl in a hijab and a boy in a hoodie.

A boy and a girl ride in a tandem kayak. Both hold paddles and wear life vests. The water is calm and there are boats and trees in the background.

Two individuals in the foreground prepare to rock climb by tying knots in ropes on a rock face. The individuals in the foreground are wearing blue helmets, and individuals in the background are wearing orange and black helmets.

A young girl with pink hair rappels down a rock face using rope. The girl is wearing blue jeans and a helmet.

Recent Case Studies

A sidewalk, path, and landscaped garden beds with flat-roofed, wood-sided buildings on either side.

Place

Power To Be Basecamp

This outdoor activity center serves as a base of operations for Power To Be, a nonprofit organization that creates access to nature for youth, families, and adults living with cognitive, physical, financial, and social barriers.

A group of youth play with a football while other children sit on the berm. Behind them, kids play on the climber dome. The school building in the background is painted with bright colors and artwork.

Place

Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy (formerly Chester Arthur Schoolyard)

Formerly an asphalt-covered space that offered little to engage youth, the renovated schoolyard at the Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy is now an inviting green space for students and community members that elevates hands-on learning, physical activity, and connection to the natural world.

Surrounded by an abundance of green, a participant reaches up to carefully inspect a particular branch of leaves during one of Tremont’s herpetology SANCP classes.

Program

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is a nonprofit field school situated within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It offers immersive, nature-based programs that enhance health and spark curiosity across all ages through profound engagement with the natural world.