YES Nature to Neighborhoods

In partnership with nature, YES nurtures leaders who champion the wellbeing of our community. Our vision is for Richmond youth, adults and families to lead healthy, connected lives, motivate change in their neighborhoods, and inspire a safe, thriving community. 

Through YES’s Youth Leadership Pathway (YLP) and Adult Leadership Pathway (ALP) programs, Richmond youth (ages 8-18) and adults (ages 19-85+) engage in age-based, year-round cohorts designed to nurture participants’ strengths over the course of many years. The YLP and ALP include nature-based programs such as park enhancement projects, coastal conservation activities, and Family Camp retreats for whole families. In addition, YES participants engage in year-round recreational outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, camping, and backpacking; they also develop strategies for supporting mental health through healing-centered programs in nature. These programs create recurring opportunities for residents to strengthen their connection to nature, practice self-care and self-compassion, and deepen their sense of responsibility to their community. 

During YLP and ALP cohort workshops, YES youth and adults explore local issues such as hazardous waste and pollution, mental health and substance abuse, and nutrition and childhood obesity—in response, they implement action projects that address these challenges. Community-led projects include expanding outdoor access by enhancing local parks, spreading awareness of mental and physical health resources, and advocating for environmental protections from elected officials. Rooted in social justice principles, this participatory approach enables youth and families to take collective action in response to injustices, ensuring that their voices and experiences shape the future of their communities. 

Over the past 25 years, YES’s sustained presence in Richmond has had a profound impact on many levels. YES has engaged over 13,000 participants in Leadership Pathway programming, connected over 6,250 youth to Summer Camp sessions, and has become a well-established promoter of nature-based health and wellness programming. YES was selected as the 2024 Nonprofit of the Year for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties by State Senator Nancy Skinner, which acknowledged the lasting impact of our work in Richmond and highlighted YES as a model in the fields of outdoor and environmental education. In the coming year, YES plans to expand and rebuild our Base Camp community center, which will increase the number of youth and families who can engage with us to become community leaders, wellness advocates, and change-makers.

Contact Blanca Hernández, Director of Programs and Partnerships blanca@yesfamilies.org (510) 232-3032 YES Nature to Neighborhoods

Populations Served
YES's programs foster belonging and leadership in the outdoors by centering the strengths, experiences, and knowledge of communities that have historically faced barriers to accessing nature. Through strategically phased outreach, we prioritize the inclusion and safety of community members and others whose voices enrich our shared outdoor spaces, including BIPOC families, LGBTQIA+ individuals, foster youth, housing insecure families, families impacted by the criminal legal system, and other groups within these intersections. 

Services Offered

• Leadership Development 

• Environmental Education 

• Health and Nutrition Education 

• Outdoor Recreation 

• Academic Enrichment 

• College and Career Support 

• Mentorship 

• Counseling 

• Family Programs 

Cost to Participate
All of YES’s programs are free of cost to the community. YES provides gear rentals, transportation, and meals during outdoor activities, which helps to reduce barriers to participation in our programs.

Staff Composition
YES’s staff have decades of combined experience in nature-based leadership development, and we intentionally cultivate a staff that is representative of our community. Of YES’s 21 staff members, 76% identify as BIPOC, 71% are bilingual, and nearly 50% live in or are from Richmond or West Contra Costa County. Five of seven members of the Leadership Team identify as BIPOC women, and three are immigrants.

Research Connections

In 2022, the Research Group at the UC Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science created an evaluation plan for YES that includes a logic model, evaluation design, and systems to support data collection, analysis, and reporting. The final evaluation plan and model lay out the progression of all Youth Leadership Pathway activities and outcomes. The plan provides a step-by-step process to link program outcomes to logic models, and it offers a roadmap of how the activities in each cohort reinforce and build upon the skills and knowledge gained in the previous cohort. For more information about the evaluation plan, please feel free to contact YES staff directly.