Our Impact

THEORY OF CHANGE

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INVESTMENTS

  • Professional instruction and guided exploration 
  • Culturally relevant and trauma-informed programming
  • Skilled and dedicated community volunteers
  • Transportation to and from programs 
  • All related equipment and supplies, meals and snacks, and activity permits and fees
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REPEAT ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

  • Youth connect to the natural environment and public lands
  • Through diverse activities youth connect, challenge, reflect, and grow
  • Youth have multiple opportunities to cultivate positive relationships with peers, mentors, and family members
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POSITIVE ATTITUDE CHANGE

  • Increased sense of belonging, confidence, joy, and safety in outdoor spaces and recreational activities
  • Increased self-determination and resilience to overcome life’s challenges
  • Strengthened self-image, self-efficacy, and ability to set and achieve goals
  • Increased responsibility and ability to make positive choices for themselves, their community, and the natural environment
  • Increased open mindedness and respect of others

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR CHANGE

  • Competence: Increased personal skills in outdoor activities, goal-setting, leadership, communication, and advocacy
  • Connection: Increased trust and interdependence with others, and the development of authentic and positive relationships and networks
  • Contribution: Meaningful engagements and contributions to their community (i.e. volunteering, environmental stewardship, advocacy, and employment)
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LONG-TERM SYSTEMIC OUTCOMES: OUTDOOR EQUITY, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

  • Reduced barriers to meaningful outdoor engagement for underrepresented communities (i.e. financial means, transportation, outdoor knowledge and skills, cultural relevance, safety)
  • Increased representation in the outdoors
  • Increased civic participation 
  • Expanded community, network, and social connectedness
  • Increased environmental protection and stewardship of public land
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IMPACT: An outdoors for all that inspires and sustains healthy and vibrant communities.

OUTDOORS FOR ALL

An outdoors that is welcoming and accessible to all members of our diverse community.

OUTDOORS FOR HEALTH

A community that embraces the outdoors as a catalyst for health, wellbeing, and resilience.

OUTDOORS FOREVER

A natural environment that is conserved, stewarded, and protected for generations to come.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

The impact of our work has always been evident in the smiles, the confidence, the stories, and the achievements of our youth. Over the years, we’ve also measured this impact to better share the power of outdoor engagement in improving the resilience of youth and their connection to the environment. In 2020, as a part of the Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Initiative and with the support of an external evaluation team, Outdoor Outreach adopted a survey modified from the Environmental Education (EE21) survey tool (Powell, Stern, Frensley & Moore, 2019) to better assess outcomes in positive youth development and environmental education.

Here are a few of the outcomes we saw:

Resilience and Positive Youth Development

As a result of our programs, students responded, on a scale of 0-10, that:

  • “I can achieve the goals I set for myself” (9.03) 90.30% 90.30%
  • “I feel supported and valued by the people around me” (8.82) 88.20% 88.20%
  • “I give back to my community” (8.63) 86.30% 86.30%

Environmental Awareness and Action

As a result of our programs, students responded, on a scale of 0-10, that:

  • “I have the power to protect the environment” (9.28) 92.80% 92.80%
  • “Humans are a part of nature, not separate from it” (9.38) 93.80% 93.80%
  • “I feel it is important to take good care of the environment” (9.72) 97.20% 97.20%

COVID-19 PROGRAMMING

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our programs helped to provide critical support for youth during a highly uncertain and unstable time.

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participants indicated that “getting outdoors has helped me personally cope with the COVID-19 pandemic”

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participants indicated that “If I did not have Outdoor Outreach's support, it would have been much harder for me to safely get outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Youth Stories

Abby

Ivonne

Pedro

Zenab

Refrain

Michell