Accomplishments
The Youth Investment Program has created far reaching and enduring impacts ranging from health and fitness, to growth and leadership, to promoting environmental stewardship. The program has improved the lives of underserved youth by providing greater access to outdoor experiences, from urban parks in the city to watersheds in the wilderness. These accomplishments are best seen through two time windows. The first window spans from 2005 through 2011 when the Stewardship Council managed the youth program internally.
The second window opened with formation of the Foundation for Youth Investment, later renamed Youth Outside , and now known as Justice Outside. During this period from 2013 through present and during the transition period in 2012 Justice Outside was responsible for paying its own costs of operations and for making program and organizational decisions.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM 2005 THROUGH 2011
From 2006 through 2011, the Stewardship Council awarded 268 grants totaling $12.2 million. These grants helped to connect over 260,000 underserved youth living in the PG&E service territory with the outdoors through program activities and improvements to park infrastructure.
To view the Stewardship Council's Grant awards through 2011 {Click here}
ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM 2012 THROUGH PRESENT
Justice Outside’s mission is to advance racial justice and equity in the outdoor and environmental movement. They shift resources to, build power with, and center the voices and leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color because the health of current and future generations demands it.
To view Justice Outside's Grant awards 2012 through present {Click here}
JUSTICE OUTSIDE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Justice Outside believes a meaningful experience in nature can change the course of a life. They strive to ensure that as many youth as possible can partake in the life-changing experience of the outdoors and remain committed to cultural relevancy in the outdoor field, to improving outcomes in health, and to increasing environmental stewardship by youth served in outdoor programs.
To see how Justice Outside is making an impact in the lives of youth, please visit their website: justiceoutside.org
JUSTICE OUTSIDE SPECIAL INITIATIVE PROGRAMS
The Outdoor Educators Institute develops the next generation of culturally relevant outdoor leaders by building competencies and leadership skills in young adults who have encountered hurdles or lacked the resources to work in the outdoors. The Outdoor Educators Institute is, at its core, advocacy for the inclusion and centering of underrepresented populations, especially those that have had historic and systemic barriers to accessing the outdoors.
For participants, it provides a clear path to a profession through representation and culturally relevant trainings. Through training passionate young adults, we begin shifting the narrative of the outdoors from one traditionally held solely by people with power and privilege to that of one that includes and embraces people from all walks of life, and reflects the realities of the youth that will become future champions of the earth.
For the field, OEI establishes the method by which the next generation of racially and socioeconomically diverse outdoor educators are prepared for service, creating the opportunity for underrepresented youth to see and identify with people in outdoor education programs who look like them and come from similar backgrounds.
Rising Leaders Fellowship (RLF)
The Rising Leaders Fellowship supports the professional development of individuals in entry- to mid-level positions within the environmental sector. Specifically, Justice Outside targets individuals who are enthusiastic about connecting communities to the outdoors in culturally relevant and inclusive ways by effecting culture change within their organizations. The Rising Leaders Fellowship builds professional capacity while creating a supportive network of like-minded leaders through a project-based cohort series that focuses on social justice and racial equity in the outdoors.
Justice Outside’s grantees participate in a capacity-building series that meets bi-monthly for the duration of their grant award. In this learning community the grantees explore essential components of maintaining healthy organizations and engage in critical thought on the issue of cultural relevancy in the outdoor field. The series also provides an opportunity for the grantees to network and learn from each other as they work collectively to increase access to the outdoors for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
Justice Outside’s Cultural Relevancy Series consists of a series of workshops designed for decision-makers at outdoor-focused organizations. These leaders form a powerful and dynamic learning community responsible for driving transformative change at their respective organizations. The workshops are designed to help participating organizations build the capacity of the organizations’ leadership, staff, and board on cultural relevancy and equity. The Cultural Relevancy Series included three major components:
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Seminars covering foundational cultural relevancy concepts and their application in transforming program content and delivery, organizational culture, and operations.
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Coaching sessions tailored to the needs of participating organizations, with a focus on helping each organization design cultural relevancy projects to steer systems-level change and long-term impact.
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An opportunity for direct practice through the development and implementation of a project action plan to increase cultural relevancy in a priority area identified by each organization.
