Breaking Down Barriers to Summer Fun and Learning
Some of the barriers parents encounter when signing up their child to an outdoor program are costs and transportation. What’s the price? And “it’s difficult to take my child because of work” is what we hear the most from parents.
Wilderness Youth Project bridges that gap by serving and meeting our participants where they spend their days during the school year, at our partner organization sites and at schools. Thus eliminating the barriers parents face. These subsidized programs, paired with the opportunities to join summer camps, allow participants to maintain consistent and reliable connections with their mentors from preschool through their teen years.
In the 2023-2024 school year, we were thrilled to serve 577 participants across our free programs. However, very few of them have continued on to our summer programs and our programs the following year. That’s why this year, we set a bold goal: to ensure 22% (or 130) of our summer participants would come from our schools and community partners. By prioritizing outreach and removing common barriers, we aimed to reach as many families as possible, creating an inclusive, accessible experience for their children.
Making Enrollment Easy for our Families
To bridge these gaps, our team held a dedicated phone bank in March to contact the parents of our community program participants directly and invite them to join our summer programs. With support from our program staff, we reached out to 233 families, chatting with over 80 families to connect directly with them and to register their children for our summer programs.
Our staff provided details on what their kids had been doing in the program and explained the summer offerings. Parents shared concerns, especially about costs and transportation, but our team was ready with solutions.
Thanks to generous donations, we were able to subsidize costs, provide scholarships and transportation, making our programs more affordable and accessible. We simply asked parents what they were able to pay for the programs. Whatever amount they said they could afford is what they paid - no questions asked. If they had conflicts transporting their child to our meetup location we would offer transportation.
Results and Impact
The phone bank was a huge success. By the end of summer, 146 participants from our free community programs were registered, and 19 continued into our Fall 2024 programs. Each family we connected with made a difference, and together, we’re building a brighter future for these young learners.
As we look to the future, we’re committed to expanding access even further, ensuring that every family can participate without barriers.
You can bridge the gap too!
This partnership is made possible through community support. Wilderness Youth Project’s community programs serve our community’s low-income students and meet them where they already are. These programs, paired with the opportunities to join summer camps, allow participants to maintain consistent and reliable connections with our mentors. You can support this WYP program by making a donation online today or contacting us to learn more.