Program Descriptions: WYP School Year Chickadees & Wooly Bears Towhees Bluebirds Herons & Scrub Jays Tiburones Mockingbirds The purpose of Wilderness Youth Project (WYP) is to mentor children through the process of developing deep, long-lasting, positive relationships with the natural world. Despite the seeming simplicity of this goal, a tremendous amount of thought and practice …
Time spent in nature is a vital tonic for our health and well-being, and is the perfect place to explore and discover who we are. It’s important that nature connection is a essential part of our lives and we have a responsibility to create opportunities for more kids of all ages to get outside and connect with nature.
When I was a child, nature was available. We had the freedom to roam.Wilderness Youth has been the contemporary substitute for that roaming freedom! Adventure without walls and interactions with wood, water, dirt, and rocks, and weather. To know that we are part of a larger chorus of evolutionary affiliates and that some connection to most of what we experience in nature is and has been part of our legacy on the earth.
My wish would be that each parent impart a sense of wonder to their young children, whether they live in urban or rural settings. Children also benefit from nature connection with others – thank you Wilderness Youth Project – for providing this kind of mentoring and nature connection for so many children in Santa Barbara.
I’ll never forget overhearing a WYP mom say, ‘All I want for my daughter is to be able to sit quietly beside a tree and enjoy life.’ In this funny way, that’s all I want for my life and the world as I grow older. WYP does that better than any program I’ve ever experienced.
Spending time in nature is a precious gift for children! During my own childhood, the ocean and the woods soothed my heart when it was aching, made me stronger, and kept me out of trouble. Still does….
WYP is a like a breath of fresh air, and we are so lucky to have such a great organization in our very community that teaches care and respect for the world around us. We so appreciated each and every staff member taking the time to get to know our son, and to use that knowing to guide him in his WYP adventures.
As a long time environmental educator and mother of two young boys, I appreciate the vital work that WYP does in our community. Encouraging young people to connect with the outdoors while teaching them how to be confident risk takers is a gift to each child that participates in the program. Thank you, Wilderness Youth Project!
My son Oscar is full of life and now, thanks to Wilderness Youth Project, full of information about nature. He is constantly teaching me things I didn’t know about creatures. Our favorite time together is in the ocean. He is now even more comfortable in teh waves and has an even deeper connection to the beach because of all the time he spends there with his WYP friends. It is an amazing program and we are so grateful to have it in Santa Barbara.
Experiences in nature had a significant influence on my development growing up, and inspired me to go into the work I do now. When I bring a group of young people into the outdoors, for even a short amount of time, I see incredible growth. Not only do they develop a better appreciation for nature, but they also gain a deeper understanding of themselves.
