Imagine for yourself

Imagine this

...it’s your first ever visit to the Carpinteria Bluffs.  The January rains mean the grass is tall. So tall, you realize, that when Miranda flops down flat on her back, you can’t see her, even though she’s just a few feet away from you!

Soon, all fourteen of your classmates and your three WYP mentors, Andrew, Luisangel, and Gloria are hidden in plain sight.  You try to be quiet, to disappear into the tall grass as the mockingbird calls and the sound of the waves are rumbling on the beach below. It’s hard to be quiet! Adrian and Vienna start giggling and it’s contagious. Pretty soon you the whole group is laughing out loud while hidden from plain sight as your sounds mingle with the birds and the cool spring breeze. 

(I’m inviting you to continue reading to imagine a real day at Wilderness Youth Project, so I can also invite and inspire you to support this program by donating today.)

Imagine that later, back in the classroom, your fourth-grade teacher invites the class to write a reflection on the morning’s adventure. Instead of feeling that icy scary feeling in your stomach when confronted with the blank page, you put pen to paper and the words just flow.  The teacher has a vocab list posted on the whiteboard in the front of the classroom.  It’s the list you all made together after you finally got up from the tall grass, played a game of coyote-fawn, and came together in a circle to share your stories of the day. 

Imagine you write...

“The tall grass was whispering but my friends and I laughed and we were louder than the grass.  The mockingbird sang a song that sounded like a train going by.  The breeze felt cool but my skin was warmed by the sunshine.  The sound of the waves made me sit up and look out toward the ocean, and then jump up, excited to get to the beach.  This is a place because we have so much freedom. Being here, I feel like I can do anything. I feel so alive!”

Your ability to see and feel this imaginary scene is why this dreamy experience actually comes true every school day and all summer long for kids out with Wilderness Youth Project.

Will you contribute today?

Summer camp is right around the corner. It costs WYP $298,092 to provide the income-based scholarships for more than half of the 672 camp spots we’ll offer in 2023. 

Please donate today. Imagine the future for those kids who spend some summertime outdoors, moving their bodies, learning together, guided by their own curiosity. These are the people who will grow up to care for people, for places, and for our whole planet.

Yes! I want to invest in local kids, today, to make a brighter future for us all tomorrow.

You can support us in many ways...

• CREDIT CARD: Give online today
• CHECK: Mail a check to Wilderness Youth Project at 2040 Alameda Padre Serra, Suite 224, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
• INVITE OTHERS: Share this blog with your loved ones and encourage others to give
• BE SOCIAL: Like us on Instagram & Facebook and share our message with your circle
• TRANSFER STOCKS: Gift stocks, bonds, and mutual funds