Nonprofit Outdoor Outreach Shines At Big Bear

Community

Mar 5, 2020

GoPro for a Cause remains inspired by the work Outdoor Outreach is doing in San Diego. The organization supports youth living in communities facing traumatic situations every day. The following words are by Kaylie Erickson, Marketing and Events Manager at Outdoor Outreach. Take it away Kaylie.

Since 1999, Outdoor Outreach has connected more than 15,000 youth to the transformative power of the outdoors. Facing challenges like poverty, homelessness, family immigration status and neighborhood violence, the young people we serve are from some of San Diego's most under-resourced communities.

With every opportunity to surf, bike, kayak, and climb we provide two things that greatly increase their chances of success: First, opportunities to share new experiences, overcome challenges and discover their strengths. And second, the chance to connect with supportive peers and mentors who believe in their potential.

Outdoor Outreach instructor and program graduate Laura G. is one of those supportive mentors. A recent snowboarding trip took one of our regular high school groups to Snow Valley in Big Bear, Calif., and Laura shared a personal story of impact from the mountain:

We've been working with sisters LaFaye and Rayanna for about two years now. When they first started coming on outings, they didn't have much motivation to push themselves, but now they're always committed to the activities and come on as many trips as they can.

On this snowboarding trip, they both tried their hardest to work up to the heel-side and toe-side drills-and they got it really quickly! They've learned their limits and regularly push themselves to those limits. By the end, they were really getting it, and I could see how excited they were. I've been surprised to see how much they've grown over the years and how comfortable they've become with challenging themselves. At the end of the trip, they both got to see fresh snow falling for the first time. That was pretty cool.

A big shout out to the GoPro team for the support in helping us capture and share the work that we do at Outdoor Outreach!

To learn more, visit our website or follow us on social media @outdooroutreach.

LINK:	https://gopro.com/en/gb/news/outdoor-outreach-big-bear...
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