Wilderness Kids Alexandria

Wilderness Kids Alexandria is the only organization in the City of Alexandria dedicated to getting teenagers into nature -- that's our mission: to provide life-enriching experiences in nature to teenagers from under-resourced families and under-served communities in the City of Alexandria.

Exploring nature with their offers unique opportunities for students to:

• • • expand comfort zones and horizons--enlarging their sense of the possible; 
    • develop healty habits of mind, like resilience, persistence, and mindfulness; 
    • capture mental health benefits like reduced stress and anxiety;
    • build a sense of belonging to community; and
    • develop life-long passions and skills for healthful activities in the outdoors.

Here is just some of what our student's are saying:

Living in a city, there aren't many opportunities to go out into nature. I had never really experienced outdoor activites and actually disliked the thought of going into nature prior to joining Wilderness Kids. My outlook on nature has completely shifted. I love going on trips and seeing the gorgeous landscapes created by the planet. It's so calming. - 10th grade student

My daughter has enjoyed Wilderness Kids very much. These are activities she will remember through her life. - Parent of 7th grade student

I want to thank Wilderness Kids for bringing teens outdoors rather than us being inside on the phone. We have lots of things to do!" - HS student

I have learned that it is okay to be yourself and that it is also okay to talk to someone." - 8th grade student

Last year, Wilderness Kids led more than 220 students into the great outdoors, creating 4300+ student-hours in nature. We are now running Four Program, with students from five of Alexandria's six high school and middle school campuses.

• After-School: Operating this spring with students from Francis Hammond Middle School and Jefferson Houston and Patrick Henry K-8 Schools, this program gets students outside, exploring our local parks; meanwhile, the Wilderness Kids Adventure Club at Alexandria City HS gives students the chance to plan and execute their own outdoor adventures!
  
• Weekend Outings: Offer opportunities to HS and MS students to hike, bike, climb, paddle, sail, ski, and more in natural areas throughout the DMV.  Weekend Outings also feature several 1-night camping trips per year.
• Skills Cohorts: Offer students the opportunity to pursue a newfound passion such as paddling or climbing (or coming in the fall, nature art); or to develop the critical life-skill of swimming (about half of our students do not swim adequately).
• Summer Peak Experiences: Offers multi-night camping trips to Shenandoah,  Dolly Sods, Assateague, along the Great Allegheny Passage, and more. In summer, our students get their first experiences camping under the stars and living cooperatively with their peers in community. We also offer day-camp programs for students not quite ready for nights away.

Thank you so much for supporting our efforts during Spring2Action, whether that is with a gift of $10, $100, or $1000--we appreciate your support. You will be enabling us to offer all of these programs, serving more and more students in Alexandria, from 6th grade through high school graduation.

Wilderness Kids Community Gathering April 9, 6:00 PM at Gustave's Le Jardin in Del Ray

We also want to invite all our local supporters out to Le Jardin at Gustave Boulangerie, in the heart of Del Ray, on Wednesday April 22 at 6:00 p.m. Please drop in for a beer, wine, or lavender lemonade (yum!) and a bite to eat. Bring the whole family (even the dog)! The Jardin is the beautiful garden area beside the Boulangerie, complete with a bocce court! We are thankful to Le Jardine for hosting us again this year and donating 10% of sales from the evening to Wilderness Kids to support getting even more young people into the great outdoors. See you there! (Address is 2213 Mt. Vernon Ave, Alexandria)