This year has brought growth to so many parts of the program. Our sites across the country engaged with over 1,000 young people to facilitate life-changing experiences in the outdoors. In the last few years, we've rebuilt partnerships and fostered new connections to deepen our community ties in the work that we do. We've trained seasonal staff, opened additional program sites, and scouted new trails for potential trips.

Through all the challenges and creative solutions, one truth drives us forward; youth continue to heal, learn, and thrive in outdoor spaces. Everything thing we do is to create the moments of joy and magic that we know happen along a trail in the mountains, next to a campfire, or paddling down a river. We're grateful for the past year and can't wait to connect youth with the power of the outdoors in the year ahead.

2022 BY THE NUMBERS

YOUTH THAT EXPLORED THE OUTDOORS WITH BOLD & GOLD DURING SUMMER 2022:

1,115

SEASONAL INSTRUCTORS SPREADING BOLD & GOLD MAGIC:

OVER 100

POUNDS OF GORP (GOOD OL' RAISINS AND PEANUTS) PACKED OUT ON BOLD & GOLD TRIPS:

534

PUBLIC LAND AREAS VISITED BY BOLD & GOLD GROUPS:

31

BRAIND NEW BOLD & GOLD PROGRAM LOCATIONS:

2

IN THEIR WORDS

Youth participants and program leaders share their reflections on the magic of BOLD & GOLD this year...

"This program has made a positive impact in my life because it made me feel accomplished and like I could do anything. It helped with my confidence and it also allowed me to see a new beautiful place and make new memories with new beloved friends."

- GOLD participant Seattle

"Dear future camper,

This trip is going to be tiring, dirty, full of bugs, and hot! However, none of those things seem to matter because of how goofy, beautiful, fun trail is and how good of friends you make. On our trail we had mud fights, drank river water, and turned the woods into our bathroom. We watched sunsets every night and ate bussin’ food. I made friends on this trip I hope to stay in contact with for years to come. You really get what you put into this trip!" 

- Piper, GOLD participant MN

"At the end of it the accomplishment you feel makes it all worth it. I made so many new friends on this trip and I bonded so much with counselors. It was amazing canoeing and seeing everything. We saw animals, waterfalls, caves, and more. One of the best weeks of my life and I hope it does that for you too." - BOLD & GOLD participant MN

"I was pretty nervous about doing the internship, because I’d never been away from home for that long and I knew it was going to be a very challenging experience, but it ended up being one of the most important times of my life. Yes, it was hard, but I learned so much about myself and the people and world around me, and I found an incredibly fun and accepting community. It’s a challenge, but it’s worth it.

- BOLD & GOLD internship participant MN

 "My sister's grandson from Dallas recently returned home after spending a week with Bold and Gold - his first ever camping experience. According to his mother in a conversation with the grandparents:

"He said that this trip changed his life. That the experiences he had at camp have given him a life perspective he didn't know he was missing." He is looking forward to next year. This was also the boy's first "outdoor experience."

- Steve Drury - Seattle Camping and Leadership board member”

“Emerging. That is the word I connect with our 2022 BOLD & GOLD season. A definition of Emerging according to Merriam-Webster is “to become manifest: become known. To rise from or as if from an enveloping fluid: come out into view.” This past year we saw some results of our efforts put in behind the scenes, working with partner organizations to find participants who would be great matches for an experience like this, investing in our staff team, finding new organizations who are excited about helping to fund BOLD & GOLD. The emergence looked like participants having the best week of their lives, learning more about themselves and others, cherishing the land and rivers they walked and paddled on. This leaves me grateful for 2022 and hopeful for 2023”

- Carol Yard, YMCA of the Pines Wilderness Program Director