Science in nature, meeting the Morgan Horses, a day with the fisheries team, painting, and hiking!

September 14, 2026

Greetings!                

Since we launched the Youth in Parks program in 2021, we’ve grown from six to 45 partners from across the Bay Area. Each trip is unique, and as staff members, we feel lucky to witness magical moments like first camping trips and exciting wildlife encounters. We often wonder if these are the same memories that Youth in Parks participants carry home with them.

9th graders measuring mole crabs

Sensational Sensations

Some of the most important lessons youth learn in Point Reyes are embodied as sensations, held in memory as sound, smell, movement, and emotion. Far beyond curriculum and concepts, youth take away from Point Reyes the very feeling of being in nature, of being in themselves, of existing in a moment without judgement or expectation—immersed in the vitality of a world that holds us all.

Holding a mole crab for the first time can be scary, but once you are brave enough to try you discover that they tickle your hand! Making your way down a steep trail with friends feels unsteady until you reach out to help one another and then laugh hard together at having made it. Running on the beach is exhilarating as the ocean air fills your lungs and your footsteps pound confidently across the sand.

Inspiration and Becoming

Sharing time together outdoors brings us to life in ways that inspire mind, body, and spirit, leaving lasting impressions. Each year, your donations bring over 3,000 youth to Point Reyes, most for the first time. For youth who may be new to hiking, camping, or exploring the outdoors, this is a chance to tap into parts of themselves they may not yet know. 

Please consider a gift today towards our $175,000 fundraising goal for Youth in Parks, with all gifts up to $50,000 matched by the program's founding donor.

There is no substitute for the lessons learned in nature, in person, and no memories more powerful than laughing around the campfire with friends after a day at the beach. Thank you for your support!

With gratitude,

Biret Adden

Education Director

Video: This Land is for Everyone

Every spring, 9th grade students from Oakland’s Life Academy travel to Point Reyes to hike, learn about marine science, and spend time outdoors together. Three years later, they return as 12th graders to reflect on what has changed, what remains the same, and what they’ll always remember. These experiences are collaboratively planned with Oakland Goes Outdoors and PRNSA, helping remove barriers to outdoor learning and ensuring more Oakland students have the opportunity to explore, learn, and connect in our national parks. Hear from the students, teachers, and Oakland Goes Outdoors.

Win a Point Reyes Adventure

Until September 30th, everyone who donates to Youth in Parks will be entered into a drawing to win an experience for two at Point Reyes: breakfast at Side Street Kitchen, a “Tides and Trails” kayaking and hiking tour with Point Reyes Adventure Co. (lunch included), and dinner at the Station House Cafe.

Thank You to our Youth in Parks Partners

• Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project
• Big City Mountaineers
• Bolinas-Stinson Union School District
• Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco, Tenderloin Clubhouse
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley
• Brothers on the Rise
• Bridge the Gap
• California School for the Deaf
• Canal Alliance
• Center for Independent Living
• Conservation Corps North Bay
• Davidson Middle School Newcomers Community
• Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center
• The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
• Frontline Catalysts
• GGNPC LINC SEJI Program
• GirlVentures
• Huckleberry Youth Programs
• LandPaths
• LGBTQ Connection

• Latino Outdoors
• Lighthouse for the Blind
• Little Manila Rising
• Magnolia Project
• Marin County Free Library
• Mission Neighborhood Centers
• Oakland Goes Outdoors
• Peralta Hacienda Historical Park
• Pogo Park
• Project Avary
• ROCK SF
• Radical Monarchs SF/East Bay
• Richmond College Prep Schools
• Shoreline Unified School District serving rural West Marin
• Soccer Without Borders
• Sogorea Te' Land Trust
• Sonoma County Parks YES
• Sonoma Land Trust
• Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance
• The Unity Council
• The Watershed Project
• UC Berkeley SERC
• Weekend-Adventures
• WildCare
• YES Nature to Neighborhoods