Mission Statement
Growing Up Wild is a bilingual wilderness program that helps economically disadvantaged youth and families with children develop:
- Nature Awareness
- Life Skills
- Health and Fitness
- Bilingual skills in Spanish and English
While Growing Up Wild is dedicated to bringing together groups from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds, our emphasis is on serving underserved youth and families with children from the Latino community.
Growing Up Wild Base Camp
Located on four secluded acres in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Growing Up Wild Base Camp is an ideal setting to provide groups with outdoor education. At 1,300 feet in elevation, base camp is located in Santa Cruz County and the closest city is Watsonville.
Major features of base camp include:
- A big private open space encircled by trees
- An outdoor kitchen and stage
- A campfire amphitheater
- A tipi and sweat lodge
- An educational garden
- Children’s play equipment
- A year-round creek with easy access
- Open space for camping, exploring, and relaxing in the woods
News
We received another grant from the Stewardship Council for our 2012 programs. The 2011 programs were a great success. Our Rites of Passage program for teen boys is now called the Boyz in the Woodz program. This past year the program served 20 youth.
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Our 2011 summer program is off and running. Our partnership with the City of Watsonville’s Parks and Community Services Department has expanded this year. In June we are providing a family camp to a group of underserved families with elementary school-age children with the goals to nurture the connections between parents and their children, to build networks among families, and to foster a love of nature.
Our 4th annual fundraiser is set for July 9th when we will host a family-oriented outdoor concert in the woods with children’s activities. Our 2011 Rites of Passage Program for Teen Boys has been provided with a Catalyst Fund grant from the Stewardship Council’s Youth Investment Program. With this support from the Stewardship Council we are able to provide this program free-of charge to a group of underserved youth from Watsonville. The program has also expanded into a 4-weekend program with some exciting new activities, such as high and low ropes challenge courses. Thank you Stewardship Council!
The Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council (Stewardship Council) is a private, nonprofit foundation. Established in 2004, its mission is to protect and enhance more than 140,000 acres of watershed lands, and invest in efforts to improve the lives of young Californians through connections with the outdoors. The Stewardship Council brings together the expertise of leading conservation, natural resource management, business, and public officials to undertake this historic conservation effort for California. A unique and collaborative endeavor, the Stewardship Council’s Board of Directors unites a broad range of interests to guide the development and execution of a Land Conservation Program and a Youth Investment Program to benefit current and future generations of Californians. Our core values are collaboration, stewardship, discovery, sustainability and leadership.
The Stewardship Council is in its sixth year of grant funding. In this time the Council has awarded more than $8,451,000 to 191 organizations, allowing Stewardship Council funds to help connect more than 224,646 youth to the outdoors. By providing funds to youth development organizations and programs, the Council is committed to connecting youth to the outdoors, and hopes to positively transform young people academically, personally and socially. The Catalyst Fund is open to grassroots organizations whose annual operating budgets are under $250,000. For more information about the Stewardship Council please visit the Web site: www.stewardshipcouncil.org.
