A Brief History of Growing Up Wild

Growing Up Wild began in 2008 when a small group of outdoor enthusiasts decided to lead groups of youth on camping and backpacking trips. Our first trip took place during Spring Break in April 2008 when we took nine youth, who had never gone backpacking before, on a backpacking trip through the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. From that point on, we decided to build a bilingual wilderness program. In the summer of 2009, we provided our first overnight family camp for parents and their children. One year later we launched an extensive camping program only for adolescent boys, which we call, “Boyz in the Woodz.” Today we continue to provide these outdoor learning experiences to youth and families with children.

As a project of the 501 (c)3 nonprofit program, The Children Are Our Future, a primary goal of Growing Up Wild is to make our programs affordable for youth and families with children who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. We received our first start-up grant in 2010 which enabled us to provide our Boyz in the Woodz program free-of-charge to low-income youth living in Watsonville. We continue to seek out new funding opportunities that will enable us to reach more youth.

One thing that makes Growing Up Wild so unique is that we have access to a private campground located in the redwoods just above Watsonville. This is 5 acre site ideal for camping, outdoor education programming, and outdoor community events. Since the summer of 2008, we have put on an annual family-centered benefit concert for Growing Up Wild. We have also held other similar community events such as picnics and Fall Harvest barbecues. All these events help raise funds and awareness for our new program.

We have developed partnerships with local community organizations, such as the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program (CASA), the City of Watsonville Parks and Community Services Department, and Bay Area Wilderness Training. The experience of running our programs has shown beyond the shadow of a doubt that not only is bilingual outdoor education programming an effective form of positive youth development, but also that is greatly needed and wanted in our community. To get more involved with our efforts or to make a tax deductible donation to Growing Up Wild, please visit our donations page. Thank you!

 

 

 

 

Growing Up Wild Staff

Ismael Cruz, Founding Director
A native bilingual speaker in Spanish and English, Ismael Cruz has lived in rural Mexico and California. He holds an AS Degree in Early Childhood Education and a BA Degree in Human Development, and currently he is pursuing a Masters degree. Ismael has over 10 years of experience providing educational services to children and families. He worked as a master teacher at the Cabrillo College Children’s Center and a camp counselor at Camp Unalayee, a multicultural wilderness program. He served two years with the AmeriCorps Program; one with City Year and one with VISTA. He currently teaches at Watsonville High School, where he works with teen parents and their infants and toddlers.

Molly Cruz, Assistant Director
Molly is an integrated childbirth professional and a massage therapist. She is an instructor at the Twin Lakes College of the Healing Arts. For several summers she worked as a counselor for the multicultural wilderness program, Camp Unalayee. She enjoys hiking in the wilderness and making artwork.

Leonardo Cruz, Counselor
Born in the USA and raised in rural Mexico, Leonardo is a native bilingual speaker in Spanish and English. As a teen he spent many of his summers as a camper at Camp Unalayee. He has also worked as a counselor at Camp Unalayee. He currently attends Cabrillo College and is on track to transfer to the University of California Santa Cruz where he plans to major in Latin American Studies. He is an avid outdoorsman with a special interest in rock climbing and backpacking. He is a certified lifeguard and loves to swim in lakes and rivers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program Partners

Growing Up Wild is dedicated to forming collaborative partnerships with local schools, agencies, and community-based organizations that serve economically disadvantaged youth and families with children in order to better reach our community. Below is a list of the partners we currently work with.

Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT)

City of Watsonville Community Services