OUR MISSION:
Equitable access to outdoor experiences for youth of color and low-income youth
Bay Area Wilderness Training envisions a generation of social and environmental leaders, inspired by positive and meaningful experiences in nature, who reflect the diversity of our local community.
What we do:
Outdoor Leadership Training
We offer affordable outdoor leadership skills training for teachers and youth workers.
Free Outdoor Gear Library
Free high-quality outdoor gear loaned for free for youth groups, schools and community organizations serving disadvantaged youth.
Funding & Support
Offering scholarships for training courses, and grants to support trips with youth. Offering a supportive community of peers and guidance.
Why we do what we do
We help thousands of diverse Bay Area youth get outdoors on overnight camping trips each year.
Some of them have never seen the ocean or left their neighborhoods.
GET INVOLVED
Come to a Volunteer Night
Learn more at a Discovery Session
Support our work
Get Trained
NEWS
Climbing for Kids 2019 Recap
The summer of 2019 was the third summer for CSAA and AON employees of Northern California to participate in Climbing for Kids. A huge shout out to BAWT Board Member David Sheridan who spent countless hours planning trips, leading his colleagues and friends up Half...
Summer 2019 Wilderness Leadership Trainings
This past summer, BAWT trained 20 educators and youth workers on two different Wilderness Leadership Trainings (WLT), and 5 educators and youth workers on a Hiking Leadership Training (HLT). WLT Course participants spent five days in the backcountry in either Henry...
An Important Update from Bay Area Wilderness Training
July 15, 2019 Dear BAWT Community, Thank you for your ongoing support. During this period of transition, the BAWT team continues to be hard at work delivering quality services that create equitable access to outdoor experiences for youth of color and low-income...
An Important Message from Scott Wolland
June 24, 2019Dear BAWT Community,The last almost seven years have been a time of growth, opportunity, and community connection. I am fortunate to have partnered with so many wonderful teachers, youth workers, staff, volunteers, youth, and funders. Over the last few...
“Ousd Announces Outdoors Initiative For Middle School Students”
Photo courtesy of the Redford Center. Click here for the full article. OAKLAND (BCN) "Every middle school student in Oakland will soon have the chance to get out into the woods as part of a three-year program designed to teach kids about the natural environment,...
Oakland Goes Outdoors Press Release – May 2019
OGO Press ReleaseDownload Oakland Goes Outdoors Press Release, May 10 2019: Oakland Unified School District to announce new outdoor experiential learning initiative at Children & Nature Network International Conference. See press release here.
Featured youth worker
Testimonial
“I think it is very important for more youth to have the chance to experience the outdoors. Experiencing the outdoors for me was my ticket to cleaning my life up, and I think that this can be the case for more youth; they just need the opportunity to see it.”
– Terry Roy, Outdoor Coordinator, BAWT FLT Alumni
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