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.
We offer affordable outdoor leadership skills training for teachers and youth workers.
Free or reduced loan rentals on high-quality outdoor gear loaned for free for youth groups, schools and community organizations serving BIPOC and youth and families facing financial difficulties
We offer scholarships for training courses, mini-grants to support youth trips, and a supportive community of peers and guidance. Please note: Mini-grants are currently paused until late 2023. Thank you for your patience.
You can find information about our upcoming virtual programs, updated guidelines from local health departments, tips on how to spend time outdoors safely, ideas on where to go to avoid potential crowds, and resources for curriculum to use with youth while learning at home. We hope you all stay healthy and find ways to engage with the outdoors safely!
BAWT is an organization of partnerships and community involvement. Our volunteers make our work and mission possible from crucial hours spent repairing gear in the Gear Hospital to dedicating their time and expertise on one of our board-led committees.
Adventures for Kids is Bay Area Wilderness Training's adventure fundraising platform. Using this platform, we encourage you to take your adventure and use it for good by raising dollars to lower the barriers that prevent youth from accessing the outdoors.
Support Our mission
People visiting the outdoors should represent diversity of races, gender, income backgrounds, and all other identities and stories that exist in the Bay Area. To increase equity and access in the outdoors, we use your gift to support teachers and leaders that serve low-income youth and youth of color.
We offer a wide variety of courses to help leaders learn new skills and the confidence to guide youth to enjoy nature, learn survival skills, and foster natural teamwork.
Donate Gear
Help us on our mission to get more youth outdoors!We are always looking for new or gently used camping gear.Please contact: staff@bawt.org
We strive to keep our course registration fees low and we never want a lack of financial resources to become a barrier for eager youth workers or teachers who want to bring outdoor experiences to their communities. With this scholarship program, we hope to increase access to our programs for teachers and youth workers from under-represented and marginalized communities.
Through the generosity of our supporters, BAWT offers Richard Louv Minigrants annually in the amount of $250 each. These funds help youth organizations and schools to cover the cost of venturing into the outdoors with the youth that they serve. We call this the Richard Louv Minigrant program to honor our good friend, author Richard Louv, whose book inspired Bay Area Wilderness Training founder to get started with our work.
Your browser does not support HTML5 video.
We help thousands of Bay Area youth get outdoors on overnight camping and day hiking trips each year. We aim to support them in discovering their relationship to nature and their wider community.
“My favorite part was the night hike because it was fun. it was peaceful and quiet and you could hear nature.”
ELIANY, BAWT-SUPPORTED PROGRAM PARTICIPANT
What initially inspired you to lend your support to Oakland youth? My sister and I grew up in Berkeley, and our mother lived in Oakland …
Bay Area Wilderness Training staff believe our work stands vehemently against the strikedown of Roe V. Wade. We are outraged at the disdain …
We’re teaming up with AFK participants to get the lowdown on our BAWT signature trips. Get inspired by individuals who have already fundraised …
Make a gift today!
