海角大神

No matter where one might be in Denver, it is hard to escape the breathtaking mountain backdrops that are so much a part of the city鈥檚 character and culture.

But even though the vast wilderness that surrounds the Mile High City is not far from the metropolis, it is still out of reach for many 鈥� particularly low-income families and marginalized youths.

Each day, Jes Ward works to change that trend.

鈥淚t is a birthright of people to be able to access nature and the outdoors,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t is so powerful.鈥�

Ms. Ward is the executive director of , a Denver nonprofit whose mission is to bring outdoor experiences 鈥渢o a broad, inclusive audience,鈥� as the organization puts it.

Toward that end, cityWILD organizes overnight and day trips for at-risk middle- and high-schoolers. The students can raft, backpack, mountain-bike, snowshoe, and more 鈥� in the process learning how to properly and safely explore the outdoors.

But cityWILD is also much more than that. It鈥檚 a free after-school program, offered four days a week during the school year, that concentrates on leadership development. And it provides support services to assist youths as they deal with various issues at school, at home, or in the community.

鈥淚t has to be holistic.... It cannot just be, 鈥楲et鈥檚 go camping,鈥� 鈥� Ward says. 鈥淣ature is the metaphor, nature is the tool, and nature is the reward of it 鈥� but there is so much more intertwined into the approach.鈥�

Ward knows all too well the importance of such programming in helping to address inequities.

鈥淚 was one of the youths that cityWILD and these other organizations strive to serve,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 grew up in extreme poverty, [with a] single-parent, teen mom who struggled to provide for me and my siblings. The way that I was able to develop all the skills that I have, and to connect with community and to keep hope, was through organizations like this.鈥�

The oldest of six children, Ward knew at a young age that she wanted to get involved in education and youth work. While in high school, she participated in PeaceJam, a program in which Nobel Peace laureates nurture young peacemakers. She later served a one-year AmeriCorps term with PeaceJam before spending 13 years on PeaceJam鈥檚 staff working with youths around the world and exploring social justice issues.

A return home

When she left PeaceJam, she wanted to return home 鈥� to Denver. 鈥淚 was looking for something that was more rooted in my community,鈥� she says. And she was familiar with cityWILD from both growing up in the city and working with PeaceJam partner schools that were near cityWILD鈥檚 building.

Then she had a pivotal conversation with a friend while on a hike.

鈥淚f I could have my dream job, it would be connected with young people and doing that in a nature-based setting,鈥� she recalls telling her friend. 鈥淚f I could combine that with social justice 鈥� that would be my dream.鈥�

Ward joined the cityWILD team in 2013 in her leadership role.

The organization, launched in 1998, is headquartered in a 6,000-square-foot space that was formerly a trolley car repair depot. Each day鈥檚 activities there include academic and homework support, opportunities for fellowship and discussion among program participants, and a healthy snack. CityWILD supplies all materials and food, as well as transportation for each student 鈥� from school to the program, and then home at the end of the day.

鈥淐ityWILD is empowering youth who wouldn鈥檛 otherwise have access to the opportunities and pathways [that] participation in the cityWILD program provides,鈥� says Jackie Miller, director of youth initiatives for Great Outdoors Colorado, which has supported various cityWILD programs financially. 鈥淚t鈥檚 deep work and it鈥檚 hard work, and cityWILD does it really well.鈥�

She also applauds Ward鈥檚 commitment.

鈥淛es is a champion for youth and a champion for the youth and outdoors movement across Colorado and the country,鈥� says Ms. Miller, who made her comments in an email interview. 鈥淛es is authentically committed to her staff and program participants and constantly reflecting on herself as a leader and [on] the organization to ensure they are operating in a way that has the greatest impact on the youth served.鈥�

Barriers vs. inclusivity

CityWILD has opened Ward鈥檚 eyes to the complex 鈥減sychological, cultural, and other barriers [that] low-income youth, youth of color, or youth with varying gender identities鈥� can encounter in trying to experience the outdoors. For example, someone at a ski resort, Ward recalls, told one student, 鈥淸I] go to the mountains to get away from people like you.鈥�

Such observations have only enhanced Ward鈥檚 efforts to lobby for greater inclusivity in the outdoors. She鈥檚 been further galvanized by witnessing the benefits that her students have reaped.

鈥淸I] see the transformation in young people when they do have access to the outdoors and nature: It is incredible,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey are not the same young people that walk in the doors the first time.鈥�

Sanjuana Casillas, who is in her early 20s, is a testament to cityWILD鈥檚 effect. She joined the program in 2006 and recently began an AmeriCorps term with the organization 鈥� as well as a term on the nonprofit鈥檚 board.

鈥淚t has always been a place I could go,鈥� Ms. Casillas says. 鈥淚t definitely has made me more outdoorsy ... [and] I found a voice as a leader when I was in sixth grade.鈥�

CityWILD鈥檚 principles and activities, Ward says, naturally support the emergence of leaders. 鈥淢any define leadership as getting young people to get in front of a room and speak,鈥� she says. 鈥淐ityWILD鈥檚 approach is a little different: Leadership is more organic than that, and it is in every action that we do, every day.鈥�

Ward stresses the intentional size of cityWILD, which hosts roughly 100 students per year. It is a drop-in program, she says, so somewhere between 10 and 30 might take part on a given day.

鈥淚t is really important for us to know the names of the students who come through the door,鈥� she says. Staff members also strive to be familiar with the students鈥� families and how the youths are doing in school.

CityWILD has an annual operating budget of about $450,000. Its funding is derived mostly from grants and donations, as well as revenue from programs it鈥檚 launched in which people purchase outdoor adventures that are guided and managed by cityWILD.

鈥楲ike a second home鈥�

Julian, 15, who was in the sixth grade when he joined cityWILD, credits the organization with putting him on a better path.

鈥淲ithout cityWILD, I definitely wouldn鈥檛 be in the place I am now,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 love it. It is like a second home.鈥�

That sentiment is shared by at least one parent 鈥� Liz Rolison 鈥� whose son, 15, and daughter, 13, participate in the program.

鈥淐ityWILD feels like a part of our family,鈥� she says in an email interview, adding that her children feel comfortable opening up to the cityWILD team about challenges.

Team members 鈥渁re not just going through the motions but are very perceptive, compassionate, and [they] engage with the kids on a personal level to help develop and encourage them to be productive members in the community,鈥� Ms. Rolison says. 鈥淲hen the kids or families present a problem, they work tirelessly to find resources to help them through their struggles.... For the children that attend cityWILD, and their families, having that type of support is invaluable.鈥�

The foundation of cityWILD鈥檚 success, Ward says, is the power of nature as a teacher. It鈥檚 something that works particularly well for this age group.

鈥淭eenagers are hard-wired to take risks. They are trying to push boundaries, [and] they are trying to learn about their place in the world,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ature and the outdoors provide an opportunity for youth to take that healthy risk.鈥�

How to take action

helps people give to and volunteer for top-performing charitable organizations around the world. All the projects are vetted by UniversalGiving; 100 percent of each donation goes directly to the listed cause. Below are links to three groups standing up for children, sometimes with an ecological component:

provides infrastructure improvements to orphanages and schools in the developing world. Take action: .

aims to abolish modern slavery. Take action: .

advocates on behalf of those who are poor, homeless, sick, displaced, or looking to improve their lives. Take action: .