Here at Elevate Youth, we are committed to creating inclusivity in outdoor spaces for our young people and all people of color. Now, more than ever, we must stand up and speak out against systemic racism.

While attending trips with Elevate Youth has been an incredible experience for me, what truly brings tears to my eyes is the thought that our work will someday give a child the confidence to experience nature on their own. To grab a fly rod, walk down to the river, and feel that same sense of relaxation that came so naturally to me.

I was terrified of a statewide or nationwide lockdown, thus forcing us to stay indoors without a definitive end in sight. The idea of being unable to get a breath of fresh air for multiple weeks truly panicked me. As I anxiously watched the news in those first couple of days of things “getting bad,” waiting for them to order me to stay inside, it got me thinking about my job.

The value of the outdoors becomes a lot clearer when access to these vast spaces is taken away from you. We have been stuck in a daze of school and work business, commotion, and news stimulus that everything else begins to fade away. The environment welcomes each individual as they are unlike many social networks.

For this installment of “Nonprofit of the Month,” we sat down and chatted with Elevate Youth’s Founder and Executive Director Alec “Griz” Griswold. Elevate Youth is a nonprofit organization operating in the Boston and greater-New England area that uses the outdoors and positive adult mentorship to empower underprivileged kids.

First and foremost, we hope you and your family are safe & healthy. As part of the Elevate Youth family, we want to update you on how we are responding to the unique circumstances we all are facing, and in particular the young people we serve and their parents/guardians, by tailoring new at-home programming in partnership with our school partners.

Local nonprofit Elevate Youth announced it has been awarded a grant of $15,000 from Patagonia Cambridge, the newest retail store for the outdoor industry leader. Elevate Youth is the first organization to receive a retail grant from Patagonia Cambridge.

In reflecting on the past year, I want to share my deep appreciation for your support of Elevate Youth. Author and activist Richard Louv says,“Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our children’s health,” and together we are working to ensure more youth have a bright and healthy future. The work we do is only possible with encouragement from champions like you.

It’s hard to think of something bad to say about an event that combines three pillars of fly fishing: food and drink, talking about fishing, and supporting a worthy cause. Such an event would make the Grinch grin. Make Scrooge smile. Make the antagonistic angler amicable to anything.

Beginning at the base of the chasm, the kids were thrilled to be thrown straight into action. Right away, there were opportunities to scramble up rocks, catch views from ledges, and explore something totally new. 

Hearing the excitement of her peers, Paige was reinvigorated. While maybe not thrilled that she was still quite far from the parking lot, she was not going to miss out on what sounded like a pretty impressive view. We made our way up the final stretch of uphill terrain to meet the rest of the group who were spread out across the lookout, taking in the view of their home down below.

“Have you ever seen a Nature Valley commercial?” Fatou, a ten-year-old hiker from Boys and Girls Club Dorchester asked me on our most recent adventure in the Blue Hills Reservation. I nodded, evoking an excited response, “Well this,” she said, gesturing to the rising dirt trails and trees bright green after a morning storm, “looks just like one of them!”

“By bringing youth, or anyone for that matter, into nature you are allowing them the chance to connect to the natural world around them, and maybe for the first time igniting a passion for the protection and preservation of that space. But even more than that, you are helping them find an escape in the beautiful and natural world belonging to all.”

With each turn and tip of the boats the girls laughed and screamed with thoughts they might get splashed or the boat would tip over. But as time went on, they got more comfortable and started leaning over the edge to touch the water. They took turns steering the boat and using the tiller, learning how to hike the sail up and break it down, and we also talked a lot about wind currents and what would happen if there was no wind at all!

“The fact is that too many kids do not grow up with the same outdoor access that I had. There are many factors that make immersive outdoor experiences difficult to come across for low-income families: costs, lack of transportation, few or no friends/family with outdoor skills, no access to out-of-school outdoor programs.”

“We’re an organization that is committed to facilitating healthy, long-term relationships through outdoors experiences. Close to 90% of the youth we work with, this is the first time they’re doing anything like this. With the support of a positive adult, they get out of their comfort zone and into a learning zone.”

We try not to pick favorite outings, but skiing is tough to beat.  On Saturday, February 2nd, we spent the day at Wachusett Mountain with 14 kids from our partner organization Harlem Lacrosse Boston.