Every Generation Deserves the Outdoors

Outdoor Lab has been enriching the lives of sixth graders and high school students in Jefferson County since 1957.

Each year we complete approximately 60 week-long camps, serve 35 middle schools, recruit nearly 1,000 high school leaders, and support 40 interns on campus. In total, we serve approximately 5,000 Jeffco sixth-grade students by connecting them – often for the first time – to the outdoors. There are very few programs in the country that operate on such a large scale, take place at inspirational and emotive campuses, provide the depth and breadth of programming, and tie back to the curriculum being taught at schools.

Specifically, Outdoor Lab is impactful because it carefully integrates proven youth development models, including experiential education, life-skills training, outdoor recreation, and mentorship. The curriculum and program format work in tandem to help students deepen their understanding of classroom curricula through hands-on experiences, realize their leadership potential, and advance social-emotional learning. Though each group experience is unique, we ensure consistency and alignment with our mutual objectives of teaching environmental science, physics, and astronomy, while also imparting civic mindedness, self-esteem, self-efficacy, empathy, and personal responsibility.

Outdoor Lab is vital to our community both as a fun rite of passage and an institution that positively develops our young people into tomorrow's well-rounded, confident, and empathetic leaders. More importantly, it helps students gain much more than knowledge. They gain skills in making a difference and an intrinsic belief that they can. That confidence and empowerment can spill over into other aspects of their lives. Time outside in nature provides myriad health and wellness benefits.

Unfortunately, not every young person in Jeffco has the same opportunity to enjoy the outdoors nor are they able to experience all the benefits of being connected to nature in an equitable way. We also understand many of our students don’t see themselves represented in outdoor culture. So, we have made it our overarching goal to ensure that, no matter which articulation area or neighborhood a student lives in, access to the outdoors is available to them. All programs and initiatives that the Outdoor Lab Foundation prioritizes work toward this end. As a result, we are focused on promoting equal access to Outdoor Lab even for the most impacted communities in the county and ensuring the regenerative effects of time outside are available to all. 

The Outdoor Lab Foundation supports four strategic priorities: the Tuition Assistance Program, the High School Leaders Program, the Intern Stipend Program, and the Site Support Program.

The Tuition Assistance Program – We ensure the fees to attend Outdoor Lab are as low or no cost to as many students as possible in the district. Over the past two schoolyears, the Foundation has provided $400,000 in grants to 35 middle schools to ensure every student can attend Outdoor Lab. We strongly believe that the ability to pay the fee should not be a barrier to participation.

The High School Leader Program – Outdoor Lab leans on the volunteer support of nearly 1,000 high school students each year. They lead classes, help students navigate campus, and serve as caring young adult mentors to our sixth-graders. In total, High School Leaders contribute over 80,000 hours of community service to Outdoor Lab and Jeffco neighborhood schools.

The Intern Program – We provide a $1,500 stipend and coordinate 6 college credits to 40 interns each year. Interns are the lifeblood of Outdoor Lab. They assist teachers, organize classes, train High School Leaders, and provide essential support to Outdoor Lab principals and site staff.

The Site Support Program – The Foundation works to ensure that nurses and aids have the outerwear and resources they need to keep every student safe, warm, dry, and feeling welcome on site. We also purchase materials and supplies for teachers to impart lessons in the field. Lastly, we make important maintenance and infrastructure improvements, ensuring the campuses remain attractive and engaging venues for learning.