City Kids enrolls 20 new 6th graders every year and supports them through a six year or longer process to realize their individual potential, and to set and begin to implement individualized future goals. During the school year we are based in DC and provide after school and weekend outdoor adventure programming as well as job training and college preparation programming. In the summer we move to Jackson, WY where we run three sessions of summer camp, as well as career exploration and job training programming for our older youth.
We use experiential education and outdoor adventure experiences as a lab to help children learn the values of plan, prepare, proceed, and to build their resiliency, broaden their sense of personal possibility, and to build the skills they need to work well with others as both team leaders and team members. We then transfer what they learn from these experiences to their real lives to help them pursue academic, career, and personal achievements. In the past three years, over 95 percent of our high school youth have graduated, in comparison, DC has less than a 65 percent graduation rate.
Ages 11 – 13
Ranger & Mountaineers
Self-reliance, personal responsibility, and sociability
Participants learn outdoor skills and try new things at summer camp and during the school year through our after school and weekend outdoor adventure programming:
- Backpacking
- Canoeing
- Horseback riding
- Study skills and homework support
Youth are supported in their development with an emphasis on:
- Goal-setting
- Teamwork
- Taking care of self, others, and the environment
- Nonviolent conflict resolution
Ages 14 – 15
Elite
Sense of possibility and perseverance
Participants tackle physical challenges in the wilderness:
- Backcountry hiking in the Sawtooth Mountains and kayaking in Yellowstone
- Exploring historic sites and cultural exhibits
- School year weekend programming
- Week-long kayaking trip in the rivers, swamps, and ocean of South Carolina (spring break)
Youth development focus:
- Overcoming challenges
- Managing feelings in a constructive way
- Personal contribution and leadership
Ages 15 – 16
Leadership
Community leadership, skills for a successful life
Participants test their mastery of outdoor skills through high adventure activities:
- Rock climbing
- White water kayaking
- 24 hour solo
- School year weekend programming
Youth demonstrate their newfound leadership skills by exploring issues within their communities and taking action through:
- Community service and volunteer programming
- Social justice workshops
Ages 15-18
JET (Job Experience Training)
Positive vision for the future, career exploration, planning
One-on-one mentorship and career planning support:
- CAMP LEADER: paid summer job opportunity as a peer mentor and program assistant, preceded by six weeks of training during the school year.
- CAREER EXPLORATION: workshops and mini-internship placements to test career interests
- CITY KIDS SERVE: school year service learning program
- College preparation support
- Job and post-secondary education coaching and training
- Opportunity to take a NOLS course, or summit the Grand Teton as a culminating adventure
Ages 18+
Alumni
Alumni receive regular check-ins and support for at least two years after completing the program. Alumni are eligible for:
- One-on-one one mentorship and career planning support
- Post-secondary education and job coaching
- Alumni outdoor adventures and networking gatherings
- Volunteer engagement and job opportunities with City Kids programs
“ Being a JET is an empowering experience. It gives you the experience of an actual worker. This is going to be something that helps all JETs in the future. The whole City Kids experience gives people what they need and I want to be a part of that.”
— JERU CRAWFORD, JET 2015