City Kids Wilderness Project is a non-profit organization founded on the belief that providing enriching life experiences for DC children can enhance their lives, the lives of their families and the greater community.
City Kids Wilderness Project is a non-profit organization founded on the belief that providing enriching life experiences for DC children can enhance their lives, the lives of their families and the greater community.
Mission
City Kids Wilderness Project’s mission is to build resiliency, broaden horizons, cultivate community, and develop skills for success in DC youth through a long-term, cohort-based model that utilizes both the wilderness and urban environment to encourage growth.
Program Overview
City Kids Wilderness Project is a DC-based nonprofit dedicated to providing transformative outdoor experiences for 6th-12th grade students over a seven-year journey. Through adventures in Washington, DC, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming—our home away from home—we empower youth to build resilience, expand their horizons, and develop essential life skills.
For over 28 years, City Kids has been a trusted space for youth, primarily from Wards 5, 7, and 8, offering opportunities to explore nature and challenge themselves in a supportive community.
During the school year, participants paddle the Potomac, bike the C&O Canal, scale indoor and outdoor climbing walls, and embark on sea kayaking adventures along the East Coast. In the summer, they head west to Broken Arrow Ranch in Jackson Hole, where they experience the magic of camp—horseback riding, backpacking in the Tetons, kayaking in Yellowstone, and so much more.
Beyond outdoor adventures, City Kids supports high school students with career exploration, job training, community service, and social justice programming—equipping them with the skills and confidence to thrive.
Core Values
Joy
We honor the power of play and presence of magic created through community and outdoor experiences. Through connection, creativity, belonging, accomplishment, and time spent outdoors, play deepens to joy.
Effort
Harnessing our personal power for growth and change, we put effort towards our visions and take personal responsibility for our commitments. Whether on the trail or in the office, we know that there is satisfaction to be realized when we try hard and explore the bounds of possibility in service to our mission.
Connection
We recognize our interdependence and nurture meaningful relationships of mutual accountability and care. Centering collectivism versus individualism teaches us that finding resolution, honoring needs, and supporting one another, keeps our community whole. Relationships extend to the animals, plants, places, and cultures around us and we bring awareness and compassion to those encounters.
Preparation
We plan and prepare for the task at hand to set ourselves up for success. This creates clarity and consistency so that those around us feel supported in engaging with new, challenging, and changing experiences.
Evolution
People and organizations blossom over time. We encourage evolution by maintaining awareness of change, honoring what works, improving what we can, and letting go of things that no longer serve our community and mission. Through patience, observation, repetition, revision, and long-term commitment, we are witness to the manifestation of this shared vision.