Welcome Back: N’Dea Stewart Returns to City Kids as Program Manager
City Kids Wilderness Project is thrilled to welcome back N’Dea Stewart as the Program Manager for the Elite and Leadership cohorts (8th-9th graders). N’Dea, a proud City Kids alumna, joined the program in 2005. Her deep passion for community and youth engagement, paired with her personal journey through City Kids, makes her an invaluable member of our team.
Reflecting on her journey, N’Dea shares, “I’m always just thinking about how to make an impact in my city. I’m from DC and I care really deeply about our community and youth. I always think about the youth workers that made a difference in my life…my City Kids experience was amazing, and I want to contribute to creating an experience for kids that is even greater than mine. It’s all about paying it forward.”
N’Dea’s path from participant to Program Manager is a full-circle moment. She reflected on her first summer in Wyoming through the program. “Everything was new to me. Of course, when I was a kid, I was outside from sun up to sun down playing jump rope and basketball, but not outside in that capacity.” N’Dea grew to love wilderness adventure and found a second home in Jackson.
After her internships at Mad River Boat Trips in Jackson through City Kids, she came back to live and work in Jackson for another summer. “I took a leap of faith, and City Kids gave me the foundation to branch out on my own. Jackson is where I found my people,” she recalls. During this time, she fostered connections with the community and created lasting memories—including meeting Leonardo DiCaprio while working as a whitewater rafting outfitter!
As a former participant, N’Dea brings a unique perspective to her role. “I’m excited to provide that alumni perspective. I know DC really well, and I want to help deepen our connection to the city. We have a huge presence in Jackson, but I want to engage more with the communities where our kids live, their families and neighborhoods,” she said.
Some of N’Dea’s favorite outdoor spots in the district include Rock Creek Park and a trail in Southeast DC near the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. She is eager to help DC youth discover hidden hikes and outdoor escapes that are accessible by metro, bike, or on foot. “Being outdoors is what you make it,” she explains. “You don’t have to be in the backcountry or a national park.”
N’Dea’s approach to youth work is rooted in the lessons she learned from her own mentors. Besides her family, N’Dea considers the City Kids team from her time in the program to have been her second-biggest supporters.
“The people I connected with were genuine, patient, consistent, and calm. I came away with a deep understanding of how to build relationships gradually, and that consistency is key,” she said.
Outside of work, N’Dea enjoys spending time with her family, hosting, cooking, and showing love through food—a love passed down from her upbringing, where her home was always open to friends for meals and cookouts.
We’re thrilled to have N’Dea back at City Kids and look forward to the impact she will have on the next generation of City Kids.
