We’ve all heard of the red pill vs blue pill. But what about raspberry vs blackberry? This year, philanthropy feels like choosing between berries: one quick and easy, the other tangled with thorns.

On a recent camping trip at Lost Lake, I realized how much nonprofits like mine—Camping to Connect—are pouring from empty cups while funders shift priorities in the wake of “woke” politics. Grants vanish. Timelines stall. Leaders burn out.

The question isn’t just about resources. It’s about courage. Will philanthropy choose comfort, or step through the thorns to nourish something lasting?

In a time when connection feels harder to come by, nature reminds us we were never meant to carry it all alone.

I wrote this piece reflecting on my journey with Camping to Connect, and as a proud member of Boyz N The Wood. It’s a story about healing, community, and why we need to rethink our relationship with the outdoors; because what’s at stake isn’t just our health, it’s our humanity.

Let’s talk about what it really means to be nurtured by nature.

When the van door slides open, it’s often met with hesitation. The young men inside step out cautiously. There’s a moment, brief yet profound, when the silence of the woods settles around them. One of them, usually around 14 or 15 years old, whispers incredulously, “I didn’t know it could be this quiet.” That quiet is the first exhale; a subtle, significant release from the constant tension of urban survival.

Vasque Footwear, with nearly 60 years of experience delivering functional, durable footwear to millions of outdoor enthusiasts, is proud to announce a strategic, long-term partnership with Camping to Connect. Through this partnership, Vasque will help bring outdoor experiences and educational opportunities to young individuals and foster a connection with nature and personal growth.

In today's fast-paced, urban-centric world, mental health struggles have become increasingly common, and young men of color are no exception. However, through outdoor recreation and nature immersion, we can foster healing and personal growth while addressing various issues, such as mental health and healthy masculinity

Backpacker’s Pantry, a family-owned maker of gourmet adventure meals, announces today its latest partnership within its ‘Environmental Access and Education’ give back vertical, with the Young Masterminds Initiative nonprofit organization. Specifically, Backpacker’s Pantry will provide financial support to its Camping to Connect program for youth from Black, Indigenous and People of Color (“BIPOC”) communities in New York and Colorado. Backpacker’s Pantry will also make food donations throughout the year for their excursions.

Camping to Connect is a BIPOC-led experiential mentorship program that uses outdoor recreation and nature immersion to address the diverse issues faced by young men of color in America’s cities—from mental health to healthy masculinity. 

As a grantee of Nike, Inc.’s Black Community Commitment, Camping to Connect is thrilled that our parent company, Young Masterminds Initiative, joins the third year of this movement to advance equality at the local level in New York City. Thanks to NIKE for celebrating and elevating the work we do, and for their support in 2023.

Being able to access nature is a basic human right, yet systemic racism has denied this right to many people of color. A right that has been sometimes forgotten as such by the people who need it most, largely in part because of generational trauma, lack of education, resources, representation, fear, and even shame.

KLYMIT DEBUTS LIMITED-EDITION NAVIGATOR COLLECTION INSPIRED BY THE ORIGINS OF OUTDOOR EXPLORATION

A Portion of Proceeds Benefit Nonprofit Camping To Connect, Helping Fund Outdoor Mentoring Experiences for Urban Youth

At a time when people of color have reported increased levels of stress, trauma and anxiety, experts suggest nature experiences might be a crucial coping tool… Amid pandemic stress and racial violence, many communities of color have turned to wilderness areas for healing.

WOOD HOOD, a documentary short film about—and produced by—Camping to Connect premiered on May 27, 2022, at the 44th Annual Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, CO to inspired audiences and rave reviews. One of America's longest-running film festivals, Mountainfilm “uses the power of film, art, and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world.”

Last weekend’s Camping to Connect retreat saw another group of young “masterminds” from New York ditch their kicks for hiking boots, and head to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in western New Jersey.

Camping to Connect, a new experiential learning and mentorship initiative for underserved young men, kicks off this month with a special two-day, overnight camping experience on historic Governors Island, a 172-acre park in the heart of New York Harbor that is normally closed to overnight visitors.