Dear ARC Community,
As we make our way through winter and into spring, we want to take a moment to reflect on all we accomplished in 2023 and express our deepest gratitude to you for your generosity and support. Your belief in our mission helped us have a successful 2023, and we are so happy to share our accomplishments with you.
A message from our Co-Director, Cristina Cruz Navarro:
As a co-director of Adventure Risk Challenge, I am thrilled to express our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering support in 2023. It has allowed us to continue in our mission of empowering underserved youth through transformational literacy, leadership, and outdoor experiences. Your commitment to our cause has not only expanded our programs but has also created lasting memories and opportunities for growth for the youth we serve. Adventure Risk Challenge is immensely grateful for your belief in the potential of every young person, and we look forward to continuing this journey together in the years to come. Thank you for being a driving force behind our success.
In 2023, our year-round programming successfully engaged high school students in many types of activities, each carefully curated to align with our core pillars: literacy development, outdoor experiences and connection, community building, and leadership development. We engaged students in the classroom and after school with our identity-development curriculum. On our weekend trips, such as kayaking and hiking adventures at Sugar Pine Point and Pacheco State Parks, students were able to foster a deep connection with nature while strengthening their physical and mental well-being. The practical skill training of Wilderness First Aid and CPR prepared students with the knowledge to safely recreate and respond to emergencies in outdoor settings. Our orientation backpacking trips for each region in New Bullards Bar Reservoir and Henry Coe State Park immersed students in the foundational skills of backpacking and leadership and offered a glimpse into our summer programs.
We also ran three summer courses in 2023 – two of our signature month-long Immersive Courses and one of our new shorter Stepping Stone courses – in the Tahoe region and in Yosemite National Park. Our summer course participants backpacked through the mountains, wrote bravely from their hearts, discovered themselves as leaders, and bonded with their ARC families. Through all of these opportunities, ARC bridges the gap in literacy, outdoor connection, community, and leadership through experiences of learning and growth.
Our staff team is immensely grateful for all community members that have supported our programs, volunteered, donated, enabled outreach initiatives, or contributed in any way to ARC. As we gear up for the next chapter, we will continue to share our accomplishments, and we look forward to keeping you updated on the positive outcomes and ongoing projects that your support has made possible. Your continued involvement is not only deeply appreciated but essential to sustaining the positive momentum we’ve built together.
-ARC Team