158 volunteers support us and our mission!

158 volunteers support Elevate Youth and our mission! We are so grateful for the incredible people around the north east that make time to support us. Elevate Youth’s volunteers join us on our outdoor trips or after school to and serve as positive adult role models. Additionally, our skills-based volunteers assist with event planning, grants, and community relations.

Earlier this fall one anonymous volunteer told us, “Elevate Youth is an incredible organization and a great opportunity to connect with kids and have a meaningful impact on their lives.” Where does this meaningful impact come from? Our volunteers play a key role in creating this impact during both enrichment and outings: they equip youth with proper clothes and gear, share instruction and tips about new activities, and develop healthy, emotional bonds with youth along the way.

In addition to our incredibly supportive volunteers, our Outdoor Mentors partner with EY to be long-term, consistent role models. Outdoor Mentors pair with a specific youth cohort and attend at least one outing or enrichment session per month. These Outdoor Mentors develop bonds with their cohorts and impact our youth as healthy role models. 

Our volunteer and outdoor mentor network consists of 158 incredible individuals. They range from first-year students at Northeastern University in their Connections and Decisions Service Learning classes, to outdoor hobbyists and teachers, to seasoned veterans of outdoor education. 56% of volunteers identify as White and 44% identify as either Black/African American, Multiracial, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, or other. 52% of our volunteers are male and 48% are female. We are working to have this demographic more closely reflect the communities and youth with whom Elevate Youth serves.

While the majority of our 158 volunteers are 25-30 years old, Elevate Youth’s oldest volunteer is 64! This proves there is no definitive age to be involved: the outdoors are for everyone and kids need role models from all walks of life. We’re so grateful for the amazing volunteers that make time to support EY.

Speaking of making an impact at any age, Elevate Youth will be ushering in the next generation of outdoor mentors through our upcoming Stewards program! Moving forward, we’re developing a program to re-engage the youth who have recently graduated from their school’s EY afterschool program. These youth will serve as peer mentors and give back to their own communities while learning about leadership, the environment, and health & wellness.

This fall, a second anonymous volunteer shared, “Elevate Youth is a wonderful program! It reminded me of my own experiences as a kid with similar programs. Very thankful that programs like this still exist for kids who wouldn't be able to experience these kinds of activities!” In addition to supporting our youth and our mission, our volunteers are able to rekindle their personal connections to the outdoors. Adult volunteers reap the benefits of our mission to make the outdoors accessible – they often learn the new activities alongside our youth on our outings. Through spending time with Elevate Youth, our volunteers are able to build community in Boston, develop a sense of purpose, and learn new skills.

Elevate Youth is incredibly grateful for the 158 individuals that make time to support us and our mission. You have the opportunity to show your commitment as well – consider making a year-end donation today to sustain Elevate Youth into the new year. You can also consider becoming a monthly donor to ensure we are able to operate year-round.

Want to make it 159? Learn how to get involved as a volunteer or outdoor mentor here.