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LAWT trains adult youth workers how to confidently & safely lead their kids on camping & backpacking trips.

Photo: Mike Rivera

Why get young people outdoors?

The trend these days is to spend more and more time indoors. That's where all the outlets are, right? Well, if kids can spend more time exploring and adventuring in nature, they generally score higher on tests, perform better in school, and work better in groups. Their life skills tend to improve, as well as strategy and problem-solving. There is a ripple effect that takes place, spreading outward to affect characteristics that were not directly influenced by a trip. To learn more, see the seminal book Last Child in the Woods: Saving our children from Nature-Defecit Disorder by Richard Louv.

In the outdoors, everything is real - nothing is virtual.
Youth learn to work together with others & deepen their knowledge of themselves.
Experiencing the power of the wilderness with your young people will deeply enhance your relationship with them.
For kids who have not seen wilderness, a simple trip to the ocean or seeing the Milky Way for the first time can be very powerful.
Stewardship in the future begins with appreciation now.
Our participants bring to LAWT a wealth of knowledge. We work together to benefit from the collective experience and learn from each other.

We train:

Teachers
After School program staff
Adult youth leaders

How to lead their kids on trips:

Camping
Backpacking
Exploring
Adventuring

We also support these trips with services such as access to equipment in our gear library. In LAWT’s gear library, we will have tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, clothes, boots, backpacks, stoves, etc.

There are only 2 other organizations in the country following this model, the Youth Opportunities Program (YOP) serving New York & Boston , & Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) serving the San Francisco Bay Area.

It is a potent model. LAWT is excited to bring this model to the Los Angeles area.

The model works because we provide in-depth role play scenarios and a simulation trip so our graduates are confident and empowered to lead their youth safely. We use a proven model to demonstrate real obstacles. We train leaders to turn challenges into opportunities with kids.

LAWT is a project of Earth Island Institute.

Map reading Photo: Carmen Jenkins
(If you see that one of your photos lacks a credit, please contact us & let us know!)