LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD PRESIDENT

To our loyal Blue Sky supporters, 

They say that “life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and we can safely say that the adventures of 2020 pushed our community well beyond the limits. Like you, we’ve done our best to navigate the challenging terrain, discover alternative paths to serve our students, and ultimately embrace this wild journey.

COVID-19 has affected everyone, but it has especially impacted our students and shone a spotlight on the ever-widening equity gap, particularly in education. Most of our students are youth of color living at a poverty rate three times higher than the Virginia average. Virtual learning, which our students will have experienced for at least 18 months, requires students to spend 4-6 hours in front of a computer screen each day; if there was ever a need for kids to get outside, it is now. Over the past year, we’ve changed directions and found new inventive paths to continue providing our students with experiential outdoor education resources. These tools encourage kids, and their families, to step outside and get a proverbial “breath of fresh air” while also connecting with the restorative power of nature.

This school year, we converted our in-person science curriculum into interactive virtual lessons and physical science kits that are aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning and designed to complement concepts taught in Richmond Public Schools’ online classrooms. We also started to get youth back outside through modified versions of our outdoor adventure programs. These in-person interactions have been happening on a smaller scale with appropriate precautions but have still been incredibly life-giving for participants and staff alike.

This pandemic has called on all of us to adapt and establish new habits that will enable us to emerge from it healthy – not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and socially healthy as well. We’ve always believed in the power of outdoor experiences to improve a person’s overall well-being, but also know that not everyone has the same access to nature. No matter what the future holds, we want every child in our city to benefit from being outside and learning about the world around us.

With your support, Blue Sky forged new trails to impact Richmond’s youth of color by providing outdoor learning experiences that enhanced their at-home education and promoted the benefits of recharging in nature. Together, we can help Richmond’s future generations grow into bright and resilient individuals, now and long into the future.

With Gratitude,

Explorers

At the request of Richmond Public Schools (RPS), the Explorers program expanded from eight to fourteen Title I elementary schools for the 2019-2020 school year.  The program provided approximately 2,600 3rd-5th grade students with monthly nature-based science field trips across Richmond prior to the pandemic causing school closures in spring 2020. Blue Sky quickly pivoted to continue serving RPS students and teachers with repurposed Explorers experiential learning resources throughout the pandemic. The elementary school curriculum was converted into interactive virtual lessons aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning science guidelines and made accessible to all RPS 3rd-5th grade students and teachers. The Explorers team also assembled and distributed science investigation kits to students at our 14 partner Title I schools, enabling them to complete hands-on experiments at home. These tools encouraged safe and active outdoor exploration for the whole family, while also complementing the virtual lessons offered by Richmond Public Schools.

outdoor adventure clubs

Prior to the pandemic, our Outdoor Adventure Clubs engaged middle school students after school once or twice a week in activities designed to push them out of their comfort zone and strengthen key resilience skills. For the 2020 spring semester, staff reworked the Outdoor Adventure Clubs curriculum to facilitate virtual after-school outdoor education sessions. As the new school year started, staff facilitated modified, in-person outdoor programming with appropriate safety precautions to small groups of middle school students. 

These in-person offerings continued to provide opportunities for students to explore outdoor skills, build meaningful connections with their peers and supportive adults, and experience the restorative power of nature during this challenging season.

outdoor leadership institute

The Outdoor Leadership Institute focused energy on new pathways to serve our community at the start of the pandemic by promoting safe ways for participants to support their neighbors. The 2020-2021 Outdoor Leadership Institute timeline was rerouted, as the summer wilderness expeditions were delayed. Instead, the program kicked off by gathering a small group of high school students and former participants for monthly Saturday service projects with local community partners. This year’s adapted program model provided a chance to reconnect with old participants and strengthen our Outdoor Leadership Institute community during this challenging time.

Financials

2020 financials as reported on audited year end statements of revenues and expenses.