Find Posts By Topic

The Outdoor Opportunities Program makes big adventure accessible for Seattle teens

Where can you learn to snowboard, pick up some first aid skills, take a tour of a chocolate factory, and find out about college opportunities? The Outdoor Opportunities (O2) Program offers all of this and more! The O2 Program is an outdoor expedition program designed to give multi-ethnic teens ages 14-19 access to environmental education, urban conservation, and stewardship. Program staff strive to create an environment for community leadership and empowerment via workshops, service projects and outdoor excursions, all of which are free for program participants. The O2 program provides its members with opportunities like year-round overnight excursions, environmental service learning projects, and weekly workshops.

This winter, program participants got up to all sorts of fun activities in their after-school workshops. The Central branch held events ranging from cooking, money talks, and journaling to karaoke, scavenger hunts, and escape rooms. The South-End branch took on environmental art, secret spots of Seattle, vertical gardening, a college series, and a chocolate tour.

 

In addition to after-school workshops, the O2 program also hosts special events. Recently, O2 youth participated in a 4-day Advanced Wilderness First Aid certification course. Attendees learned how to properly move an injured person, immobilize an arm injury, improvise a leg splint, identify skin injuries, and more. The group also sponsors service projects, including a youth-led Martin Luther King Jr. Day march and work at an urban farm.

The best part? No experience or special gear is required to join in on the fun. If you are interested in joining the O2 program, download the application, fill it out and mail to:

O2 Camp Long Environmental Learning Center
5200 35th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98126

Please note: There are designated pick-up locations for this program. You will need to be able to access one of these locations in order to participate in the program: Camp Long Environmental Learning Center, Garfield Community Center, Jefferson Community Center, Rainier Community Center, or Rainier Beach Community Center.

To see what fun O2 youth will be having this spring, check out their Spring Calendar.