Gain Your Outside Perspective

On May 9th Outside Perspectives embarked on its' first expedition of the season with all 12 girls from the Ethel Walker School's 7th Grade class. The Ethel Walker School is an independent, college preparatory, boarding and day school for girls in grades 6 through 12 in Simsbury, CT. Coming at the end of the school year, the expedition fortified the existing relationships between the girls and supported the school's grounding values of  integrity ,  respect ,  confidence ,  courage ,  conviction , and  love of learning.  By reflecting these important values in all aspects of the expedition, Outside Perspectives is supporting the framework for personal, ethical and social growth which will follow them as they move into the 8th grade and beyond. The girls tackled many obstacles on their journey and explored some of the most beautiful scenery Connecticut and Massachusettes has to offer. Hiking eight strenuous miles wi...

Despite our quiet social media presence, OP has been VERY BUSY this winter! The OP field team has returned from a week-long scouting trip to the Adirondack Wilderness in upstate New York (also knowns as ADK or the "Dacks" for short). OP will be taking Youth Excellence Project  on another 8-day Backpacking/Canoeing/Rock Climbing Expedition this August and we scoured the area to find just the right EPIC EXPERIENCE for them! While the snow and cold kept us on our toes (and wiggling them in our boots), we had the backcountry all to ourselves. Maya, our sweet little office dog, experienced her first long trip and despite some shivering and a bruised tail (from too much excitement), she LOVED IT! She was an excellent member of the team running many more miles than Nicky and Shannon combined. Discovering these backcountry field areas launched us headlong into full-on SPRING FEVER. OP will kick off the expedition season in early May with a 3-day  Ethel Walker ...

With no roof over our heads, we slept in a new campsite each night, carried and made our own food, and continuously moved ourselves and our gear for seven days by human power alone! The men of Youth Excellence Project  (YEP) covered over 40 miles of terrain on our recent expedition to Maine, crossing the Bigelow Mountains and paddling back to our start via the great Flagstaff Lake. We endured crazed mosquitoes, rain, wind, heat and cold. Though, as the Norwegian proverb says, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. [gallery ids="2801,2800,2638" type="rectangular"] While a new experience for some, the guys hiked and paddled themselves well, mastering skills quickly, often arriving in camp with down-time to spare. Cards were played, footballs tossed, cannon ball jumps perfected, and Smore's roasted. Perhaps most impressive though, was that the guys spent the entire trip without any of their technological devices! We didn't hear complaints or ...

Outside Perspectives is making great strides this year, increasing our reach and support of youth -- especially underserved youth. We have big expeditions with YEP and COBA fast approaching and have set our sights on becoming a completely MOBILE OPERATION   as soon as possible. HELP US REALIZE OUR GOAL! Our final puzzle piece is  to RAISE $2400 for   the purchase of an enclosed TRAILER, allowing us to transport equipment to our expeditions.  Feel free to offer whatever amount is right for you.  Donors giving $100 or more will receive a token of our gratitude with the choice of an Outside Perspectives T-shirt or hat. ​​ CLICK HERE TO DONATE   Sponsoring businesses will receive valuable ongoing advertisement on the trailer with a custom decal of the company name, logo, and contact information. If you know of, or own, a business interested in this benefit please contact us. On behalf of Outside Perspectives and all of the youth we serve ... THANK YOU for your generosity! ​​​ ​

On the weekend of June 10th-11th, The CT Youth Excellence Project joined Outside Perspectives to backpack up and over Mt. Everett on the Appalachian Trail in Southern Massachusetts. This was the first backpacking experience for the group and it was in preparation for their upcoming excursion with Outside Perspectives to the Bigelow Mountains in Maine . [gallery ids="2417,2416,2415" type="rectangular"] The group met at the trail head of Race Brook Falls Trail and immediately started their hike. For some, this first mile was very difficult as they adjusted to the weight of their packs and the steep uphill climb. However, the group persevered by working together and made it to a beautiful 100-ft waterfall known as Race Brook Falls . The water was clear, cold and refreshing as the boys took off their shoes to cool off from the hike. We refilled our water bottles and continued pushing upwards, passing Race Brook campsite and turning onto the Appalachian Trail. [galler...

Sometimes the most unexpected gifts come from the most painful experiences.  As many of you know, our dear friend and co-instructor, Nathan Bliss, unexpectedly passed in late April. The loss has been difficult. He was a talented instructor with great wit and humor and a huge heart for kids. He was known for digging deep and giving it his all to ensure that students received the best from him. At services and celebrations, we met people and heard story after story from across the decades of his life, affirming our experiences of his special qualities. While we would trade it all to have Nate and his crazy antics back Earthside, we are grateful for the gifts he left behind for us. Unexpected joys in the deep loss.... Some of these gifts come from Nate's family and his good friends, Frankie and Kara Cecchinelli, founders and owners of Figidini's Wood Fired Eatery in Providence, Rhode Island. A bit of the backstory.... Upon the restaurant's grand opening four years ago, true t...

A blog post from Outside Perspectives Executive Director, Nicky Wood: [gallery ids="2198,2166,2169" type="rectangular"] On April 22nd I went to the Northeast Regional Conference for the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) in Becket, Massachusetts and thought I would share some of my experience. AEE is a nonprofit, international, professional organization whose mission is to develop and promote experiential education. Its membership consists of individuals and organizations with affiliations in education, recreation, outdoor and adventure programming, the environment, mental health, youth development, programming of people with disabilities, service learning, and organizational development. The intent of AEE is to contribute to making a more just and compassionate world by transforming education. Needless to say, if Outside Perspectives were going to be connected to a professional organization, AEE would be a perfect fit. [caption id="attachment_2173...