Happy April & happy spring! We’ve been thinking a lot lately on what it means to belong. To us, there are many ways one can belong. You can belong in your community, among your peers, at your job… the list goes on.
The through line in all of this is that feeling a deep sense of belonging is the critical stepping stone to developing positive self-esteem and consequently reaching your highest potential (if you paid attention in psych100, this may sound familiar – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, anyone?!).
Here’s our point – at SOS, we’re equipping youth with the confidence to Belong Everywhere.For 30 years & counting, we’ve been empowering young people to belong in the mountains, with their peers & mentors, in their community, in the outdoor industry, and as leaders…
…and our program was intentionally designed to do exactly that. Our Introductory Program brings youth onto the slopes, equipping them with the skills, gear, and most importantly, the confidence, to belong in a space that has historically been exclusive.
Our Mentor Program further reinforces belonging in the mountains, while introducing mentorship, service to the community, and strengthened peer-to-peer connection though workshops.
And finally, our Junior Mentor, Career, and Alumni Programs help young people explore their passions, find their voice, and serve as role models to empower the next generation. Funny how something as simple as skiing can transpire into so much more, huh?
Ultimately, we know that in order for our youth to discover their fullest potential, belonging is the critical foundation in which everything else rests upon.
We hope you spend some time today giving gratitude to the spaces where you belong and maybe even reflecting on how you can welcome others into those spaces.
But in the meantime, have a scroll to see what’s happening inside the circle and don’t forget to…
Spread the Love!
When we say belong everywhere, this is what we mean. Enjoy!
As our winter season comes to a close, it is important to celebrate all that was accomplished together. Check out some of the great photos of mentors and mentees enjoying their final ride days of the year!
We also want to give a shout out to all of our incredible mountain partners and the awesome folks at Epic Promise who have made their mountains a safe and welcoming environment for our participants, to connect, grow, and thrive!
Keystone
Summit County, CO
Northstar
North Lake Tahoe, CA/NV
Park City Mountain
Park City, UT
Mt. Brighton
Detroit, MI
Heavenly
South Lake Tahoe, CA/NV
Beaver Creek
Eagle County, CO
Summit County, CO: For the first time ever we offered an all Spanish ski film premier in collaboration with Mountain Dreamers and Outlier Film Series. SOS alums, Fernanda Landeros and Kathy Flores, joined other prominent community members as well as Dani Reyes-Acosta (pro athlete, producer, and director of the film), on a panel to discuss how the outdoors have influenced their lives and what they would like to see change in our community.
This is only the beginning of offering programs like this and we are dedicated to making these spaces safer for the 47% of our community who identify as Spanish speakers.
Park City, UT: PCMR’s Women’s Only Weekend with Nature Valley.
Snoqualmie, WA: Elevate Outdoor Collective x Dru Bru fundraiser. Over $8,600 raised!
Truckee, CA: Happy hour with Tahoe Mountain Realty.
Meet Leo!
Leo is a North Lake SOS alum and recently had the opportunity to check out the Gold Pass to go ride for a day at Mt. Rose.
We use this pass like a library book, allowing SOS alumni to check it out for a day and go ride for free!
“I don’t have as much time to ride anymore, but getting out to explore a new mountain was really cool… I’m really glad that SOS is doing this for alumni, it’s awesome!” – Leo
Ridgelines: Sharing love of the mountains (Park Record) – “On a bluebird day at Park City Mountain, two young snowboarders darted through the trees off Detonator under the watchful eyes of their SOS Outreach mentor, Vicente Flores. “…read more.
Continuing the Commitment to ‘Doing Good’ (Steamboat Mountain Blog) – “An example of this is the resorts partnerships, like the one with SOS Outreach, which is dedicated to creating a more diverse and inclusive winter sports community in Routt and Moffat counties”…read more.
