Creating wilderness exploration experiences that promote academic success, college and career readiness, and life-long thriving for Houston high school students who wouldn’t otherwise have access to these opportunities.
Our Vision: All students will one day have the social and emotional skills required for success in school and life.
The Woods Project partners with Houston high schools that serve high percentages of low-income students, who are most likely to benefit from the experience. Participants are from economically-disadvantaged households and range from 14 to 18 years of age. On average, 70% of participants are Latino, 20% are African-American, and the remainder are of mixed race or other ethnicity.
Utilizing trained volunteers and teachers as trip leaders allows for an extremely dynamic and efficient program that provides student participants with positive role models and exposes them to a larger perspective. Trip leaders come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, including demographics similar to those of TWP participants.
“I think the parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends of the students are all encouraged by seeing community youth go do something that most of them haven’t even considered a possibility. And when they see their youth return with a new maturity, most realize that leaving home and attending college is a real possibility.”
– Connor Parker, Volunteer Leader
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The Woods Project is committed to building and supporting a community of active inclusion. We encourage our students to recognize and embrace their full potential thereby enabling them to change their life trajectories for the better. We promote a culture free from bias for all students and volunteers, of every race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, ability and religious identity.
