A group of Outside the City participants standing together on a forest trail under tall pines, with Big Bear Lake behind them

Big Bear, CA

First hikes. First paddles.
Second chances.

We take formerly gang-involved young adults and at-risk youth into the wild — every trip free, structured, and a turning point.

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01Mission

Adventure.
Healing.
Second chances.

For many of our participants, it's their first hike. Their first bike ride on a trail. Their first night sleeping in a tent under stars.

These experiences are not recreational outings — they are structured, purpose-driven programs designed to interrupt old patterns and write new ones. We pair guided outdoor adventures with mentorship, leadership development, and workforce reintegration. Every program is free for participants, every time.

Free, structured outdoor adventures for formerly gang-involved young adults and at-risk youth — fostering healing, resilience, and second chances through nature.

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500+

Youth & adults served since 2023

30+

Outdoor activities offered

SoCal counties served

100%

Free for every participant

501(c)(3)

Nonprofit, Teen Health Inc.

02Programs

Six entry pointsinto the outdoors.

Trail, water, wheels, camp, climb, and overland. Each program runs the same recipe — clear objective, skilled guide, real gear, zero cost.

Two participants in Homeboy Industries shirts pose on a hilltop at Crystal Cove State Park, with the coastline and ocean stretching out behind them

Trail

Multi-mile guided hikes in coastal canyons, foothill preserves, and high-desert ridges. For many participants, the first real hike of their lives.

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Water

Paddleboarding, surfing, outrigging, sailing, and open-water swims — the Pacific as classroom, mentor, and reset button.

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A smiling mountain biker in a helmet and red jersey leans over his bike on a dirt ridge trail under a cloudy sky

Wheels

From parking-lot skills clinics to single-track descents across SoCal trail systems — confidence, balance, and momentum.

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Camp

First nights under real stars. Fire-cooked meals, tent setups, and desert sunrise wakeups — often a participant's first.

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Climb

From bouldering walls to learning to trust the rope, the belayer, and yourself, one move at a time.

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A white Jeep Wrangler with two bikes on a rear rack drives a gravel track toward a dark volcanic mountain in the Icelandic Highlands, under a clear blue sky

Overland

Long days on gravel roads and backcountry routes, far from pavement and cell signal — where getting there is the whole adventure.

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03Values

What every OTC outing
is built on.

Every outing is unique, but they're built upon four common ideas.

Big Bear Lake framed by pine trees, with forested mountains rising beyond the water

Photo by Joshua Chun on Unsplash

Adventure Changes Lives

Every trip is purpose-built — structured around movement, novelty, and challenges we take on together to create experiences that build confidence and stay with a person long after the adventure ends.

The Power of the "First"

For most participants, this is their first hike. First paddle. First night under the stars. We honor that moment with supportive guides, real gear, and zero cost.

Show Up. Walk Together.

We get people outside — into real wilderness, real terrain, real challenge, real beauty — we share these experiences together.

Measure What Matters

It doesn't matter if we are out on the beach, in the desert, or up in the mountains. Something shifts when you spend a day out there doing something real — and you can see it on the way home.

FIELD NOTE

“When you walk beside someone on a trail, share a conversation at a campsite, or paddle together across open water — you become part of their healing story.”

Scott Swift · Founder

04Current Partners