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Interview with a Badass: Bryan Martin from Outdoor Lab Foundation

Powder7 is donating 7% of sales on Colorado Gives Day to the Outdoor Lab Foundation.

The Outdoor Lab Foundation is one of the longest-running outdoor education programs in the western United States. Its programs immerse 6th graders and high schoolers from Colorado’s Jefferson County in an outdoor academic setting. We’re sending 7% of our sales on Colorado Gives Day this year to OLF. As locals of JeffCo, we’re stoked to support our local community and help students get to experience the joy of the outdoors.

To learn a little more about OLF, we chatted with the executive director of OLF, Bryan Martin. Bryan gave us some insight into why outdoor education is important, how learning archery teaches you physics, and the other work OLF does.

Photo courtesy of OLF

Tell me a little bit about Outdoor Lab Foundation; what kind of work do you do?

The Outdoor Lab Foundation works in partnership with Jeffco Public Schools to provide over 50 weeklong camps so that every 6th grader in the district can have a transformative experience outdoors. Each year we serve around 5,000 6th graders and another 1,000 high school students with camp experiences at our two mountain campuses, Windy Peak and Mt. Blue Sky.

How did you get involved with OLF?

I have always been passionate about the outdoors. I have been working for conservation and outdoor recreation-related nonprofit organizations my entire career. Before this, I worked for organizations such as the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, the Colorado Mountain Club, the Land Trust Alliance, and Big City Mountaineers. I have been Executive Director for Outdoor Lab Foundation since January 2021. It’s been a great fit for me since my wife teaches in the Jeffco and I now have three boys going to school in the district.

Students on a winter hike, learning how to build character in cold weather. | Photo courtesy of OLF

What does the actual “Outdoor Lab” camp for students look like? What’s the goal for bringing them up to camp?

Great question! With each camp, we strive to connect students, to their community, and to nature. We do this through a series of core classes designed to impart important class-based lessons and social-emotional learning. We teach physics through our archery class. We teach teamwork and communication through our low ropes course. We teach biology through our Ecosystems hike. We teach sustainability through our Leave No Trace hike. And so on… More importantly, it helps students gain much more than knowledge. They gain skills in making a difference and an intrinsic belief that they can. That confidence and empowerment then transfer to other aspects of their lives.  

I took a four-week field course at our mountain campus in college. It was an amazing experience, but I wish I had gotten to experience something like that earlier in life. Why do you think these experiences are important to have for younger students?

Outdoor Lab is just a fun rite of passage for our students. And it’s a great age to challenge students with an away-from-home experience. It’s a great time to do something independent and the depth and breadth of the experience is just enough for transformations to take hold.  We use proven positive youth development models, including experiential education, life-skills training, outdoor recreation, and mentorship. When they are with us, they learn how to take better care of themselves, support one another, and show new sides of themselves that are typically held down in the traditional school setting.

I saw a little bit about the internships you offer, as well as high school leaders. Can you tell me a little about those programs?

Yes! This is one of our favorite parts of the program. Each year, 40 Interns and 1,000 High School Leaders support the full-time teachers and staff at Outdoor Lab. These young adult mentors serve as instructors, role models, and land stewards to ensure the smooth operation of Outdoor Lab. They are fundamental to the success of the program, and we are proud to connect them more deeply to their community and the environment.

Students building connections in a new environment. | Photo courtesy of OLF

Interns instruct classes, often co-teaching with classroom teachers, while managing daily operations and maintaining facilities. Interns serve for a semester and experience a powerful opportunity to learn and develop work skills in outdoor and environmental education, land stewardship, facilities management, and collaborative teamwork. They fill an important role at the sites by supporting teachers, directing high school leaders and ensuring every student has opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning at Outdoor Lab’s wilderness classroom. They work as part of a team to help students learn about ecology, geology, hydrology, astronomy, navigation, archery and more. Interns receive a $1,500 stipend and up to 6 credits through Red Rocks Community College.

High School Leaders serve as volunteer instructors for one week at a time. They are foundational to the Outdoor Lab experience because we rely on the passion and dedication of these young adults to work in small groups with students and support them through the challenges at camp. We need to recruit about 20 high school students per camp to help us have ideal ratios with the 6th graders. They are powerful role models for our sixth-graders. Connecting with the high school kids is one of the biggest highlights the 6th graders talk about.

Do you have any stories of a student’s experience that has stuck with you?

Absolutely. We recently received a donation from the mom of a student who said “he just had the best time at Outdoor Lab and he loved his High School Leaders. Thank you for doing what you do.” That’s huge.  But some of the best stories come from the high school students who have served as interns for us or have earned one of our college scholarships. To see them pursuing their passion in the outdoors or natural resources field after they have left is awesome.

We have recent graduates of our program that have gone on to become environmental educators at Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, attend Oregon State University in pursuit of a conservation science degree, and become environmental engineers. Moreover, it’s the connection Outdoor Lab has to everyone in the community that I love so much. You can mention Outdoor Lab in a coffee shop or at the bank or in your church and someone will have a pleasant memory of their time at Windy Peak or Mt Blue Sky. 

Is the volunteer trail work you do just for JeffCo students, or for the public?

Everyone is welcome to participate in our volunteer projects! Email us.

What else do y’all have coming up on the calendar?

We’re throwing a great fundraising bash for Outdoor Lab on April 26th – After Dark. We would love to sell the place out! If you are interested in getting more involved or would like to stay informed about what we are up to please join our newsletter or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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