The North Face Awards Explore Fund Grant to Medicines Global (GB). The Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassador program
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The North Face Awards Explore Fund Grant to Medicines Global (GB).
The Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassador program
Supports a national effort to increase outdoor exploration among Los Angeles youth
Los Angeles, CA. October 3rd 2014 – Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassadors, whose dedication to encourage, educate and inspire fellow youth to experience wilderness activities has been honored As a part of the $250,000 Explore Fund. The North Face has awarded a $5,000 Explore Fund grant to Medicines Global (GB) for their ‘GET Kids MOVING’ Outdoor Youth Ambassador programs. The Explore Fund’s mission is to inspire and enable the next generation of explorers by funding non-profit organizations that are working to connect children with nature. By encouraging an active healthy lifestyle and protection of our natural landscapes, a stronger connection of youth to the outdoors can be nurtured.
Medicines Global’s Outdoor Youth Ambassador (MGOYA) programs provide wilderness adventures for urban youth including: rock climbing, surfing, camping and sea kayaking. Because of their formula for success in taking urban youth out of the city and into nature for many years creating the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts, Medicines Global (GB) was selected from more than 350 applications submitted for in 2014.
“It is not everyday when a program like (MGOYA) comes along. In fact it is very, very rare for our students to be given opportunities like this. We are so fortunate to have Johanna and Janice Belson and Medicines Global working with San Pedro High School. It is life changing for our students to have a chance to get out of the city and touch our mountains and oceans. I know each and every Outdoor Youth Ambassador will never forget the experiences that Medicines Global is providing.”
-Sandy Martin-Alvarenga of San Pedro High School Magnet Coordinator, Math & Marine Science/Technology Magnet and Police Academy Magnet.
The Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassador program was established in 2004 to bring the wilderness and the love and respect for nature to as many inner city students as possible . Since it’s founding, the program has provided over 1,100 wilderness adventures to urban youth many of whom have never been outside of the city. Innovative collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Police Department have built bridges between urban youth and the police and have enabled Medicines Global to have access to a very large student body.
The Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassador programs for the academic year of 2014-2015 will launch mid October. Continued work with San Pedro High School will take place and the relationship with new Los Angeles Unified School District Options/Continuation School will begin. The Options/Continuation Schools are small high school campuses with low teacher-to-student ratios offering instruction to students between the ages of 15-18 who are deemed at risk of not completing their curriculum. Bringing the Outdoor Youth Ambassador programs to these students will be life altering. The Outdoor Industry has long supported Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Programs both fiscally, with needed product and with the expertise of individual instruction from sea kayaking to rock climbing. To learn more about Medicines Global (GB) and the Outdoor Youth Ambassador programs visit www.medicinesglobal,org. For current information on The North Face Explore Fund cycle’s grantees, please visit www.explorefund.org.
All of The North Face Explore Fund recipients were chosen based on their commitment to one of three different focus areas: creating more connections of youth to nature and providing inspiration to explore, increasing access to close to home front-and-backcountry recreation opportunities, and engaging a new and diverse audience with the outdoors. Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassador programs have creatively embraced all three.
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About Medicines Global:
Medicines Global (501c3) is dedicated to inspire all adventure travelers to give back to the places they visit by delivering basic first aid supplies to medical centers and remote community run health posts. Since 1999, 17 expeditions have taken medical supplies to Nepal, Mongolia, Tibet, Guatemala, India, Ecuador, Siberia, Sri Lanka, Russia, Dominican Republic and El Salvador. Since its inception in 2004 Medicines Global Outdoor Youth Ambassador programs hve provided more than 1100 urban youths with outdoor adventures encouraging the next generation of humanitarian adventure travelers. Medicines Global has been able to advance programs exponentially with the support that includes GoPro, RedWing/VASQUE, Osprey Packs, adidas OUTDOOR, AVON Rent-a-Van Car-Truck, LEKI USA, Adventure 16, Horny Toad, SMITH Optics, Eagle Creek, ACORN, Pelican, KEEN Footwear Foundation, Adventure Medical Kits, Helly Hansen, SmartWool, GoLite, Napapijri and WHOLE FOODS MARKET, along with other members of the Outdoor & Natural Food Industry.
About The North Face®The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1966. Headquartered in Alameda, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.Since The Explore Fund was initiated in 2010, The North Face has provided more than $1 Million in grants to non-profits all over the world working to connect youth to the outdoors with more than three quarters of that going to programs in the United States. Medicines Global has received six Explore Fund Grants.
