Milby HS sophomore Kenneth Andrus (kneeling, R) poses with fellow Woods Project participants on the trail heading from Vogelsang Pass to Merced Lake in Yosemite National Park.
For a few weeks every summer, The Woods Project shutters its Houston-based office while the entire staff goes backpacking with local teenagers.
At first glance, this might not seem to be a very effective business strategy, but the trips are actually aligned with the non-profit organization’s mission—getting economically disadvantaged urban youth out into the wilderness. The idea is to build their self-confidence by exposing them to unfamiliar people, environments, and challenges, and along the way, teach them the value of teamwork, the need for perseverance, and the reality they can accomplish far more than they ever thought possible.