The forest on the way up was green and lush, the kind of quiet that asked you to slow down and pay attention. We asked the teens to walk in silence through the woods to the rock wall. Silence is not something any of us get very often in our lives, and there was something in that walk, just the sound of feet on the trail and trees overhead, that began to shift something before the day had even officially started.

The Nature Project partnered with M.U.S.T. (Mentoring Urban Students and Teens), a Seattle organization serving young Black men, for two days of adventure, community, and growth in the forest. Participants arrived with their near-peer mentors and were met by volunteer instructors from the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, who guided all 24 riders safely through the forested trails of Duthie Park with skills instruction and steady encouragement.

The Nature Project partnered with the Congolese Integration Network to bring teens into a full day of connection, nature, and good food. The day began in the greenhouse with TNP volunteer Angeline Corpuz leading the group in breathwork and mindset work, exploring how we talk to ourselves and setting intentions for the day. From there, the teens worked with a chef to harvest and cook vegetable curries, sharing the meal while opening up about their own heritage, food traditions, and what culture means to them.