OPEN ROADS has been delivering transformative personal growth programs that combine awe-inspiring wilderness adventures, reflective journal writing, and the creative story arts of film and photography to help all of us become ambitious authors of our own life stories. We design programs in partnership with schools, foundations and youth organizations that serve high-character young adults from low-income families who show leadership potential. The goal is to equip our youth with the ability to bring the mental health benefits of nature into communities that have been historically excluded, and to exemplify a culture of empathy. We also believe this approach will have a more systemic impact by planting the seeds for an expansive network of environmental stewards who will work to protect our natural world.