Wild Choices An adventure-based program to help middle schoolers slow down, trust themselves, and choose wisely.
Tuesday–Friday, July 7–10, 2026 | 1:00–4:00 p.m. | Bohn Park
Adolescence can feel wild. The pressure to fit in, to perform, to react fast, it doesn’t leave much room for young people to pause, breathe, and actually think. This summer, LEAF is launching something brand new to help with exactly that.
Wild Choices is a four-day, grant-funded program designed for middle school youth, whether you’re just entering those years or heading out the other side. Through hands-on, adventure-based survival skill experiences, participants will build real tools for navigating the challenges of growing up: confidence, connection, resilience, and the ability to make intentional decisions when it matters most.
This isn’t a lecture or a worksheet. It’s an outdoor experience grounded in the idea that when young people are challenged in a safe, supported environment, learning to read the land, work together, and trust their instinct, they carry those skills back into their everyday lives.
Program Details:
- Tuesday–Friday, July 7–10, 2026
- 1:00–4:00 p.m. each day
- Bohn Park
- Open to middle school youth (entering or exiting, both are welcome)
- Participants who complete all four days receive a $25 gift card
- Grant funded, free to attend
Because this is a brand-new offering from LEAF, we want to introduce the two experienced facilitators bringing Wild Choices to life:
Austin is currently pursuing a Master’s in Nature-Based Mental Health Counseling at Naropa University and holds a degree in Outdoor Education, bringing both the clinical understanding of adolescent wellbeing and deep field experience to this work.
Madi is a facilitator with Camp Udenfor in Lyons and lead teacher at Folk Farm in Boulder, with nearly a decade of outdoor education experience. She knows how to meet young people where they are, outdoors and otherwise.
Together, Austin and Madi bring a rare combination of academic grounding and real-world facilitation, exactly the right people to hold space for young people doing the meaningful, sometimes uncomfortable work of growing up.
Space is limited. If you have a middle schooler who could use a few afternoons in nature this July, learning, connecting, and building skills that will follow them far beyond the park — we’d love to have them.