I'm Sammy, and as a lover of nature and young people, I am raising $18k for the Soul|Light scholarship fund, to Bay Area youth from low-income families in accessing community & mentorship in nature!

Kids and teens today are struggling, and need our love and support. Girls and gender-expansive youth, in particular, are paying the price of bullying, toxic social media, rape culture and violence in the form of anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, and suicidal thinking.

Since 2020, the rates of mental health crises are rising at a scary rate, and schools are not prioritizing teaching the critical life skills and concepts important to mental health and physical/emotional well-being. If we don’t fill this gap of vital mentorship and care, we abandon the next generation to despair, apathy, burnout, and even self-harm or suicide.

I believe that every young person deserves time in nature and a caring adult and peer community (beyond their immediate family) to listen to their feelings, experiences, and dreams. I've seen firsthand how powerful this type of container can be. Through outdoor mentorship in small-group settings, Soul|Light instills the following values and practices:

Besides the benefits for the kids themselves, there are also huge benefits to raising a generation of young people who care about the Earth, and the natural landscape and ecosystems where they live! We protect what we love, and while kids and teens often refer to the immense anxiety and pressure they feel to do something about climate change, I've seen how Soul|Light outdoor mentorship program offers inspiration and skills to take action for watershed, foodshed, and habitat restoration.

From listening to the trees to volunteering in local gardens and food justice projects, Soul|Light is determined to show how interconnected we are and how important it is that we follow indigenous leadership to restore the balance between humans and our beyond-human relatives. When the land thrives, we thrive.

I am hoping that this fundraiser will be supported by as many people as possible. What that means is that if you can only afford to donate $10, please do so! I would rather each person give something than turn away from the opportunity to support young people having the opportunity to spend time in nature, and to feel like they matter in community. If you can:

Donate $10…

Donate $20…

Donate $200

Or $500

I celebrate and will feel happy to see your gift show up as a vote of support, belief, and encouragement! If I raise $18k, that will allow me to offer up to 18 partial scholarships to Bay Area youth who want nature-based mentorship and come from families who can't afford it.