Explore Austin equips underserved youth to make positive life choices like avoiding risky behavior, developing healthy relationships, and advancing their education. Through leadership training, long-term mentoring, and outdoor adventure Explore Austin is improving the wellbeing of each participant, their families, and the community. 

Research shows when children have a long-term caring adult in their life, access to challenging outdoor activities, and opportunities to lead others and themselves they are more confident and prepared to reach their highest level of success. Explore Austin matches underserved, yet high potential, 6th-grade youth with caring and committed adult mentors and start them on a six-year journey including nine Saturday Challenges and a week-long Summer Wilderness Trip that increases in difficulty and distance from home each year.

Over the course of the six-year program, each Explorer spends more than 1,300 hours with their Mentors and fellow Explore teammates, creating life-long changes in character, integrity, courage, and resilience - all skills necessary to succeed in life. Thank you for taking this journey along with us!