GALS LA Receives Youth Community Access Grant to Launch Outdoor Leadership Program for Underserved Girls
Inspiring young women to explore nature and engage in movement, the Girls Athletic Leadership School Los Angeles (GALS LA) has been awarded a Youth Community Access Grant from the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) to launch Connecting with Nature: A Leadership Adventure for Underserved Girls.
The program will allow 50-60 middle school students to attend a five-day outdoor leadership camp hosted by Pyles Camp, long known in California for its transformative boys’ program. Now, in collaboration with GALS LA, Pyles Camp’s leadership curriculum has been expanded to create an opportunity for girls.
Focused on confidence-building, teamwork and environmental stewardship, this initiative expands access to nature and outdoor learning opportunities for students who have historically lacked access and supports CNRA’s vision of Outdoors for All. Championed by Governor Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California created the Outdoors for All Initiative to expand access to the outdoors. Research shows that outdoor education has been proven to enhance empathy, teamwork, and peer support, especially in adventure-based programs.
“At GALS LA, we know that leadership isn’t just learned in the classroom, but cultivated through real-world experiences, challenges and discovery,” said Vanessa Garza, executive director and founding principal, GALS LA. “Connecting with nature gives our students a rare opportunity to step outside the city, immerse themselves in the outdoors, and grow their confidence, teamwork and resilience. Thanks to the CNRA’s Youth Community Access Grant, we can bring our students on an unforgettable experience that sparks a lifelong connection to the environment but also empowers them to become leaders in their communities.”
GALS LA - one of only two public all-girls public schools in LAUSD and the only one in the San Fernando Valley – which teaches girls to understand their responsibility to the local and global community, is a natural partner for Pyles camp. The school's student body is compromised almost entirely of students of color (96%) and students who are from low-and-moderate income families (88%). GALS LA’s curriculum is grounded in academics, athletics and social and emotional learning, integrating a rigorous college prep model which outperforms local schools in math and reading.
The CNRA’s Youth Community Access Program awarded $38.2 million in funding to 108 programs across California to help children, particularly from low-income and underserved communities, connect with the state’s natural resources. GALS LA’s $250,105.00 grant will expand its health and wellness-based curriculum beyond the classroom and into the outdoors, helping girls gain hands-on experience in leadership, environmental education and become passionate leaders in their community. In addition to covering camp tuition, the grant enables GALS to purchase a clean energy 10-passenger van ensuring transportation and continued access to outdoor experiences for future students while promoting sustainable transportation.
