History

Vida Verde’s mission is to promote educational equity by providing FREE overnight environmental learning experiences for students who don’t otherwise get the opportunity. Since 2001, we have served thousands of youth from historically marginalized communities with our core program—a three-day, two-night camping trip, taken as a class during the school year. Our Teen and Family program extends this work with a week-long teen leadership summer camp along with activities throughout the year. 

In 2015, we were thrilled to purchase our own educational farm property in San Gregorio, on Ramaytuch Ohlone land, and to create an endowment for the ongoing care of that property. In 2018, we purchased local housing for eight full-time staff members, and we have begun construction on an Education Barn on our property. These accomplishments are all fulfilling our long-term vision to create a “Home for Educational Equity” for generations to come!

Vida Verde has a proven track record of achieving remarkable results with students from low-income schools through our high-quality and mission-driven outdoor education program coupled with strong organizational effectiveness and smart financial planning. We work to ensure Vida Verde students view nature as a place FOR them; a place they have a fundamental right to access to heal, grow, and explore, and a place that influences them as leaders to vote, act, and spend with the environment in mind. 

Mission

Vida Verde is a nonprofit that promotes educational equity by providing free, overnight environmental learning experiences for students who don't otherwise get the opportunity.

We Value

1. the mission First

We are a mission-centric organization.  We make every decision with the kids' benefit and the mission as our guide.  We specifically tailor the program to meet the unique needs of the kids we serve, with deep respect for students and their communities. 

2. Persistent Improvement and our best practices

We are driven to continually improve and reach the highest standards across the organization for the benefit of the kids we serve.  From program quality to healthy communication, from strategic goal setting to prioritization: we utilize, documented systems. We are detail-oriented, reflective, and strive to serve as a model.  We balance our best practices and lessons from our history with innovation and inspiration for improvement.

3. the environment and natural resources

We practice responsible and long-term thinking regarding land stewardship, facility management, building, and design.  Using resources wisely, we value the earth's resources over convenience and cost, and share that value with the greater community.

4. relationships and community 

People are at the heart of this work.  We strive to create long-lasting relationships with our staff, supporters, students, and teachers.  We believe that by honoring and including diverse perspectives, our organization is stronger and more sustainable.  We believe in love, not hate.  We help different people see each other and all that we share in common, as well as what we can learn from each other.

5. Making it happen

We overcome outrageous obstacles and successfully achieve ambitious goals by using a combination of resourcefulness, a positive mindset, and our team's diverse set of skills and experiences, without compromising our work/life balance and well-being. We know that beliefs lead to actions, which lead to results.  We "make it happen" even when circumstances would lead most to think progress impossible.