Explore Austin

?? EXPLORER APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN! Learn more & apply today ?? https://ow.ly/LwVA50TMg2E ??? Applications close November 30, with admitted youth joining the Explore Austin program in late spring 2025. ? Explore Austin is a 100% FREE program for 6th-12th graders who qualify for free or reduced lunch in school. Those accepted will join a team of 15 Explorers and five adult volunteer Mentors in the spring, staying together as a team through high school graduation. This year, we're recruiting: ?? 6th grade boys ?? 6th grade girls ?? 9th grade girls ??♂? Camping, hiking, navigation, rock climbing, canoeing and mountain biking are some of the outdoor skills and disciplines our Explorers learn over the course of the program. Questions? Feel free to DM us! #exploreaustin #youthempowerment #exploreatx #austinexplorers #kidswhocamp #kidswhocanoe #kidswhorockclimb #kidswhomountainbike #summerwildernesstrips #outdoorsforall #itstartswithadventure

?? CAMPAIGN EXTENDED TO OCT 15 ?? GIVE HERE ?? https://ow.ly/XYyZ50TopyA ?? Outdoors for All Takes YOU. Give to Trailblazer, our annual peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, or create your own fundraising page for Explore Austin at the link above and walk alongside us in our mission of empowering local youth through long-term mentorship, leadership development and outdoor adventure. #exploreaustin #iliveherigivehere #givelocal #trailblazercampaign #peertopeerfundraising #youthempowerment #leadership #mentorship #atxnonprofit #nonprofit #austinnonprofit #atxcares

??? EARLY-BIRD Tables & Tickets now on sale for 2025 Quest for the Summit ?? onecau.se/quest2025 Last year's event sold out, so be sure to get your tickets early! For a limited time, get your individual tickets and tables at a discounted price: ?? Tables now ??$2,000?? through Nov 15 (increases to $3,500 thereafter) ?? Individual tix now ??$200?? through Dec 31 (increases to $300 thereafter) ??? QUEST FOR THE SUMMIT ??? ??? Tues, April 1, 2025 | AT&T Hotel & Conference Center ?? Join Explore Austin for our most impactful party of the year! Gather with new friends, long-time Explore Austin champions, business leaders and philanthropists to transform lives through mentorship and outdoor adventure. Enjoy a seated dinner, libations, silent and live auctions and stories from our Explorers and Mentors at this "outdoor chic" event! #quest #questforthesummit #qfts25 #exploreaustin #austinfundraiser #austingala #givelocal #ilivehereigivehere #youthempowerment #outdoorsforall #outdoorsforalltakesyou #kidswhocamp #kidswhohike

Eleven teams gathered at Southeast Metropolitan Park for our first Saturday Challenge of the 2024-2025 school year! This combined Saturday Challenge introduced Explorers and Mentors to the technical skills they'll be learning this year: ?? 2030 Teams - Backpacking Year: These teams went on a hike and completed a tent-pitching race. ?? 2029 Teams & 2027 Pilot Team - Rock Climbing Year: These teams learned how to outfit themselves with climbing gear and worked on their balance and body-awareness skills with a slacklining exercise. ?? 2028 Teams - Canoeing Year: These teams learned canoeing terminology, how to outfit themselves for water sports, and went hiking in the park. ??♂? 2027 Teams - Mountain Biking Year: These teams were introduced to the basics between riding a bike on the road versus riding a mountain bike, and learned how to fix a flat tire. #exploreaustin #youthempowerment #outdooradventure #outdoorsforall #kidswhocamp #kidswhobike #kidswhopaddle #kidswhohike #kidswhoclimb #mountainbiking #canoeing #backpacking #hiketx #atxhikers

?? Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Career Fair ?? Explore Austin's programming regularly takes place at parklands and recreational areas managed by Texas Parks & Wildlife. Our junior Explorer teams (class of 2026) attended the TPWD Career Fair to learn about the many career opportunities available within 13 divisions at 200 locations across Texas, including jobs within state parks, fisheries, law enforcement, legal, communications, infrastructure, information technology, human resources and more. Representatives from multiple departments and TPWD's Ambassador Program highlighted both paid and volunteer opportunities relevant to our Explorers and Mentors. #exploreaustin #careerfair #youthempowerment #tpwd #texasparks #texasparksandwildlife #texas #texascareers #mentorship #leadership #outdoorsforall #outdooradventure #workoutside

?? We're halfway through the Trailblazer peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, with $14,000 raised. We have two more weeks to meet our goal -- $110,000! Go here to give to the campaign or to create your own fundraising page for Explore Austin ?? https://ow.ly/gNWk50Topyz ?? The “E” of Explore Austin’s shout-out tool, ACES, stands for “Excellent Teammate.” We consider you a teammate, walking alongside us in our mission of empowering local youth through long-term mentorship, leadership development and outdoor adventure. We’re counting on you, our Excellent Teammates, in our remaining 2 weeks of Trailblazer! #exploreaustin #iliveherigivehere #givelocal #trailblazercampaign #peertopeerfundraising #youthempowerment #leadership #mentorship #atxnonprofit #nonprofit #austinnonprofit #atxcares

BECOME A TRIP LEADER! ?? APPLICATION --> https://ow.ly/Qjta50SxnVG Trip Leaders provide outdoor education for our Explorers (youth in 6th-12th grades) and their volunteer Mentors in the greater Austin area at Saturday Challenges during the school year and during weeklong Summer Wilderness Trips out of state. We're now accepting applications for all the disciplines we instruct in! ?? MORE INFO Trip Leaders: ? Are paid, part-time staff ? Provide outdoor education for our Explorers and Mentors in backpacking, navigation, rock climbing, canoeing, mountain biking and camping skills ? Work Saturday Challenges during the school year and lead our weeklong Summer Wilderness Trips #exploreaustin #outdooreducation #austinguides #guideforus #tripleaders #tripleaderecruitment #rockclimbing #mountainbiking #canoeing #paddling #outdoorinstruction #workwithus #getoutside #outdoorsforall

Explore Austin's annual peer-to-peer fundraiser, Trailblazer, runs through Sept 30! Give to the campaign or create your own fundraising page today to help us reach our $110,000 goal ?? https://ow.ly/AQgL50TgKYt ?? WEEK 1 CHALLENGE: GATHER 'ROUND THE FIRE ?? The top three fundraisers who have received the HIGHEST NUMBER of individual donations to their pages (NOT dollar amounts) by September 13 will receive their choice of an EA-branded sticker pack or trucker hat. Swipe to see what YOU could win for supporting Explore Austin. #exploreaustin #supportexploreaustin #peertopeerfundraiser #fundraiser #ilivehereigivehere #givelocal #outdooradventure #outdoorsforall #outdoorsforalltakesyou #outdoorsatx #exploreatx #itstartswithadventure

#ThankfulThursday! We celebrated the end of summer with 25+ Mentors and Trip Leaders at a pool party at Easton Park. Our dedicated Trip Leaders and Mentors completed 19 Summer Wilderness Trips across 5 states this summer! Big thank you to the following for making our event so special: ?? Easton Park - for the beautiful clubhouse and pool! ?? Home Slice - for some of the best pizza in ATX! ?? St Elmo Brewing, Rambler and Guayaki - for the beverages! #exploreaustin #endofsummer #homeslicepizza #eastonparkaustin #eastonparkatx #guayakiyerbamate #rambleraustin #ramblersparklingwater #mentorship #outdooradventure #exploreatx #austintexas #austinliving

?? GIVEAWAY ?? LIVE A GREAT STORY dropped new apparel in July with 5% of proceeds benefiting Explore Austin. Our Monthly Giveaway continues...where YOU could win a $50 LIVE A GREAT STORY gift card or an Explore Austin prize pack. HOW TO ENTER: ??Subscribe to Explore Austin's e-newsletter --> https://ow.ly/qtqu50Sxmxt ?? Follow Explore Austin on Facebook and/or Instagram (both places = increase your chances!) ?? Tag a friend in the comments (more tags = more entries) ?? Don't forget to check out LIVE A GREAT STORY's new apparel & shop in support of Explore Austin --> https://lnkd.in/gy-is4CS ?? Learn more about Explore Austin and the youth we serve --> https://exploreaustin.org/ #liveagreatstory #exploreaustin #liveagreatstorygiveback #austinnonprofit #atxnonprofit #austingiveback #entertowin #outdoorgear #outdooradventure #outdoorgiveaway #entertowinoutdoorgear #youthempowerment #giveaway #getoutside #outdoorsforall