WildLink's mission is to give underserved teens a series of wilderness- and home-based experiences that will empower them to better their own lives as well as their communities; and to ensure that the diverse California citizenry is informed, invested and committed to the enduring resource of Wilderness.

The lure of the western frontier is oft credited for the resourceful, adaptable and inventive nature of today’s U.S. citizens. The west can now fairly be called civilized, but the lure of the frontier is far from dead. The character that it instills and the freedom it embodies is very much alive in Americans of all cultures; and the last vestige of the frontier lies preserved in the wilderness areas of our nation’s national parks, forests, wildlife reserves, and public lands.

The National Survey on Recreation and the Environment shows that Americans who know about Wilderness value it tremendously. Yet the overwhelming majority of Americans are currently unaware of or do not understand the tremendous ecologic, economic, and social benefits of this extraordinary wilderness legacy. Additionally, by 2015, more than one-third of the America's population will be of Hispanic, African American and Asian descent and this changing population is largely uninformed of the values of Wilderness. At significant risk is the National Wilderness Preservation System and it's legacy of clean water and air, critical habitat for rare and endangered species, and unparalleled venues for recreation, reflection and solitude.

WildLink is an innovative partnership between the Yosemite Institute, Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks, the Sierra Nevada Wilderness Education Project, the Sequoia Natural History Association and the National Forests of the Sierra. Since 2000, the WildLink Program has worked to open Sierra wilderness to the multi-cultural population living at its doorstep and demonstrate the relevance and benefits of Wilderness and public lands to all Americans. Every school year, 108 culturally diverse high school students participate in wilderness backpacking expeditions in the Sierra; these WildLink students in turn impact 1100 underserved Californians annually through Wilderness Ambassador projects.

WildLink does not simply send youth on a one-time wilderness expedition. Being a part of the program means that students benefit from a wide array of opportunities designed to provide leadership training and personal empowerment, giving them tools to change their own lives as well as their home communities. WildLink works with its participants months before and years after their expeditions. These opportunities include:

Pre-expedition visits in students' home communities;
Five-day wilderness expeditions;
Wilderness Ambassador Program, in which students impact 1100 underserved Californians annually through ambassador projects designed to empower youth as community leaders;
WildLink Family Weekend;
Internships and career opportunities with the WildLink/NPS Bridge program;
Website outreach

Through these programs, WildLink students learn self-reliance and how to become leaders among their peers and in their communities, through our wilderness ambassador projects. They also gain a lifelong connection to the recreational, spiritual, and emotional opportunities that can be found in wild places.

To learn more about WildLink, click here.