Paying It Forward: The Alumni Scholarship Fund By Kate Aitchison Kate Aitchison is an artist whose work focuses on human interventions in the natural landscape and a river guide for Grand Canyon Youth and Canyon Expeditions/Explorations.She is a GCY alumni and a lover of beauty and wild places. She is one of the founders of…
Downstream 2020 Donors These generous donors helped us to purchase the GCY Headquarters in early 2020. Thank you! Lead Donors Susanne Durling GeoFamily Foundation Patrick & Susan Conley Arizona Raft Adventures The Foster Family – In Memory of Jane Foster Danny Giovale Donors Anonymous Donors Kara Attrep & Rob Wallace Mary Ellen Arndorfer & Sean…
A Permanent Home for Grand Canyon Youth Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors, Grand Canyon Youth purchased our office and river warehouse on January 30, 2020. The GCY Headquarters will now be the launching point for youth expeditions for generations to come! “I saw Grand Canyon for the first time in 1979. By…
Transcending Trauma Through Connections to Nature and Community Participants in a 2019 Healing Lands expedition celebrate the healing power of nature on the San Juan River. Photo by Pamela Mathues. “The impact of the Healing Lands Project on our child homicide survivor clients is profound. Caregivers report their children return from the trips calm, relaxed,…
2019 Year in Review… and What’s Next for Grand Canyon Youth “I learned that I am brave and I can get through new challenges.” -Mia, 2019 Youth Participant Dear Grand Canyon Youth Supporters, Preparing meals for the group is one of many skills learned on GCY expeditions. Photo by Amy Martin. I am pleased to…
The JEDI Council: J(ustice) E(quity) D(iversity) I(nclusion) By Omar Martinez Omar Martinez was born in Nicaragua at the tail end of a revolution. His family immigrated to the U.S. when he was four years old. After pursuing a brief stint in aspiration of professional soccer glory, he quickly realized his talents were better suited to…
Being More IN it: Lessons on Embracing Discomfort From a 17-Year-Old By Somer Morris I never get tired of telling this story. It was the moment I realized the power of Grand Canyon Youth. On this particular morning, on the Esplanade Ledges at Sheer Wall camp in Grand Canyon, my eyes opened to the important…
Cowboy Coffee and Campfire By Madeline Friend Photo by Maddie Friend. My clothes smell of cowboy coffee and campfire on another river morning when everything is the same and more different than it has ever been. _____ I step onto my boat the one caked in sand and grins held together by technicolor…
Building Skills for Science and Life on the San Juan River By Tory Syracuse Northern Arizona University’s Upward Bound Math & Science (UBMS) program supports high schoolers who are potential first-generation college students. According to Director Mark Despain, “UBMS focuses on working with students from five high schools in northern Arizona. Most of our students…
Humbled by Nature By Lauren Pacheco “On my first GCY trip, as we were going through a rapid in the snow on the Upper San Juan, I remember thinking how much I wanted to be at home under a blanket with my dog, but I pushed through the day. Looking back, those uncomfortable moments are…
Hometown: Halfway, Oregon
Year started at GCY: 2009
Justin did his first trip with GCY as a participant in 2007. They haven’t been able to get rid of him since. River running has become his passion, sharing the power of outdoor learning with youth on rivers throughout the desert west. He’s worked as a river guide, a wooden boat builder, and outdoor educator. He’s excited to be helping GCY run things behind the scenes in the warehouse, food room, and vehicle yard.
“I have always been unsatisfied with life as most people live it. Always I want to live more intensely and richly. Why muck and conceal one’s true longings and loves, when by speaking of them one might discover one’s self?” – Everett Ruess