Our Mission

Blue Sky is on a mission to provide transformational experiences for Richmond area youth through outdoor education.

Our Vision

We will give every young person the opportunity to discover themselves by actively engaging the natural world.

We believe in the power of outdoor experiences to improve the overall well-being of youth. But there are many in our community who do not have this opportunity. Due to historical exclusionary practices and policies, people of color have largely been left out of outdoor experiences.

At Blue Sky we aim to change this narrative by providing over 40,000 hours of outdoor time for 2,000 Richmond youth; 78% of whom come from under-resourced communities and a majority identify as youth of color. Through resilience building, leadership development, and outdoor science education, we work to advance equity in the outdoors by developing diverse groups of environmental stewards and leaders in our community.

Our Story

Blue Sky Fund was born out of a passion to connect children from under-resourced areas to the life-changing experience of summer camp. At first, this was achieved by providing scholarships for campers in growing numbers from 2003-2006.

In 2007, the focus shifted on how to structure the organization and develop sustainable operations to provide lasting impact for the children of Richmond, which led to incorporating Blue Sky as a non-profit organization. Over the next sixteen years, Blue Sky programming has evolved into three core programs offering a continuum of nature-based activities that advance racial equity in the outdoors for over 2,000 students each school year.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)

Blue Sky Fund finalized a strategic plan in Summer 2021 with input from our Board of Directors and staff, which incorporated objectives outlined in an organizational Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Plan, to more effectively and appropriately lead racial equity efforts in the outdoors for youth of color in Richmond, VA.

We collected feedback from constituents (students, parents, partners) to increase understanding of the community we serve, center the voices of the oppressed, and create a more equitable and inclusive environment.

Download our 2021-2024 Strategic Plan

Blue Sky has identified the following primary equity objectives as outlined in the strategic plan:

  • Engage in continuing JEDI education for board and staff members to effectively advance Blue Sky’s mission.
  • Shift culture to ensure diverse team members feel that their perspective and experiences are included and valued, and therefore remain actively engaged.
  • Advance understanding of the student population for Blue Sky to more effectively serve the needs of students.
  • Diversify recruitment for internal team members (staff, board, volunteers) to better reflect the students that Blue Sky serves.