Pass It On Outdoor Mentors- Breaking Barriers For Youth Across The Midwest In The Outdoors
By Brittany French
Did you know that there are less people that hunt between the ages of 6 and 17 than those that are 65+? A US Fish and Wildlife Survey indicated that’s half of what it was 50 years ago. Many of the baby boomer generation are phasing out of hunting. But they’re not being replaced by the younger generations. Imagine you are 11 years old and just completed Hunter Education. You have been dreaming of the day that you get to go on your first hunt. But there is one problem. You do not have access to a place, do not have confidence to go on your own, and do not know someone who hunts to take you or your family.
We are Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors and we are breaking barriers for youth across the Midwest in the outdoors. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization empowering youth through outdoors experiences and mentorship. By using outdoor experiences as a platform to mentor young people of diverse backgrounds we are making generational impact through the outdoors and passing along our outdoor heritage. Founded in 2002, we have a goal to serve 100,000 young people in the outdoors by 2033.
We are passionate about equipping the next generation with outdoor opportunities through mentorship. We have scaled our program in Kansas, Iowa, and Wisconsin and hope to continue to grow into other states. What makes our program unique from other youth mentoring programs is that we have dedicated Program Coordinators that plan new and continued opportunities for kids who are 11 years of age and older, who have completed Hunter Education. Any youth interested in getting involved in the outdoors can participate with us as many times as they want. All our events are FREE. We find access for hunting, fishing, and shooting sports, line up vetted volunteer mentors to lead these opportunities, and communicate with all parties about the details of the event. We have great resources at our disposal to coordinate these events efficiently for inexperienced youth or for youth who have dabbled in the outdoors. Our coordination of these events provides confidence to first time hunters and parents/guardians which empowers the volunteers to do what they are most passionate about, mentor.
In 2023, we coordinated over 600 events for over 1,400 youth! You can join us by becoming a mentor, providing access, or signing your child up to participate in our program! It is up to all of us to pass it on to the next generation!
You can find us on our Website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or connect with one of our state coordinators directly!
Eastern Kansas: Gunnar Sullivan gsullivan@outdoormentors.org
Western Kansas: Bobby Cole bcole@outdoormentors.org
Iowa: Stephanie Lane slane@outdoormentors.org
Wisconsin: Quinn Erdmann qerdmann@outdoormentors.org