About Our Program
At Bold & Gold we believe that doing hard things – together – builds teens up.
So we go outdoors, side by side – into new terrain, new friendships, and new ways of seeing ourselves – where teamwork, laughter, and wonder turn obstacles into adventure.
Where the grind can wait. And we can breathe.
Because when young people face challenge with support they come home not just stronger, but steadier. Not just accomplished, but at ease in themselves.
Watch one teen’s experience on a Bold & Gold trip at the Seattle site—the moments of challenge, connection, and the confidence that comes from trying something new.
Our Mission & Vision
Our mission is to inspire leadership, community, and friendship in young people from different backgrounds through outdoor adventures.
We envision a world where all young people believe in themselves, value others, and know the power of the outdoors.
Our History
From our founding to the present day, Bold & Gold has gone through many changes—structural, programmatic, and even in name. Yet we have always remained rooted in the same philosophy and question.
“How can we help young people feel more accomplished, connected and at ease—like they’re part of something that builds courage, growth, and community?”
Life moves fast—and for many teens, it’s all responsibility and no room to breathe. They’re balancing school, work, family, and expectations that never seem to stop. Whether they’re overbooked or overburdened, it’s easy to lose the joy that should come with growing up. These years have always been a time of discovery—and now, we’re asking teens to do more than ever, with fewer supports than ever.
Bold & Gold gives them something different: time in nature, space to breathe, and the kind of shared adventure that builds calm, capable confidence. It’s deep breaths and big growth—an experience in living with curiosity and wonder.
At some points, that’s meant a small after-school mentorship club. At others, it’s meant a multi-day or multi-week tripping program serving hundreds of young people a year. What it’s always meant is a transformative experience that supports young people to lead from within.
1996 The Beginning
Two young educators met on a whale watching voyage and discovered a shared passion—and a shared concern. Together, they founded a program called Passages Northwest and began leading wilderness trips—primarily rock climbing, with some backpacking—designed to help young women discover and develop their physical, expressive, and inquisitive courage.
1997 Girls Rock
What started as summer climbing trips expanded into Girls Rock, a year-round after school program that paired young people with adult female mentors. Participants climbed one day a week for ten weeks, with an overnight trip midway through.
2006 Y Boys
Another local rock climber recognized a similar need not being met for the young men of the area. Young men, too, needed space to grow beyond narrow expectations—to build emotional awareness alongside physical strength, to lead with vulnerability as well as confidence.
Y Boys was founded with the same core belief: that time in nature and shared challenge could transform young people.
2011 BOLD & GOLD is Born
The two programs officially merged under the YMCA umbrella to form BOLD & GOLD – an acronym meaning Boys & Girls Outdoor Leadership Development. What had been parallel paths became one—and the impact was immediate. The program doubled in size within the first several years, confirming what both organizations had long believed: young people were hungry for these kinds of experiences.
As more teens got involved, the program continued to evolve. Backpacking, sea kayaking, and canoeing trips were added to meet growing interest and give participants new ways to challenge themselves in the outdoors. Different adventures, same core mission: building courage, confidence, and community through shared challenge in nature.
2012 First Expansion
Bold & Gold’s impact caught the attention of YMCA of the USA. The Y of Greater Seattle partnered with the national organization to bring the program to new communities, working with local YMCAs to launch in three regions: Twin Cities, Minnesota; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Los Angeles, California.
2016 Expanding with YMCA USA
The success of the 2012 expansion made the need clear: communities across the country needed programming like Bold & Gold. YMCA USA offered significant support to open 10 new locations, backed by a 5-year grant cycle that would give new sites time to build sustainable programs without the immediate pressure of funding.
2020 National Team Shifts
As Bold & Gold’s reach expanded across the country, the work of supporting sites and growing the network required dedicated attention. The National Team officially separated from the Seattle program, with the National Director shifting focus entirely to leading national expansion. A National Program Manager joined the team, along with two consultants, forming a National Expansion Team built to guide and support Bold & Gold programs from coast to coast.
What had started as a local program was now a national movement—and it needed infrastructure to match.
2024 Adapting to Community Need
The communities Bold & Gold served were changing—and so were the needs of young people and their families. Teens were asking for all-gender trips and inclusive language that reflected who they were and how they wanted to show up in the world. What had begun decades earlier as single-gender programming designed to create brave space had evolved: now, brave space meant something different.
Bold & Gold listened. The organization officially removed gendered language from its name and programming, moving away from the boys-and-girls framework that no longer served the teens it was designed for. The acronym that had defined the merged program gave way to a name that could hold everyone.
At the same time, families were asking for more accessible entry points—programs that offered challenge and growth without requiring multi-day wilderness trips. In the wake of the pandemic, young people and their families were experiencing heightened stress and anxiety about being away from home and familiar comforts. Bold & Gold responded by developing day programs that scaffolded experiences and built skills progressively, creating new pathways for young people to discover what they were capable of. The model continued to adapt, always in response to what the community needed most.
2025 International Expansion
In July 2025, Bold & Gold crossed an ocean. Members of the National Team traveled to YMCA Camp Orange in the country of Georgia to lead the first-ever international Bold & Gold staff training—a milestone that brought together U.S. and Georgian YMCA leaders for a week of shared learning, cross-cultural connection, and outdoor leadership development.