Other Paths was founded in 2005 as an experiential education organization whose purpose was to get inner city high school students out of their day-to-day routines and provide them with experiences that allowed them to see the world from new perspectives.
Through hiking & camping trips, conservation projects, and working with local service organizations, Other Paths participants discovered how they could make a positive impact on others and the world around them without having to be wealthy or famous. Over the first 18 months of its existence, Other Paths built a solid core of enthusiastic participants and adult volunteers, all of whom credit Other Paths with providing them opportunities to build confidence, learn teamwork, and broaden the range of possibilities in their lives.
In Spring 2006, Other Paths was invited to participate in the construction of an addition to a pre-school in a small village in rural Kenya. Our student participants immediately launched a 10-month series of fundraisers, planning sessions, and workshops. By April 2007, the team of six students from the Fruitvale District of Oakland had raised over $35,000 to fund a two-week service project to the Kiima Kimwe region of Kenya, where the six students and four Other Paths adult volunteers assisted in construction activities and implemented clean water systems for two village schools.
In addition to our youth service & leadership program, we are expanding to include service vacations for civic & educational groups, companies, and families. We are also accelerating our partner and organizational sponsorship efforts to build linkages with international non-profits, NGOs, and companies interested in addressing issues like clean water, malaria prevention, HIV/AIDS, and creating sustainable local economies.
