Snowboarding Outreach Society
January, 2024
SOS Outreach is a nonprofit organization that empowers young people through outdoor adventure and mentorship. Their programs combine activities like skiing and snowboarding with a long-term leadership curriculum designed to build confidence, resilience, and life skills. By connecting youth with mentors and transformative outdoor experiences, SOS Outreach helps participants develop a stronger sense of belonging and the tools to shape their futures.
The Hive Testimonial
A creative testimonial for a youth centered nonprofit in Durango, Colorado where I felt like I belonged.
Two years ago, The Hive found itself in an uncertain spot. The stability of its physical space was suddenly in question and there was a real possibility that the programs so many young people had built into their lives might not have a place to continue.
The Hive’s leadership team turned to their community and invited people to share creative testimonials about the impact The Hive had made on their lives or in the lives of people they care about.
I flashed back to the day of our mentor training, when we were sitting in a circle in the skate park talking openly about the state of mental health among kids in our community.
I remember the statistic that at least 80% of middle school-aged youth in Montezuma County had contemplated suicide at some point in their life.
Kelsie Borland, Executive Director of The Hive, was leading training at this point, and she looked at us and said, “close your eyes and imagine yourself as a thirteen year old”…
In 2023, I became an SOS mentor through connections I had with The Hive in Durango, Colorado.
The Hive is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting journeys in self discovery by providing a brave and inclusive space for under-resourced and underrepresented youth.
Their mission is to “empower those that dare to be different by facilitating creative expression and guidance in shaping future community leaders”.
Their work focuses on passion-based learning for youth with an emphasis on music, art and skateboarding.
Close your eyes and imagine yourself as a thirteen year old.
Loneliness is a brutal bastard
that burrows and boils, dries and cements.
It makes commands and brands itself
until it’s all that makes sense.
I think I’m funny
and I think they’re all full of it.
I just wish I were grown.
I only like me when I’m alone.
Are the voices mine or theirs?
I felt something shatter
when someone told me that
what I like doesn’t matter.
You’re a fool,
you’re a fool,
you’re a fool.
But someone else told me that
what I like is cool.
You’re wrong,
you’re wrong,
you’re wrong.
But someone else told me that
I belong.
I wish someone had built a fort
with books and paint in a tree,
invited me in and told me that
I’m a good friend, I’m funny and I’m free.
Now I’m grown
and who will I be?
Now I’m grown
and it’s my job to scream
from the highest building
(or the tallest tree),
something I needed to be shown.
You’re not alone,
you’re not alone,
you’re not alone.
Thanks to the amazing leadership team at The Hive and the community they’ve built through their impact, The Hive is thriving in their new location - continuing programming and fostering community, creativity and self expression for youth in La Plata county and surrounding areas.
Learn more about The Hive DGO and how you can support.