Wilderness Youth Project, the leading nature connection organization in Santa Barbara County, is proud to announce the addition of Lena Moran and Graciela Cabello to the Board of Trustees. With the addition of these two respected leaders, WYP continues its investment in bringing nature connection opportunities to all communities in Santa Barbara County. Operating in regional public schools through the “Bridge to Nature” Program – Wilderness Youth Project brings nature connection to over a thousand children a year on a weekly basis, building on the proven concept that nature connection makes kids “smarter, healthier and happier.”
WYP Executive Director Dan Fontaine said, “We’re so pleased to have Lena and Graciela joining our Board of Directors. They both bring unique areas of expertise and a deep commitment to nature connection, access, and justice.”
Lena Moran, Trustee
Lena Morán is a native of Mexico City, Mexico and was raised in Santa Barbara, California where she moved to at the age of six. Lena holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies and a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis on Social Justice and Leadership, from Antioch University Santa Barbara, where she did research on the topic of children who are used as interpreters and with her thesis focusing on the creation of an evaluation system of interpretation and translation services in school districts. After being part of the Language Justice Network for three years, Lena joined the Just Communities team in Spring of 2015 and currently serves as the Director of Programming and Language Justice. Lena is a licensed trainer for The Community Interpreter International, a program of Cross Cultural Communications. Lena resides in Ventura County and loves spending time with son Antonio and her partner Eddie.
Graciela Cabello, Trustee
Graciela has a diverse background that includes over twelve years of combined experience in conservation, movement building, community engagement, and communications in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, East Bay. Graciela is currently the director of youth and community engagement at Los Padres ForestWatch—a nonprofit dedicated to protecting wildlife, clean water, and public lands on the Central Coast. Prior to joining ForestWatch, she was the founding national director of Latino Outdoors, a national organization supporting Latino engagement, leadership, and advocacy in the areas of outdoor recreation, and conservation.
About Wilderness Youth Project:
Enjoying its 20 year anniversary, the mission of Wilderness Youth Project (WYP) is to foster confidence, health, and a life-long love of learning for young people and families through active outdoor experiences and mentoring. We take our participants to resource-rich locations such as creeks, beaches, mountain trails, and open spaces in Santa Barbara’s abundant front country. Our core routines include child-centered exploration, awareness, and the building of naturalist skills. We use a nature-based mentoring curriculum that combines experience in nature with a hands-on learning process.
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