Group of young scouts trekking through a sunny forest trail

Custom Partnerships

Bring your students back to earth

Nature connection and culture building experiences designed with your school and your students in mind

Schedule a Discovery Call
Teenage boy in hoodie reading smartphone indoors

The Challenge

Tough Times
to Be a Teen

Adolescence has always carried challenges, but the pressures facing young people today are unprecedented. Teens are growing up with constant digital stimulation, social comparison, rising anxiety, loneliness, and fewer regular experiences of challenge, responsibility, and belonging.

At Back to Earth, we see these pressures up close. Young people talk about isolation, emotional suppression, uncertainty about who they are becoming, and the difficulty of finding real connection in their daily lives.

The Pressures Facing Adolescents Today

Digital Overload

Constant stimulation, fragmented attention, and very little space to be quiet, present, or fully themselves.

Social Isolation

Highly connected online yet lacking authentic peer belonging and supportive adult relationships.

Resilience Under Strain

Academic, social, and emotional pressure without enough practice in discomfort, failure, and repair.

Disconnection From Nature

Fewer direct relationships with the living world, challenge, solitude, and the more-than-human.

"When you're out here you have nothing else to focus on but having a good time with your friends."

— Julian, 10th Grade, Back to Earth Participant

Diverse group of friends enjoying a campfire gathering in the forest

Our Approach

The BTE School Thesis

A framework that turns trips into culture

Time in Nature

Learning New Skills

Connection & Reflection

Students Who Carry the Culture

Traditional Framing

"We take students camping."

One-off trips disconnected from school culture. Students return on Monday to the same dynamics as before.

The BTE Shift

"We bring Nature's wisdom back to campus."

Co-created rites of passage that build grade-to-grade and integrate with your campus culture. The trip is the beginning, not the destination.

"What most excites me about schools is participating in growing school culture — having those questions of, what would it be like if your students just had more time in the year to have this other vision, this other way of relating to themselves and other people?"

— Eli Marienthal, Co-Founder & Executive Director

Guide pointing at wildlife in dense forest

The Framework

BTE Program Ingredients

Six ingredients from which all Back to Earth programs are designed

Nature Connection

Relationship with place through parks, neighborhoods, and wilderness. Students learn to read and belong to the land.

Culture Building

Morning practice and evening council create shared rhythm, belonging, and reflection.

Ancestral Skills

Firecraft, shelter building, navigation, observation. Practical competence builds real confidence.

Active Listening

Speaking with intention and hearing without interruption. Relational intelligence that transforms everything.

WILD Mind Training

Attention and awareness practices that build presence, regulation, perception, and sensory intelligence.

Solo Time

Intentional time alone in nature for reflection, self-trust, grounding, and meaning-making.

"Through repeated practice, students build competence, attention, self-trust, and a shared culture of connection that transforms school communities."

Hiker standing on a mountain peak at sunrise

Programs & Pathways

Four Ways to Partner

From single days to multi-year cultures — choose the pathway that fits your school.

Not sure which pathway fits? Tell us about your school and we will help you choose.

Beginning & End of Year Retreats

A shared experience that resets culture

Daylong and overnight options

Set the tone for the year or close it with intention. These retreats create a shared rite of passage that anchors school culture.

  • Culture reset in 1–3 days
  • Full grade or selected cohort
  • On-campus or local wilderness

School Year Outings

Guide-led sessions on or off campus

2-hour, half day, and full day options

One off or recurring sessions woven into your school schedule. Our guides come to you, building continuity and community over the year.

  • Weekly or monthly cadence
  • Guide comes to your campus
  • Builds year-long momentum

Custom Camping Adventures

Purpose-built trips

1–4 night options across Northern California

Multi-night camping or backcountry journeys designed around your school's schedule and goals. Students carry their gear, cook together, and face real challenge.

  • 1–4 night expeditions
  • Sierra Nevada locations
  • 6:1 student-to-guide ratio

Workshops & Trainings

Equipping educators and families

All About Gratitude, Parents' Passage, Adolescent Development

Professional development for faculty and engagement workshops for parents. We build capacity so the culture outlasts any single trip.

  • Faculty PD workshops
  • Parent engagement nights
  • Capacity-building for your team
Scouts navigating through a lush forest by a river

Academic Calendar Integration

We build a year-long arc so culture compounds from season to season.

Fall

Fall Retreats

Reset culture at the start of the year

Winter

Winter Clubs

Weekly guide-led sessions on campus

Spring

Spring Expeditions

Multi-night backcountry journeys

Summer

Summer Bridge

WILD programs for the most connected students

Our Work in Action

From Partner Schools

"Back to Earth is so much more than a backpacking trip. That's how they all start — 12 testimonials, every single one. Nine days later: I thought this was going to be a backpacking trip. It was not."

School Partner

Based on 12 end-of-trip testimonials

"Our students came back transformed. The guides didn't just teach wilderness skills — they held space for genuine personal growth that we're still seeing the effects of months later."

Dean of Students

Independent School Partner

"Back to Earth met our school where we were. They co-designed every detail with our faculty and made outdoor education accessible to every single student, regardless of background."

Program Director

Charter Network Partner

Trusted by Bay Area Schools

Schools We Walk With

The East Bay School

KIPP Esperanza High School

Millennium School

Lodestar Academy

Crystal Springs Uplands

Nomad Middle School

Schools We Walk With

  • The East Bay School

  • KIPP Esperanza High School

  • Millennium School

  • Lodestar Academy

  • Crystal Springs Uplands

  • Nomad Middle School

Teacher engaging with students in a classroom discussion

Why Back to Earth

Why It Works

What makes us different — and why it matters for your school.

Why Traditional Solutions Fall Short

One-off Field Trips

No culture continuity — students return to the same dynamics on Monday.

SEL Curriculum in Classrooms

Concepts without embodied experience rarely produce lasting change.

Traditional Outdoor Ed

Skills-focused without the mentorship container for real adolescent development.

Grade-Level Trips

One experience in four years doesn't build a culture — it builds a memory.

The Gap

Schools need developmental infrastructure that builds grade-to-grade and integrates with campus culture. That's what Back to Earth provides.

The Back to Earth Partnership

A mentorship team that knows your students by name

Year-over-year program continuity that compounds culture

All six program ingredients woven into every experience

Grade-to-grade developmental arc, not one-off events

Deep integration with school leadership and faculty

Family engagement and ongoing alumni connection

The Leverage

"If you have no interest in school culture — good luck, we're not your guys. We work with schools who see building culture as part of developing individual excellence, leadership, confidence, and courage."

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to common questions

Begin with a discovery call where we learn about your school's mission, student needs, and program goals. We'll then co-design a proposal tailored to your curriculum, timing, and budget. The process typically takes 2–4 weeks from initial conversation to signed agreement.
Program costs depend on length, location, group size, and customization. Day workshops start around $2,000–$3,500; wilderness retreats range from $8,000–$15,000; multi-night expeditions are $18,000–$35,000. We offer sliding-scale pricing, payment plans, and scholarship support to ensure accessibility.
Safety is our highest priority. All guides are Wilderness First Responder certified with extensive backcountry experience. We maintain comprehensive liability insurance, conduct thorough risk assessments, use emergency communication devices, and follow detailed safety protocols. We provide full documentation for your school's review.
Yes. We co-design programs to reinforce your academic goals — whether that's environmental science, leadership development, social-emotional learning, or project-based units. We can provide lesson plans aligned with state standards and support teachers in integrating outdoor experiences into classroom learning.
That's exactly who we serve. Many of our partner schools are new to wilderness programming. We guide you through every step — from parent communication to gear lists to pre-trip preparation. Our staff handles all logistics and instruction; your teachers participate as chaperones and community builders.
Equity is central to our mission. We offer sliding-scale pricing, full scholarships through the WILD Scholars Program, and flexible payment plans. Our staff reflects participant diversity, we use culturally responsive practices, and we work intentionally to create spaces where all students feel they belong.
Begin the Journey

Ready to bring your students
back to earth?

Start with a free school assessment

Explore

Free School Assessment

A 30-minute call to understand your school's needs and share what's possible.

Pilot

Spring 2026 Custom Retreat

A single experience designed for your students — the beginning of something lasting.

Partner

Multi-year Partnership

Fall 2026 and beyond — building a culture that compounds year over year.

Get My Free Assessment eli@backtoearth.org

backtoearth.org — serving Bay Area schools since 2014