We Help Youth Grow
For more than 115 years, the Princeton-Blairstown Center has provided adventure-based, experiential education to youth from historically marginalized communities. What began in 1908 as the Princeton Summer Camp run by Princeton University students and faculty has evolved into an outdoor education center with a wide variety of year-round programs serving nearly 6,000 young people each year.
Today, our award-winning Summer Bridge, Venture Out, and Leader-in-Training programs serve as the centerpieces of the Center's work, providing educational programs designed to lessen learning loss for approximately 650 students from historically marginalized communities in Trenton and Newark, NJ free of charge.
Overcome Obstacles
Learn
As a leader in social and emotional learning, the Princeton-Blairstown Center helps young people build critical 21st Century Skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity,
and critical thinking.
Grow
The Center’s carefully trained facilitators work intentionally with small groups to take healthy risks and build deep connections which lead to positive climate and culture.
Lead
Our evidence-based curriculum enables 80-90% of students to grow in teamwork, problem-solving, and affinity for nature.
"What I love about Princeton-Blairstown is what it offers children from inner city areas. They do things that they would not normally have the opportunity to do in the neighborhoods that they come from. Our kids learn life skills that are not necessarily being taught in the classroom. They learn how to work together, problem-solve, and challenge themselves. In the inner city, there's not always a place for them to play and run and have fun. ... The incorporation of nature and the STEM program shows them that there's a world of possibility out there for them."
- Center for Child and Family Achievement (CCFA)
A Look at the Data
After completing their program at Princeton-Blairstown Center
92%
of Summer Bridge chaperones agreed that their students demonstrated improved team building skills.
88%
of Leaders-in-Training (LITs) made meaningful gains in growth mindset or goal orientation.
86%
of Venture Out students understand why it is important to protect and preserve the natural environment.
See the Difference We Make.
Research from Stanford University found that students experienced a 90% increase in social-emotional and academic skills after outdoor education opportunities.
