10 years of impact.

Assessing impact

Some nonprofits have missions that can be translated into numbers that clearly demonstrate success. Examples include groups that focus on increasing graduation rates or decreasing teen pregnancy, etc.

The impact made by other groups, including GOALS, more qualitative. In a society where kids experience so much anxiety, depression, and loneliness that suicide rates and opioid addictions have never been higher, the GOALS mission is necessary, noble, and powerful. But…how does one accurately represent “transformative life experience” in numbers?

We know we’re making a difference in young lives. We’re told frequently about the growth kids experience though our expeditions - not only by our participants themselves but also by parents, teachers, coaches, and other adult mentors in their community.

Data collection

We spent a few seasons collecting survey data from kids to compare pre- and post-expedition responses. Passing out surveys during our last lunch in the canyon, however, felt non-authentic - even selfish - and contrary to our focus on participant growth. Therefore, we rely other measurements to assess impact.

We observe the way kids treat one another from the beginning to the end of their expedition. We listen to the way they offer sincere appreciations around evening campfires. We are moved by thank-you letters they write to the canyon during a short solo on their final evening. We are proud of the testimonials we receive from parents - consistently describing the changes they’ve noticed between the child they dropped off for their GOALS expedition and the one they picked up afterward. We are humbled by the number of repeat participants (nearly 30%) - several of whom have been so moved by their GOALS experiences they’ve tattooed our logo on their bodies (no, parents - this is not something we encourage).

We know that some traditional data analysts will want numbers to evaluate the transformation we create in the kids we serve- so we’ll keep struggling with how to properly gather those. In the meantime, there is one set of impressive numbers we can share. In 10 short years, GOALS expeditions have cumulatively logged 8,414 days exploring over 83,000 river miles - shaping 1,437 young lives along the way.

This much we know: one wilderness river trip at a time, GOALS is creating something better and more balanced for kids who may not even have been aware they were seeking it. We are introducing them to parts of their brains they might not otherwise spend much time using; parts that are critical to discovering who they are now, who they want to be, and how to get there. This awareness develops as a result of feeling the connection to peers, planet, and self that is at the core of our mission.

Call it a nascent cultural awakening. Through GOALS Youth River Expeditions, the benefits of building a new norm for the next generation cannot be underestimated.