Our Story
Where We Began
Since 2006, Chicago Adventure Therapy (CAT) has woven outdoor adventure into the fabric of collective wellness and reclamation in Chicago’s most under-served communities.
Originally focused on clinically driven models of individual treatment, our early work used adventure sports like climbing, kayaking, and camping as tools for therapeutic intervention. While this foundation was essential, we soon recognized that healing must extend beyond the clinical frame—it must be rooted in community, in joy, and in equity.
In 2019, CAT integrated a trauma-informed, community-embedded approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) into programming. What began as an organization grounded in a clinical adventure therapy model has since evolved into a powerful, community-led movement centering healing, belonging, and mental wellness for Black, brown, and other marginalized youth throughout Chicago.
Today, adventure sports and outdoor recreation remain central—not simply as activities, but as vehicles for personal and collective growth and healing.
“This journey we’re on—like any outdoor adventure—is both thrilling and a little scary. You pack your bag, you prepare as best you can, but then there’s always something unexpected—like rain or a surprise obstacle. That’s what makes it thrilling and also what makes it meaningful. CAT’s role is to help young people navigate the scary parts, to teach them that discomfort can lead to growth, and to show them that they have the power to transform their lives and their communities.”
-Zorbari Nwidor, Executive Director
