Conversations with Austin House

Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin House.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
About four and a half years ago, I was giving surf and skateboarding lessons for a living. I really enjoyed doing it. I love being outdoors and working with people, and to teach something like surfing or skateboarding, which has been so cathartic for me personally, felt very special. It was such an amazing experience.

I had been given skateboarding and surfing lessons for just under a year, and I had a thought: how could we expose those who don’t really get a chance or have the opportunity to learn how to surf? It’s an expensive sport to get into, with gear costing up to at least a couple of hundred dollars, not to mention surf lessons on top of it (which is another hundred dollars per lesson). I was pretty fresh out of college with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, so I learned a lot about social inequalities and the differences in opportunities between people of different socioeconomic backgrounds. We hatched the idea to put on surf events in collaboration with youth organizations in LA at no cost to them. We had a lot of great support and donations from my friends and family to get us started. Long story short, we connected with The Boys and Girls Club and had set the date for our very first surf event. We had a group of 15 kids, and they all had such a blast. It was so awesome to see these kids light up as they were learning to surf for the first time. Since then, we have now evolved into a broader organization, where we collaborate with various youth organizations in LA to create outdoor and experiential programs for under-served youth. Some of the other events that we’ve put on include rock climbing, kayaking, go-karting, a day at Six Flags, a cooking workshop, educational hikes up to Griffith Observatory, a day at the flea market, and more. As of right now, we aim for 2 to 3 events per month.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, it has been pretty smooth. Donations can be hard to get, especially when trying for government grants. Luckily, we’ve been fortunate enough to have some very generous friends and family who continue to support and believe in our mission. Believe it or not, sometimes it’s actually a challenge to begin working with some of the youth organizations. It’s actually kind of funny, I’ve had several experiences where I’ll call one of these youth organizations, let them know what we’re all about, and that it’s no cost to them, but I think it almost sounds too good to be true. Sometimes they think we’re trying to sell them something, haha.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The best way I could describe what we do is: pro-bono outsourced program development for youth nonprofits in LA. We specialize in creating experiences for kids who may not get the chance to experience what we provide. What I’m most proud of is the effect that we have on these kids. Some of the kids that we work with go through so many difficult situations, and to provide solace, even if it’s just briefly, is such an amazing feeling. I remember after our first surf event, we put an edit together of the day, and it made me cry. You can see the moment when kids are learning how to surf, where the rest of the world seems to fade away, and all that’s left is the joy of being in the moment riding on a wave.

As far as what sets us apart from others, I’m not really sure there’s any organization that does what we do exactly in terms of allocating funds and then distributing pro bono experiences to various youth organizations.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think working in the space that we do with kids, it’s actually very important that we avoid risk, haha. In a way, our very first surf event was a bit of a risk. We had no experience in terms of putting together something like that and working with that many kids at the same time, so we had no real way of knowing how the event would go, but my late father always taught me to believe in myself and be the best version of myself that I can; that gives me the motivation to do things that are uncomfortable or seem risky. Obviously, some of the events that we do come with some liability (like go-karting or surfing), so limiting risk in that sense is important, as we want these kids to be safe and not get hurt. In terms of life in general, it’s important to take some risks.

Pricing:

• There’s no cost for the youth organizations that we work with, but we’re always willing to accept donations whether that’s monetary or a donated experience. We’ve worked with companies like Boulderdash and sender one climbing which have been so kind enough to do pro bono events with us

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theoutdoorinitiative.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoutdoorinitiative/

Image Credits
The picture of the six kids standing on surfboards in the sand was taken by my very talented photographer friend Joseph Hunt. All other photos were either taken by me or by my girlfriend who helps out a lot at the events