Unleashing the brilliance of youth outdoor learning

Driving down Seattle’s Highway 16, Terrell Dorsey found himself at a critical juncture in his life. He could continue down a dark path or embark on a road less-traveled to find purpose and help others find theirs. In this pivotal moment, he shouted, “Strip yourself of self-sabotaging behavior and unleash the brilliance.”

These words sent Terrell to work and Unleash the Brilliance was born.

A nonprofit organization focused on addressing the school-to-prison pipeline, Unleash the Brilliance empowers youth to take charge of their lives, connect with their community and aim higher for their futures.

Unleash the Brilliance received funding in 2020 and 2022 through Washington’s outdoor equity fund, No Child Left Inside. The funding provided youth of color and low-income youth in King County the opportunity to connect with nature—many for the first time—and learn about their role in stewarding the environment for decades to come. Many young people joined the program after being referred by their schools for academic challenges or personal hardships. 

Estrella “Star” Garcia leads Unleash the Brilliance’s outdoor excursions, including a recent trip with students to Long Fellows Creek for water quality testing.

“The outdoor programming has really impacted our youth,” she said. “There's the social aspect, the psychological and giving them a strong support system—not only us as mentors but peers—so they know they're not alone.”

Through the nonprofit’s environmental justice program, youth engage in meaningful outdoor enrichment and educational activities, from kayaking the Puget Sound to participating in salmon habitat and riparian zone restoration. The environmental justice program has grown from 20 students to nearly 145 in only a few years. 

Hyein Park has been involved with the environmental justice program for four years and has already noticed lasting changes.

“I feel like it's giving me hope that I am able to do things that I feel are right for my future, my community's future and where we live,” she said. “I appreciate that I get to unlock features of myself and abilities I didn't know I had before.”

As founder and president of Unleash the Brilliance, Terrell is a proud grant recipient of No Child Left Inside and recognizes the grant program has untapped potential.

“No Child Left Inside needs to be prioritized. It needs more funding. We've been involved now for almost three years. We see the impacts of these students building more resiliency and going after a world that can give them a quality of life that they're worthy of.”  

Unleash the Brilliance

For more information about Unleash the Brilliance and their work to challenge the school-to-prison pipeline, visit https://www.utbteens.com/.

No Child Left Inside

The No Child Left Inside (NCLI) grant program is Washington state’s outdoor equity fund, which provides quality opportunities for underserved, underrepresented and historically excluded youth to learn, play and experience the outdoors. NCLI provides grants for outdoor educational and recreational activities including environmental education, leadership development, outdoor recreation and adventure, stewardship activities and camp programs. In the 2023 legislative session, Washington committed a historic funding level and investment of $7 million for NCLI. This increase funded more than 100 grant proposals in the current grant cycle, providing 50,000+ youth with 1.7 million hours of transformational outdoor experiences. Yet demand continues to exceed available funding.