Imagine If was founded in 2021 to give a voice to students who felt unheard during COVID. Our first project, Youth Speaks, was an experiential classroom that wove creative writing, improv, and poetry into an oral tapestry of our communities. That project grew out of a simple mission we still hold today: to invite, inform, and inspire.

In the years since, that mission has taken many forms, from offering drips to enrichment programs. Seven years ago, Jay created our first Outdoor Exploration Enrichment Program at the Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center in Pueblo, Colorado. It struck a chord, and similar programs soon took root at eleven sites across the state—each one known by its own name, whether “Nature School,” “Ranch,” “The OWL,” or something entirely its own. Wherever they landed, these programs became something children looked forward to and something sites came to rely on.

What Partnering with Imagine If Means for You

As a top provider in this field, Imagine If brings a level of experience and infrastructure few can match. Partner sites can count on:

1. 50+ years of collective experience in Experiential Education — supporting your programs, mentoring your staff, and serving as an adjunct instructor for your site
2. A steady advocate who keeps you informed as CDE rules and requirements evolve
3. Representation at meetings with your local authorizer
4. Six years’ worth of a ready-made lesson repository for your team to draw on
5. Full record-keeping and reporting for the state, handled on your behalf
6. Hands-on help developing new programs as your site grows
7. Professional development every six weeks throughout the school year
8. An annual fall retreat that brings staff together from every partner site
9. Statewide activities that give your families new ways to get involved
10. Integrity in everything Imagine If does — our word is our bond

Programs like yours don’t just fill an afternoon — they shape how a child sees the world outdoors, often for the first time. I’d love the chance to help make sure that doesn’t stop here.

Please let me know if you’d like your site to join Imagine If for the 26/27 school year. It would be my honor to welcome you aboard.

Warmly,

Jay Zarr

Administrator & Founder, Imagine If, Inc.