Across the country, there are dozens of programs that cater to exposing kids to the outdoors. All of them want kids to have a good time fishing, paddling, or camping. Those programs that want to add a little bit more desire to pass on an ethos along with an activity. There are a select few that not only present what the woods and water have to offer and explain why it is special, but also commit to the kids in a long-term manner.
Cast Hope is committed to the kids in their program, and Directing of Marketing and co-founder Hogan Brown was excited to share why: “It is pretty clear that people protect what they derive pleasure from, And if the next generation doesn’t appreciate those places, we’re not going to have places to fish. Basically, conservation is only as good as the generation that picks it up and cares. So we’re really focused on attaching kids to the places and things that are in the outdoors.”
Just over a decade ago, Cast Hope had its genesis in the kind of place and at the time of day that isn’t usually associated with great ideas. “(Co-founder) Ryan Johnston and I were sitting in a taco bar after the day out guiding for steelhead,” Brown says. “Ryan brought up the idea as something that was going to be a project for his MBA. A lot more work and time was put into it, and then it became reality.”
Today, kids in California and Nevada are on the river and catching fish with Cast Hope. But with this program, there’s so much more than just catching fish.
