Chicago Inspiring Connections Outdoors

Chicago Inspiring Connections Outdoors ICO connects CHI youth with limited access to the outdoors with outings that promote wellness, exploration, & conservation.

ICO engages Chicago youth in activities that range from exploratory hiking, canoeing, camping, climbing, and stewardship activities in the city and beyond. We value assisting young people exploring their own ‘story’ in the outdoors, building a community of adult leaders committed to co-creating an affirming space to do so, and contribute to a more just, equitable, and inclusive movement that demands access to the outdoors for all.

On Friday, April 20, we took a group of students from Hubbard High School to Starved Rock 🏞. It was an absolutely gorgeo...
04/29/2026

On Friday, April 20, we took a group of students from Hubbard High School to Starved Rock 🏞. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and especially exciting because most of the students had never been to Starved Rock before! What an honor to get to introduce them to this wonderful place!😄 We explored St. Louis Canyon, enjoying many of the early spring flowers🌷⚘️, and a full waterfall in the canyon itself⛰️🌊. This of course was a perfect place for students to explore and eat lunch🥙. It seemed almost surreal to be wearing summer clothes and sweating in mid April- what an adventure!🌸🌻

This March we had a unique opportunity to take students from Hubbard High School to Equestrian Connection in Lake Forest...
04/10/2026

This March we had a unique opportunity to take students from Hubbard High School to Equestrian Connection in Lake Forest, Illinois 🐴💚 While the mission of EC is “to improve the physical, mental and emotional well being of children and adults with special needs by providing equine-assisted therapy”, its programs have expanded to include assisting youth in socio-emotional learning through personal training sessions and interactions with their horses! 🐎🐎 It’s not horseback riding but learning how horses understand their surroundings and connect with and interact with humans. All of the students felt this was a very rewarding experience as they had never had the chance to do anything like this before and it brings them closer to nature by understanding a group of animals on a deeper level. 🏞🧘‍♀️ Thank you Equestrian Connection! 😊

In September we had the pleasure of bringing a group of students from Pritzker College Prep to the to participate in it...
10/24/2025

In September we had the pleasure of bringing a group of students from Pritzker College Prep to the to participate in its annual Celebration of the Trees🌲, a celebration of the vibrant cultures and traditions of Latin America 🌎 in the beautiful natural settings of the Morton Arboretum. In addition to enjoying live music performances 🎶 and guided walks 🏞, the Pritzker students were able to be part of a behind-the-scenes presentation by young Latino post-graduate students involved in a variety of environmental and conservation programs in different parts of the world 🌿. The students got a first hand look at possible areas of interest that they themselves could pursue and following the presentation they were able to ask individual presenters questions and then be involved in some activities directly connected to tree identification🔎. While Chicago ICO wants to help youth discover the beauty and peace in the outdoors, we also want them to discover passions and imagine ways in which they can make the outdoors a larger part of their future plans!🗺📍

This August we had the opportunity to take a middle school boys group climbing at First Ascent in Avondale. 🧗‍♂️ The bo...
08/30/2025

This August we had the opportunity to take a middle school boys group climbing at First Ascent in Avondale. 🧗‍♂️ The boys got to experience both the high ropes as well as the bouldering walls and approached both with enthusiasm and excitement.😄 The staff were amazed at how skilled some of the boys were in learning climbing techniques and conquering any nervousness they might have had.💪 They climbed for a full 2 hours and then were ready to devour some lunch! 🍽

We really value the relationship we’ve built with the Refugee One summer program and look forward to new adventures next summer!☀️

This June we had the pleasure of bringing a high school group from and introduce them to the wonders of the Wild Mile, ...
08/30/2025

This June we had the pleasure of bringing a high school group from and introduce them to the wonders of the Wild Mile, under the leadership of 🏞. Here the teens got to do some water testing 🧪, search for macro invertebrates 🪲 and launch seed bombs to help create new flora🌼. Then after lunch took us for a kayaking adventure on the Chicago River so the students could see further work done on the Wild Mile while learning how to paddle 🛶. It was the first time kayaking for virtually all of them, and they all wanted the opportunity to have their own kayak so they could learn on their own- it was super exciting! 😃

Back at the end of April we had a collaborative outing with Latino Outdoors, taking students from Pritzker College Prep ...
06/04/2025

Back at the end of April we had a collaborative outing with Latino Outdoors, taking students from Pritzker College Prep to in Humboldt Park to try out bouldering. 🧗‍♂️ It’s always exciting to see first time climbers looking with a bit of hesitation at the walls in front of them, but then stepping up to meet those challenges and building their confidence! 💪 We are thankful for the people at both and in Humboldt Park who partnered with us and made this outing possible. 😁

03/13/2025

Courage.

Last Thursday we had a fantastic time with youth from at the Trailside Museum of Natural History!🏞 While there the grou...
08/29/2024

Last Thursday we had a fantastic time with youth from at the Trailside Museum of Natural History!🏞 While there the group got a tour of the ambissador animals and learned about the importance of native raptors🦉🦅, hiked and found many different native plants and animals 🦌🌱, and even got the chance to be shown how to start a camp fire! 🔥 We are so grateful for the helpful staff at Trailside Museum of Natural History for making the outing such a success and for teaching us the importance of respecting nature and conservation ♻️


Once again we have had a great opportunity to work with a couple of refugee resettlement organizations this summer! 🌞 Wo...
07/11/2024

Once again we have had a great opportunity to work with a couple of refugee resettlement organizations this summer! 🌞 Working with we were able to take youth from and Refugee School Impact on some adventures including kayaking 🛶, climbing 🧗‍♂️, and an educational journey to The Grove!🌳 There’s truly nothing better than seeing young folks step out of their comfort zones into something brand new and intimidating and see them conquer those fears as well as finding something new that they really enjoy.😁 Thank you and Refugee School Impact for letting us partner with you in your summer programs!👋

This last weekend we took part in a camping trip with a group from Hubbard High School at the Deer Grove Forest Preserve...
06/12/2024

This last weekend we took part in a camping trip with a group from Hubbard High School at the Deer Grove Forest Preserve in Palatine. 🏕 The rainy weather the first day was not ideal, especially when you’re trying to encourage young people who may have spent a little or no time in the outdoors...🌧 However this group was an example of resilience! 💪🏆 They camped like champs, got to have their first real cicada experience, AND a group of them even got up at 5 AM to see the sunrise! 🌄 We're thankful to have gotten the opportunity to be involved and can't wait to participate in more summer outings! 🌞

🌿Spring is here!🌿We led a beautiful outing this past Saturday to Starved Rock with the Adventure Club from Intrinsic Sch...
03/18/2024

🌿Spring is here!🌿

We led a beautiful outing this past Saturday to Starved Rock with the Adventure Club from Intrinsic School. We hiked the St. Louis Canyon trail which provided a an exploratory experience! We look forward to more adventures this 2024 spring season!

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Chicago, IL

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