Ironwood Tree Experience

Our Mission: To inspire youth to connect with their community through experiences in nature.

Ironwood Tree Experience (ITE) has been leading outdoor education programs in the Sonoran Desert and beyond for 20 years.

We offer programs for youth to learn about ecology, culture, and history and build a sense of place. By actively exploring urban and natural environments, young people feel a sense of connection to the outdoors and their communities. As a result, they are inspired to steward the environment and their home. Our programs offer the opportunities, access, and inspiration for these types of experiences.

The best way to make an impact is by giving during Arizona Gives Day 2026 on Tuesday, April 7. And, if you donate $50 or more during the 12:00 PM–12:59 PM Power Hour, you’ll help us compete for a $2,000 bonus prize—we won it last year!

Testimonials

~Jesus Mendoza (Youth Participant): "ITE is a great program to be in and has impacted my life in a very positive way. It helps us get into nature, which really helps with stress that I get from school. ITE campouts is an opportunity to be in nature and meet new people. It also helps us get to know Arizona more and meet different career opportunities."

~Leia (Youth Participant): “I loved to have the ability to go outdoors and to learn something new every single weekend. I loved how I was able to take a break from school and life and to go outside and breathe the fresh air and to learn more about the world around me.”

~Isaac Cortes (Program Instructor): "It's really nurturing when it seems like students are having a very genuine, authentic experience that's full of wonder... Those experiences where kids really get to lean into or soak in the experience of being outside. You can kind of see it on their faces or in their expressions, just being excited to be where they are."

~Sarah (Youth Participant): "One of my most memorable moments was when I was sitting on a rock for lunch and I was able to just sit quietly and enjoy the total immersion in the beauty of nature. A damselfly landed on my hand, and I was able to observe it up close for a moment before it went on its way. Later, I discovered a lynx spider on my leg and was able to observe that as well. It was amazing to just sit there and realize that I was right in the heart of nature, closer to organisms, large and small, than I ever had been in my life."