If you follow the organization formerly referred to as Birthright America on Facebook, you probably got a notification late last week that we have changed our name. We are excited to officially share our new name, as well as to to provide a bit of the rationale behind that change, now that all the necessary logistics that are required have been completed.
While our mission remains the same, we will now be known as... drum roll, please...
We opted for this new name for several reasons:
- The definition of "breakthrough" touches on both the philosophy of and the goals of our organization. While it shouldn't be "a sudden, dramatic" discovery that our public National Parks are intended for all of us, regardless of whether we have the financial means to actually be able to experience them, for too long there has been little done to insure that these public lands are, indeed, accessible to all the public.
- For many of the students who have and will attend our programs, exploring these National Parks opens new worlds for them, so their experience "removes a barrier to progress" in terms of what they know and believe may be possible.
- We also liked the idea of our name capturing how children from under served communities get to take a break through America; in other words, they are devoting part of their spring, winter or summer school break to travel through our great country. Since we often refer to travel in terms of a "break" from our normal daily activity, this secondary meaning resonated with us.
- Finally, for our first two trips, we have taken scholars from two affiliates within the Breakthrough Collaborative. With Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano, we explored Joshua Tree, Sequoia and King Canyon National Parks. With Breakthrough Miami, we explored Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks. The Breakthrough Collaborative is committed to equitable access and transformational learning communities, so they are a natural partner for us and our mission to insure that all of America's children can visit - and explore - their National Parks. It is through such exploration that these young people not only become more confident and educated, but also that they begin feeling a sense of stewardship for our public lands.
In addition to our desire to adopt a new name that more fully realized our mission, we also recognized that there had been some confusion with our original name. You might recall an earlier post from April of 2018, not long after our nonprofit was first formed, reflecting on the possibility of a name change, as Birthright America was sometimes mistaken with the Birthright Israel foundation which sponsors trips to Israel for young Jewish men and women. Since our two organizations do share a common belief, which is that exploration of one's country should be considered more of a right than a privilege, we didn't initially find that confusion too worrisome and assumed it would eventually dissipate as people became more familiar with our organization.
What became an even greater concern over the past two years was that some potential supporters thought our name might have misleading political implications. Since we are an organization that aims to appeal to all Americans who recognize the value of exploring our country's public lands and National Parks, the last thing we would want to do is label ourselves in a way that might send a message that was contrary to that mission.
As we embark on a new decade, we are excited to start a new chapter as Breakthrough America. You will find our social media accounts in all the familiar places, though you may have to refresh the page a time or two before the new name appears. If you have been supporting us on Amazon Smile, thank you! Your support will continue to come to Breakthrough America even if you still see "Birthright America" as your charity of choice. If you would like to see our new name, simply click on "change the charity" you support and select Breakthrough America as your "new" charity.
We are hopeful that with our new name will come an exciting new group of donors and sponsors who are less confused by our name and more eager than ever to support our mission.
For those of you who have been on board from the start, we thank you for your continued belief in our organization. Your generosity is what enables children who would otherwise never get to experience our country's majestic National Parks get to do so. You make all the difference, and we are so grateful for you. For those of you who are just discovering our nonprofit for the first time, welcome to Breakthrough America.
 |
| Summer of 2018 - Joshua Tree National Park at sunset |
 |
| Breakthrough SJC students at the Joshua Tree NP visitor center |
 |
| Breakthrough Miami students explore the Everglades NP visitor center. |
 |
| Breakthrough Miami students at the remote Dry Tortugas National Park. |
