IN OTHER WORDS
CITY KIDS PROGRAM DIRECTOR
MONIQUE
DAILEY WORDS BY KELSEY COCHRAN
Talk to D.C. native Monique Dailey for an hour, and you’ll find that she has endless stories to tell. She’s led a life chock-full of experiences, from volunteering with the Peace Corps to living in the Philippines. Now, she provides opportunities for D.C. youth to explore the outdoors through nonprofit City Kids Wilderness Project. She recently spoke with District Fray about her work, how she’s adjusted to life during the pandemic and what makes her tick via some rapid-fire questions. District Fray: What do you hope to achieve at City Kids? Monique Dailey: Our mission is to help D.C. youth build skills to be successful in life, and we do that through outdoor experiences and programming. We’re a long-term organization where youth start the program in sixth grade, and the overall goal is when they leave our program and graduate high school, they have leadership and teamwork skills, confidence and Monique Dailey. Photo courtesy of subject.
the ability to believe in themselves to do great things. That’s ultimately the end goal: to make sure they are resilient and proud of everything they have accomplished through the extensive array of programs we offer. As a D.C. native, do you wish there was an organization like this when you were growing up? I had this neighbor who introduced my friends and me to the outdoors. It was very unusual because I grew up in D.C. in a really rough neighborhood during the height of the crack epidemic. She was this older white lady who lived across the street from us walking her dog and we’d be like, “What is she doing?” We became curious and she started taking us on walks with her to Rock Creek Park. She decided to start this community organization called Neighbors United Community. In doing so, she founded the Student Conservation Association. DISTRICT FRAY | 59
