About Us

WHAT WE DO

Get Outside is a nonprofit organization designed to promote a culture of outdoor recreation and healthy lifestyle in southern Utah. As an entity, our primary vision is for both youth and adults to engage in outdoor recreation in order to improve physical and mental health.

We challenge students to move out of their comfort zones and challenge their perceived abilities while creating opportunities to serve in their communities.

Breaking Barriers

The three main barriers keeping our youth from getting outside have been identified as:

Lack of Funding

Many students don’t have the funding required for bikes, boots, carabiners, and other gear need to participate in outdoor recreation. We allow access to the necessary equipment for activities.

Lack of Education

Many students and their role models don’t have the necessary knowledge and training to participate safely in outdoor activities. We provide opportunities for students to receive the training required to engage in mountain biking, rock climbing, and skiing, among other activities.

Lack of Opportunities

Many students don’t know anyone who can take them to outdoor recreation areas. We create excursions that allow students to engage with the natural beauty of southern Utah.

Our Mission

We allow youth and families to overcome these barriers, and we have established Get Outside Clubs in each high school in Washington and Iron County. Each club is run by students under the direction of a faculty or staff adviser.

These clubs will provide networking and opportunities for youth to engage outside. We will also provide education and training through clinics for various outdoor recreation activities ensuring that these youth can engage in outdoor recreation safely.

We are actively engaged in helping students overcome financial barriers by looking for sources of outdoor equipment and arranging for means of connecting these sources with the Get Outside Clubs. We are also searching for donors to help offset the financial barriers that block many low-income youth from participating in outdoor recreation.

Our Team

Matthew Mizukawa

Founder and President

Dr. Mizukawa was born in San Antonio, Texas, raised in Fort Washington, Maryland, but finished high school in Saint George, Utah. He is proud to call southern Utah home. After serving a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Fukuoka, Japan, he attended Brigham Young University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Neuroscience, after which he received a Doctorate of Dental Medicine from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He then completed a residency at Vanderbilt University in 2011 and eventually returned to Saint George to join Dixie Oral Maxillofacial and Implant Surgery, where he is currently a partner.

Dr. Mizukawa has felt the positive influence of the outdoors on physical and mental health in his own life, and has seen the influence on youth. It was this observation, along with a deep concern for the well-being of future generations that motivated him to start Get Outside and take action against sedentary lifestyles. Dr. and Mrs. Mizukawa have six children now. They enjoy spending as much time as possible in the outdoors, whether in the mountains, on the lake, or in the beautiful canyons of southern Utah. Some of their fondest family memories involve the outdoors, including rock climbing, camping, biking, boating, and hiking throughout the country.

John R Taylor

BOARD MEMBER

John is heavily involved in biological research at Southern Utah University, and equally active in science education throughout the state of Utah.  He currently serves as the Assistant Dean of Integrative Learning at SUU, is the President of the Utah Teachers Association, and a board member of the Zion National Park Forever Project. (The official non-profit partner of Zion National Park)

John is the parent of three boys and an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys mountain biking, hiking, skiing, and other life sports.