Questions, answered.

Opportunity Education Global (OEG) is an intergenerational learning organization that helps young people, and the adults who love them, turn what they care about into real action. We do that through three kinds of work: Family Impact Retreats that bring whole families together in places that invite them to slow down and go deep; 1:1 Executive Function and Impact Coaching for young people and social impact leaders; and partnerships with schools, educators and community organizations. OEG launched its first Family Impact Retreat at Paicines Ranch in California in March 2026. Our next chapter is the 2027 Family Impact Retreat in Jelsa, on the island of Hvar, Croatia, in partnership with The Field School of Hvar.

Young people today are growing up during one of the fastest cultural and technological shifts in history. Many are busy, high achieving and exhausted, and too few get the chance to do real work that matters to a real community. OEG exists to keep the qualities that make us human, including curiosity, courage, imagination, compassion and connection, at the center of how young people grow. We believe they thrive when they are trusted with real responsibility and surrounded by adults and communities that model care.

OEG is for young people from middle school through young adulthood, and for the adults who support them: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents, mentors and educators. Our retreats welcome the whole family, with a youth program for ages 13 to 20 and space for companions of every age. Our coaching works 1:1 with students and young adults, and with social impact leaders and center directors. Families drawn to OEG value depth over résumé building. They want experiences that build agency, creativity and connection rather than pressure or performance.

Everything we do is built on four ideas: agency, authenticity, awareness and action. Young people learn by doing. On retreat, that means apprenticing with local makers, chefs, sailors, scientists and artists, taking on hands-on artisan projects, and serving the community that hosts us. In coaching, it means building real skills like planning, prioritizing and follow-through in service of goals the student chooses. Rather than prescribing one path, OEG helps young people name what matters to them and build the confidence to act on it.

OEG was founded by Annie Makela, a social impact entrepreneur and education leader who serves as Founder and Executive Director. Annie was the founding executive director of the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Hillbrook School, has led youth programming at Opportunity Collaboration since 2010, and is an EdD candidate in Entrepreneurship Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Julia Klahr and Finn Richards are OEG’s Youth Co-Founders. They help shape our programs from a young person’s point of view and make sure youth voice is built into everything we do. Our programs are also supported by professional fellows, local partners and near-peer mentors who model thoughtful leadership in real life.

No. OEG is not a school, camp, tutoring service or traditional college counseling program. It is a learning organization that creates immersive, relational experiences where leadership, agency and values are developed through practice, reflection and community.

Follow us on Instagram at @opportunityeducationglobal for photos and stories from our retreats and programs, or email us anytime at opportunityeducationglobal@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.