Diverse NPS►
Because of growing civil unrest in 2020, I joined a coalition of fellow park enthusiasts. Our group brainstormed ideas about how we could use our combined platforms to help. We’ve previously written about the barriers many BIPOC communities face when it comes to outdoor recreation.
Each month, our group spotlights a relevant organization. These organizations are working to bridge the gap between outdoor spaces and underrepresented communities. Past features include:
- August: Black in National Parks Week
- September: Soul Trak
- October: Charles Roundtree
- November: Youth Opportunities Program
- December: Black Kids Adventures
- January: The Memorial Foundation
- February: Syatt
- March: Love Is King
- June: The Venture Out Project
- July: Wilderness Inquiry
- Sept: Girl Trek
- Oct: Greening Youth Foundation
As we open another month, we’re sharing another installment in our community effort to showcase organizations promoting social justice and more inclusive access to public lands. This month’s feature organization is Native Women’s Wilderness.
About Native Women’s Wilderness►
- Native Women’s Wilderness’ mission is
- To inspire and raise the voices of Native Women in the Outdoor Realm.
- To encourage a healthy lifestyle within the Wilderness.
- To provide education of the Ancestral Lands and its People.
Outdoor enthusiast Jaylyn Gough founded Native Women’s Wilderness in 2017 as an Instagram group. She was frustrated by the lack of representation for both women and Native Americans in outdoor spaces. She also sought recognition for the Native roots of public lands.
Gough expanded NWW to a non-profit group with a website and ambassadors in 2018. She and the organization were featured in National Geographic and in Outdoor Retailer’s diversity panel.
Every time I was on the trail in the Rocky Mountains, I never saw a woman of color, and it’s the land our ancestors walked. I kept thinking, ‘There has to be more people like me!’
Jaylyn Gough, Calvin ‘Spark’ Alumni Profile
Support and Donate►
- Website: https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NativeWomensWilderness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NativeWomensWilderness/
- Donate: https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/donate
