“When we take girls out to rock climb, we’re interested in teaching them transferrable skills, like speaking up for who you are and what you need.”
Through the challenge and support of group wilderness adventures, Women’s Wilderness – a grantee of the Community Foundation – aims to strengthen the courage, confidence, and leadership qualities of girls and women.
“We were founded in 1998 with the realization that programs like Outward Bound were originally conceived by and for white men,” says Emily Isaacs, Executive Director, Women’s Wilderness. “Our thinking was, ‘what would a ‘conscious choice’ model for woman and girls look like?’”
From there, Women’s Wilderness – comprising a Girls’ Wilderness Adventure Program, Women’s Program, Queer Nature Program, and Nature Awareness Program – evolved to provide a safe, welcoming place for people of all backgrounds and identities to explore nature through relational, collaborative adventures that instill outdoor skills and back country safety.
“When we take girls out to rock climb, we’re interested in teaching them transferrable skills, like speaking up for who you are and what you need,” Emily continues. “When you find the courage to tell your peer, ‘Please stop talking to your friend while you’re belaying me,’ you’ve overcome the fear of asking your peer to change their behavior for your safety.
“Our skilled, outdoor instructors then build on such moments, highlighting them and creating openings for discussions.
“Girls also leave the course know that they can physically do something that perhaps they never imagined they were capable of. When they set up a tent, when they’re exhausted but find the strength to go on, they’re also learning the skills and fortitude to work through struggles in math or English, or studying for their SATs.”
Additionally, Emily says that – when women and girls “get jazzed” about the wilderness – the connection to nature and the earth will remain a source of inner strength for them, for life, and inspire them to become environmental stewards.
Some two-thirds of girls who participate in Women’s Wilderness programming are on scholarship. “We’re committed to reaching out to Title 1 schools, and our girls are very diverse,” Emily explains. “Last year, we had a girl who was a refugee, another who was first-generation American, as well as girls in foster care, or those struggling with homelessness. And about one-third of them identify as people of color, which more or less reflects Boulder County demographics.
“But when they show up in just a T-shirt and shorts [Women’s Wilderness provides all required gear and equipment], when they sleep in the same tent together, eat the same food, and hike the same trails, those differences disappear.
“They become a team brought together in a beautiful, challenging setting. They work together to solve problems. They really get to know one another in ways that facilitate conversation about things we share in common. And there’s plenty of silliness, singing, dancing, joy, and fun.”
A licensed childcare facility, Women’s Wilderness participants included nearly 70 girls last summer, most of them middle-schoolers. “That’s an age when what we offer can help prevent or overcome issues of low self-esteem, poor body image, or overall lack of confidence,” says Emily.
Indeed, 98% of girls surveyed said they felt more confident and capable of accomplishing difficult tasks upon completion of a Women’s Wilderness program.
Funding through the Community Foundation’s Open Door Fund also supports Women’s Wilderness programming – taught by LGBTQ-identified instructors – that aims to develop a healthy LGBTQ community outdoors.
“Queer Nature – open to all gender identities – works to break down barriers,” says Emily. “Many LGBTQ-identified people don’t feel safe in nature among other recreationalists, so we work to overcome those fears and create positive connections to nature.”
Concludes Emily, “We make sure to keep our programs affordable, and we’re continually seeking to improve our selection of courses to provide opportunities for anyone who feels they don’t fit into mainstream outdoor culture.”
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