LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 14 The most engaging part of the class was when we got to talk about the lack of diversity in the outdoors. I feel like it was the first time I truly got to express my feelings about the outdoors being a place of exclusion for POC. We also discussed other ways the outdoor community could be exclusionary — including the fact that there's an economic boundary to many outdoor activities, which is why AWP gives free outdoor gear for the students to keep. With all these ideas at the front of my mind, the be- ginnings of AWP were forming. I began to think about how lucky I was to find a place like NCS which exposed me to the outdoors. The school had so many resourc- es, and I knew that I was fortunate to have the oppor- tunity of attending. But I felt that I must do something for the kids who looked like me and didn't have the same opportunity as me. The first person I talked to about my thoughts was Jess, and we began to brain- storm ways to bring kids from the city to NCS. At first, we were planning to work with a New York City school because my mom worked for the New York City Department of Education, but this proved to be a difficult route as there were many hoops to go through, especially since this was during the pandemic. My mom put Jess and I in contact with the Hempstead school district which allowed us to find the current school that we work with, Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School. The school had the liberty of selecting the ten students who would attend AWP. We planned the week by coordinating with the two volunteer teacher chaperones from the school, Jude Jacques and Wendy Eisner, who continue to support AWP today. An important part when creating AWP was obtaining free gear for the kids so that they could pur- sue outdoor activities even when the program ended. The gear donated to us is from a mix of local stores and sponsors of Mirna Valerio. Our overall funding previously came from an anonymous donor. I honestly believe Access Wild Places wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the adults around me who believed in my idea and vision for AWP. Because of this belief and trust that the program has, it's been able to grow and evolve each session for the past 4 years. Now we usu- ally take around fifteen kids from Hempstead. Recent- ly, we secured a $30,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The new grant now allows us to have a second session this year in the winter. I've also grown alongside the program. When AWP first started I had just freshly graduated eighth grade. I was the same age as some of the kids I was leading and because of that, it was hard for me to look at my- self as a true leader. Each year I've steadily grown into the role by utilizing my own experience as a POC in the outdoors and the wisdom I've acquired by the amazing adults I've been able to work with. Also, it helps that I'm now much older than the kids. Access Wild Places has become the highlight of my year. Not only do I get to support students who are similar to my younger self and witness students who are much more excited about the outdoors than I ever will be, but I've been able to witness what I had been yearning for during my time at NCS — being able to witness people that looked like me having fun in the outdoors together. In all my years of living in the Adirondacks, I have never seen so many people of color enjoying the outdoors together until I started this camp, and that is why I love AWP. That is what we should all strive for when bringing inclusivity to the outdoors, creating spaces filled with joy and support that everyone can be part of regardless of their back- ground. t AWP provides free gear for the par- ticipants so they can pursue outdoor activities after the program ends.

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