Date: September 22, 2011
Mariposa Meeting to Explore Socioeconomic and Cultural Barriers to Outdoor Activity Participation
Yosemite National Park, in collaboration with Breaking Barriers, will participate in a community forum in Mariposa designed to explore socioeconomic and cultural barriers to outdoor activity participation. The meeting will be held at the Ethos Youth Center in Mariposa, California, on Tuesday, September 27, 2011, from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (with the focus on youth) and 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (with the focus on the larger community). A pizza dinner and beverages will be provided. The Ethos Youth Center is located at: 5079 Highway 140, Suite B, Mariposa, CA 95338
In partnership with several community organizations, the community forum will gather information on common barriers, motivations, and shared ideas concerning youth participation in the outdoors through a facilitated listening session. The information collected will help the partners create effective outreach models, relevant outdoor programming, and a regional Advisory Council.
Agencies participating in this outreach forum include Yosemite National Park, WildLink, Yosemite Leadership Program, and Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC).
Additional community forums are being planned for Fresno and Merced. Specific information about these, including dates and times, will be forthcoming.
-NPS-
ABOUT BREAKING BARRIERS
Breaking Barriers, a National Park Service collaborative, aims to break down cultural and socio-economic barriers to participation in the outdoors by people from under-represented groups. The collaborative is committed to aligning programs with the needs and concerns of foothill and Central Valley communities using a 'bottom-up' approach to harness the community's skills, talents, ideas, and assets. Using applied research the partners will create a well documented and replicable model for community outreach and outdoor programming that engages diverse residents.
For more information, contact:
brkng.barriers@gmail.com, or visit us at intooutside.org
ABOUT ADVENTURE RISK CHALLENGE (ARC)
ARC is an intensive leadership and literacy program for high school youth that seeks to bolster skills in literacy, leadership, and life. The program, which operates under the auspices of UC Berkeley and UC Merced, uses proven strategies that integrate rigorous academic instruction focused on critical thinking, writing, reading, research and public speaking with leadership and life-skills training such as goal setting, teamwork, resilience and personal responsibility. Visit www.arcprogram.org.
ABOUT WILDLINK
WildLink is an innovative partnership between NatureBridge's Yosemite Institute, Yosemite National Park and the USDA Forest Service designed to inspire teens to better their own lives and their communities while developing lasting connections to wilderness and the natural world. Through a series of experiences in the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada and in local communities, WildLink helps to ensure California's diverse residents are informed, invested and committed to the enduring resource of wilderness. Visit wildlinkprogram.org
ABOUT YOSEMITE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (YLP)
YLP is leadership development that educates and inspires environmental advocacy and social change through skilled, ethical, innovative, and intentional action while respecting cultural heritage and community. This two year program integrates training in leadership skills, education on the theories and practices of leadership, and personal and professional development opportunities to create generations of socially engaged, environmentally aware global stewards.
