Movie and Presentation Day!

OVERVIEW

Hello everyone!

This is going to be a different type of trip than the ones you usually see posted here. For starters, this is going to be a virtual trip! Which means, if you aren’t on grounds this semester, you can still attend, and it also means– no attendee limit! So, if you sign up, you’re guaranteed a spot, woohoo!!!

It’s also a little bit different because the goal of this trip is to learn about stories that aren’t often talked about or told in the outdoors community. I’ve worked with Evan Riegle and Sasha Griffith–the Coordinator of Adventure and TEAM Programs at JMU– to create a presentation and movie night to share the story of the short film Brothers of Climbing and to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion in the outdoors. Brothers of Climbing is a wonderful short film about a group of Black and Asian climbers creating their own space in the outdoors, and the presentation will be on the history of diversity and inclusion (or lack thereof) in the outdoors, both followed by a Q&A/discussion led by Sasha Griffith about these topics.

Our goal with this movie night and presentation is to work on making this club, and the outdoors in general, a more inclusive and understanding place. It will be an open space to ask questions, share personal experiences and learn what we can do to acknowledge the space we take up in the outdoors and how to make it more inclusive and welcoming. Having hard conversations is part of the process, and learning more about experiences that aren’t often given space in the outdoors is incredibly important, especially at a PWI like UVA. This trip is open to anyone and everyone, we hope you will come to share your experiences, and to learn from your peers and this film and presentation!

Obviously there is nothing you need to bring for this trip, all you will need is a device to join the zoom on. I will send out the zoom link to everyone’s email who signs up for the trip when we get closer to April 30!

For those of you who join, we will be delivering popcorn the day before if you want some so you can chow down during the movie! We will also be having a follow up O-hill hike so we can get outside and talk about the movie together in the great outdoors!