“BLACK AND BROWN FACES IN AMERICA’S WILDEST PLACES”

SOME JOURNEYS ARE UNEXPECTED…
BUT THEIR BEGINNINGS CAN BE SHARED.

The Balanced Rock Foundation presents
“BLACK AND BROWN FACES IN AMERICA’S WILDEST PLACES”
A Special Evening of Stories Celebrating Women of Color

View the event invitation!
April 19th, 2008 6-830pm
Women’s Bldg, Audre Lorde Room
3543 18th St. #8 (Between Valencia and Guerrero) SF
$10-50 sliding scale; all are welcome and no one turned away for lack of funds
All men and women of every color and creed welcome.
Cash or check accepted at the silent auction.

Join us for an evening of celebrating the transformational stories of women of color and our adventures in the outdoors as we toast the creation of the Women of Color Backpacking Access Fund, sponsored by the Balanced Rock Foundation. In this interactive evening, join our active and powerful panel of women adventurists as they lead you through stories of reflection and rejuvenation. This evening will include a mini-workshop to uncover your own adventures and end with a silent auction of products donated by outdoor outfitters Arcteryx and Osprey, acclaimed animation studio Pixar, massages, art, personal training sessions and more! Learn how to be a part of the 2008 Women of Color Backpack Trip, the only one of its kind in the nation, and find your own adventure on this special night.

About the Speakers:

Chelsea Griffie You may have seen photos of Chelsea in Patagonia clothing company catalogs, in Essence Magazine, Sports Illustrated Women and the anthology, Black & Brown Faces in America's Wild Places. As a young woman, Chelsea dreamed of the mountains and going camping. Chelsea eventually found her way to the outdoor world through rock climbing, which she began in 1993. Chelsea is currently the Program Director at Bay Area Wilderness Training. She brings to BAWT her enthusiasm for getting city kids outdoors, as well as her expertise in both the office and outdoor worlds.Nina Roberts, Ph.D
Nina Roberts is an Assistant Professor at San Francisco State University. She has worked with women and girls outdoors in some capacity throughout her 25 year career. She is currently on the Advisory Council for GirlVentures, Inc, and has served on the Association for Experiential Education Board of Directors as the Women’s Professional Group Representative. She has worked with the National Park Service where she also completed a 3-month detail with the first woman Director, Fran Mainella. As a bi-racial woman, Nina's research has guided her to write about people of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds and explore their connection to recreation in the natural environment. She is currently the Principal Investigator and Project Director for the SFSU Pacific Leadership Institute working with urban youth. Nina is also a Fulbright Scholar where she conducted youth evaluation in India.
Erin “Echo” DavenportAs an archaeologist for the National Park Service, Echo reads the human traces on the landscape to learn the stories of the diverse people and cultures of the last 20,000 years or more. One of her most intense experiences as an archaeologist occured when she visited Topaz, the Japanese Internment Camp where her family was held during World War II. The barbed wire, building foundations and lost or cast-away artifacts took on important meanings when painted with the stories Echo has gathered from her family members. She believes that when we know and understand our own cultural heritage, we are best suited to honor other cultures in the past, present and future. Echo has a BS from UC Berkeley in Conservation and Resource Studies with an emphasis in Cultural Geography and is currently pursuing an MA in Cultural Resource Management at Sonoma State University. Prior to becoming an archaeologist, Echo spent many years as a teacher and environmental educator in the Bay Area, the Santa Cruz mountains, and Yosemite. Echo enjoys exploring the world as a climber, backpacker, naturalist, cyclist, basketweaver, archaelogist, teacher, and wildland firefighter. She has travelled five of the world's seven continents, but always returns to experience and share in the natural and cultural heritage of her home state of California.

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“I believe strongly in making this community of women, and women of color, a sustainable one. These are the moments that will sustain us - these moments to get out, to grow, to breathe, to be, to connect.” – Han Pham, Women of Color backpack participant 2007

“I’m participating in this evening because I believe in the power of all people in making unique and personal connections with the outdoors.”- Nina Roberts, PhD, Panelist and author


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ABOUT THE BALANCED ROCK FOUNDATION:
Balanced Rock offers enriching programs for the mind, body and spirit. These journeys foster individual well being, support the health of our community and environment, and forge a deep connection to the natural world. Our aim is to do work that encourages people to "unplug" from the world of technology for a few moments or days while plugging back into the earth that sustains us. From here, we can remember how to sustain ourselves and the earth while seeking a balance in our daily lives.

The Balanced Rock Foundation’s Women of Color trip offers a bright opportunity for a number of individuals to step through a very special doorway and participate in an outdoor world of beauty and healing. Many of us may realize that our wild spaces belong to all Americans, but many Women of Color do not take advantage of these places. Who wants to trek to an alpine lake and feel that they don’t belong there?

The 2008 WOC Backpacking Trip will be a model for the future WOC programs through the Balanced Rock Foundation. This four four-day backpacking trip is scheduled for July 17th to 20th, 2008.
Visit http://www.balancedrockfoundation.org/ for more info or email Chelsea (at) bawt (dot) org.


For more information:
event invitation >> http://tinyurl.com/4evvtj
full speaker bios >> http://tinyurl.com/5y4pbz
URL>> http://balancedrockfoundation.blogspot.com/