GirlVentures

Our summer courses were a fantastic success, with fun had by all, and new connections and friendships made in so many beautiful places.
We are sincerely grateful that parents and caring adults trust us with their young people and of all the things the youth could choose to do over the summer, they choose GirlVentures!

It has been awhile since we have celebrated together and GirlVentures invites you to attend our Gala-
Trailblazing Futures!

Come celebrate GirlVentures’ 27th year and join us for an inspiring evening of celebration, empowerment, and community to support and honor the impact of GirlVentures on the lives of our past, current, and future program participants.

Sunday September 22, 2024, 4-8 pm
Corica Park Golf Course
One Clubhouse Memorial Road Alameda, CA 94502

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit https://girlventures.ejoinme.org/rsvp

GirlVentures has a newsletter and we only message you 1-2 times per month unless we have something real special we can't wait to share….
And that is happening soon! We have a discount offer coming from a local outdoor supply business that is only for subscribers of the GirlVentures newsletter! If you haven’t signed up yet, now is the perfect time so you can enjoy this limited discount.
To sign up for the GV newsletter, please head to our Linktree or https://www.girlventures.org/newsletter-sign-up.

Our Emergency Fundraising Campaign has seen an inspiring response from our community and we have tremendous gratitude to all of you who have been able to donate to us!
The loss of our government funding has created a significant financial gap for the organization and as we begin our vital summer programming, we need your help more than ever!
We are still climbing to reach our $10,000 goal.
Donating takes just a moment and your gift, no matter the amount, can transform a participant's whole summer!
Please head to https://donate.girlventures.org/give/215699/ #!/donation/checkout
Every dollar raised goes directly toward ensuring that girls and gender expansive youth can participate in our life changing programs, regardless of their financial circumstances. Your support is crucial in helping us empower young people through outdoor adventure and leadership development.
It is your generosity that makes our mission possible. Thank you for your continued commitment to GirlVentures.

Staff Highlight! Meet Erika Bruno!

Erika (she/they) is proud to be a q***r mixed-race Filipinx person born and raised in the Bay Area. She has been working seasonally as an outdoor instructor and program coordinator for GirlVentures since 2022 but got her start in the organization volunteering for the school year program Girls Climb On (GCO). She adores how GV’s programs focus on teaching socio-emotional learning, incorporating social justice values, and acquiring technical outdoor skills.

Erika has been in awe of the natural world for as long as she can remember, including her first camping trip amongst the redwoods and a banana slug sighting on the forest floor. As an avid climber and hiker, she noticed discrepancies in who historically has partaken in outdoor recreation and how the barriers towards equitable access connect to systemic issues. This realization led her to seek opportunities to help her further understand and amend the varying dynamics at play such as partaking in Justice Outside’s Rising Leaders Fellowship (2021).

Additionally, Erika graduated from the University of San Francisco with an MA in Human Rights Education (2023) and holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies: Global Cultural Studies from Cal Poly Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State University). Before entering the non-profit sector in 2020, she worked as a classroom instructor and in outdoor retail. She also spent a few years living abroad and has traveled to 22 countries (and counting). In her spare time, you can typically find Erika scrambling up rocks, dipping her feet into the ocean, or making eclectic Spotify playlists.

June is Pride Month and the celebration of Juneteenth!
At GirlVentures we celebrate the beautiful diversity of this world everyday and want to be part of elevating the recognition of these important events.

Celebrating the liberation of Black people from the atrocities of slavery and the recognition of the existence of our LGBTQI+ community is a daily celebration and acknowledgement of these diverse and powerful communities, while also acknowledging the ongoing struggles that still continue today.

Our summer courses Fierce and Fabulous (for Q***r identified youth) and Rising Together (for BIPOC youth) are intentional affinity courses designed to create a space where they don’t have to hide or pretend to be something other than themselves. Our participants explore concepts such as trust, social justice, identity, and leadership through activities designed for their age group. By creating these intentional spaces we plant the seeds for optimal magical growth.

Regardless of the many identities you may hold, we hope you can take the time to deepen your understanding of these events, the individuals that lead the fight, and how you can be an ally to these communities.

GirlVentures, along with many Bay Area nonprofits, recently lost a vital source of government support.
This has created a significant gap in our funding and without immediate financial support, we risk cutting back on the life-changing experiences we offer to youth.
Your contribution no matter the size, will help us to continue our programming and help inspire girls and gender expansive youth to lead through outdoor adventure, inner discovery, and collective action.
We are humbly asking for your continued support and donations.
Please go to girlventures.org/donate or to our LinkTree
Thank you!

California State Parks Week is a fun way to celebrate the wonder and sense of community that the outdoors provide to Californians and visitors from all over the world.
Throughout the week of June 12th-16th there are events at many of the parks that are highlighting this year's theme of ‘This is where you live’.
Please check out California State Parks, California State Parks Foundation, our program partner Save the Redwoods League for more information on how to participate!

GirlVentures is having an OPEN HOUSE!
Next Tuesday May 21st from 6:30-8pm our office will be open for visitors to come and say hello, learn about our programs, and sign up for summer!
Please send an email to our Program Director at [email protected] to RSVP and let us know you are coming! We hope to see you there!

Come and celebrate 90 years of the East Bay Regional Park District at the Park Fest tomorrow!
There will be music, performances, Drakes Brewery, Kids' Zone, hands-on fun, nature exhibits and displays, food trucks, eco-friendly activities, and more.
GirlVentures will be there!
Please come and say hello and get more information about our programs for this summer and the school year.
Free Admission and Parking
See you tomorrow!!

GirlVentures is having an Open House! Come visit the GV basecamp and say hello to the staff on Tuesday May 21st from 6:30- 8pm.

We will be sharing program information, signing people up for the summer programs, and answering any questions you may have!

Please send an RSVP to our Program Director Tryka at [email protected] and let us know you are coming! We hope to see you there!

GirlVentures offices are located at 119 Filbert Street Oakland Ca 94607

Apply by May 19th to join our Board of Directors! We are looking for individuals rooted in the Bay Area with a passion for inspiring girls and gender expansive youth to lead through outdoor adventure, inner discovery, and collective action.

Parents and alumni to GV programming are encouraged to apply.

Ready to apply?
Click here: https://forms.gle/MzMpYb2iY8PwfKNK6
or go here https://www.girlventures.org/joinourboard?rq=board

GirlVentures is looking for Rocks Specialists to lead rock climbing on courses this summer!

Rocks Specialist responsibilities:
-Setting up the climbs
-Teaching belaying and site safety
-Be the site manager
-Managing the group of students and staff consisting of 10-14 people
-Leading 1-3 climbs and and responsible for site safety

Requirements:
Need a SPI (Single Pitch Instructor) certification or the equivalent

Dates:
June 26-28 for Redwood Adventure
- One day orientation, one day prep, and one day of climbing
July 8-12, Rising Together (Affinity Course for BIPOC youth)
-Specifically looking for a BIPOC climber to lead the climbing on this affinity course
-One day orientation/prep, one day to check out the climbs, and 3 days of climbing
If you are interested in applying for this role, please contact our Program Director Tryka via email- [email protected]

Instructor Highlight-
Meet Avalon Qian!
Avalon is a GirlVentures alum who has made her way through our courses - from Project Courage all the way through Transitions! After her inspiring experiences with us, she received a scholarship to NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School). Once Avalon completed the NOLS program, she came back to GV as an assistant instructor and has been a vital member of our summer field courses team ever since. This year she is an instructor for GirlVentures, NOLS and other outdoor educational experience companies.

GirlVentures enabled her to explore her strengths from a young age as an adventurer and group leader. Avalon is confident she would not be where she is now without GV's mentorship and guidance.
Currently based in the Bay Area, Avalon loves to play soccer, surf, dance, spend time with community and rock climb.

Avalon submitted a piece entitled "Self Love and Wilderness" for that was featured on their website and we have linked it for you here- https://www.alpineascents.com/blog/self-love-and-wilderness/
Thank you Avalon for being a member of our instructional team and embodying what we strive to do at GirlVentures❤️

Bioneers is an innovative nonprofit organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and the planet. Since 1990, they have been a fertile hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.
The annual conference moved to Berkeley in 2023 and it has been an exciting professional development opportunity for the GirlVentures staff. One of the most inspiring parts of the conference are the Youth Speakers!
Bioneers has cultivated an incredible Youth Leadership and Education Program that is committed to elevating the voices of young people from a variety of backgrounds in the environmental movement.
Please visit the Bioneers website for more information, and be sure to check out the Youth Leadership page for featured speakers, youth leadership and education initiatives, and much more. Young people are the emerging leaders and hope for the world and are invested in creating lasting change and it is an honor to support them!
https://bioneers.org/

Did you know that GirlVentures has a newsletter? We do and we would be thrilled to have you sign up for it.
The newsletter is sent out 1-2 times per month and it has information about our programs, community events, highlights about the team and our community partners, and all things outdoors! Please head to girlventures.org/contact and scroll to the bottom to keep in touch.
We sincerely appreciate all your support!

As we reflect on the magic that was a Solar Eclipse (!), we can all feel the power of the natural world and the many gifts here for us all.
It is officially Earth Month with Earth Day falling on Monday April 22nd. Being an environmentalist takes infinite forms and there are many ways to show our love and appreciation for this beautiful planet we call home.
What will you be doing to celebrate and honor Earth Month?

Today at GirlVentures we want to celebrate Ketanji Brown Jackson!
We asked our community members to share with us individuals they personally find inspiration from and our GV Board member Lingling shared these words about KBJ -
Ketanji Brown Jackson's ascent to becoming the first black woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court embodies resilience and excellence. Her distinguished legal career, marked by integrity and dedication to justice, serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for aspiring leaders from all backgrounds and ethnicities. Her remarkable journey from a public school student to a nominee for the highest court inspires girls to always dream big and pursue their aspirations relentlessly.

GirlVentures is looking for more wonderful candidates to lead our participants in kayaking, rock climbing, and backpacking this summer and to support the planning of it all!
Please take a look at our jobs page for detailed descriptions of each role and details about how to apply.
GirlVentures is committed to creating an inclusive workplace, and we actively encourage BIPOC and LGBTQ+ candidates.
We are looking for candidates to lead our programs and appropriately support GirlVentures participants in intensive multi-day programs.
We encourage you to share with your community and with anyone who may be interested in applying!
https://www.girlventures.org/jobs

Crystal Wahpepah of Wahpepah's Kitchen is an innovative chef and community member who we want to celebrate!
From website: Crystal Wahpepah is an enrolled member of the Kickapoo nation of Oklahoma. She was born and raised in Oakland, California, on Ohlone land, surrounded by a multi-tribal, tight-knit, urban Native community. Crystal’s objectives for Wahpepah’s Kitchen are threefold:
(1) to acknowledge that we live on stolen land; and (2) how that acknowledgement connects to the reclamation of Native food ways (food sovereignty); as well as (3) to educate communities and organizations on the health benefits of Native food ways using the knowledge passed onto her.
We can speak personally on how delicious her food is and how welcoming Wahpepah's Kitchen is to everyone who visits.
Thank you Crystal!
https://wahpepahskitchen.com/

We are looking for feedback from the GV community! It's been a while since we have heard from a lot of our GirlVentures community, and we want to know how you're doing, and what you'd like to hear from us.
In that spirit, we created a very brief survey (just nine questions) to learn about what you would like to hear from us - and how often. Please take a moment to share your opinion with us! We appreciate it!
Head to our LinkTree here- https://linktr.ee/GirlVentures

The founders of GirlVentures discovered that outdoor education, and more specifically single-gender outdoor education, fosters the qualities that girls need to face the challenges posed by the transition to adulthood.
GirlVentures was founded as Bay Area Girls Center, an organization focused on empowering adolescent girls to develop and express their strengths through developing courage in the form of physical courage, emotional courage, creative-expressive courage.
As the years have moved on we have expanded beyond serving cis identified girls and young women and have also grown to be a safe place for youth with various identities on the gender spectrum.
We are grateful for that opportunity to grow and expand and be more inclusive. As we move forward in another year of serving the community, we look back with gratitude and joy and all the adventures up to now!

At GirlVentures we are committed to working towards the outdoors being a more inclusive and welcoming place for all people regardless of the many identities an individual may hold. By no means have we perfected it, but we will continue to work towards it.

We wanted to share a couple of books that can help increase the collective understanding of the complexities of where we are today when speaking about the outdoors and “who they are for.” Both these books address the many forces and barriers that have been structured to limit the ability of anyone who does not fit into the stereotype of who is "outdoorsy" by highlighting the experiences of African American people in the United States.

Our course Rising Together is designed specifically for youth of color in 10th- 12th grades to safely and collectively experience the healing capacity of the outdoors. The group will engage in a 7-day camping and kayaking expedition at Tomales Bay State Park. Students explore concepts such as trust, social justice, identity, and leadership through activities designed for their age group, with BIPOC leadership.

What resources do you look to increase your understanding and ability to advocate for those who have been historically marginalized from feeling safe and enjoying the outdoors? Please share!

Black Faces, White Spaces by Caroline Finney, is a book in which the author reveals the perceived and real ways in which nature and the environment are racialized in America. Looking toward the future, she also highlights the work of African Americans who are opening doors to greater participation in environmental and conservation concerns.

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson is a modern classic of narrative nonfiction about three young people who set out on a perilous journey from the Jim Crow South to the North and West in search of what the novelist Richard Wright called "the warmth of other suns." Their stories and those of others who made the journey in what was known as the Great Migration, are interwoven with the larger forces and inner motivations that compelled them to seek refuge, and with the challenges they confronted upon arrival in the New World.

GirlVentures is hiring for the summer!

GirlVentures is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides opportunities for girls, gender non-conforming and trans youth to develop outdoor skills and environmental awareness, explore identity and social justice, and expand their leadership capacity to become emboldened change agents in their communities.

GirlVentures Instructors are the core of GirlVentures programming. We seek individuals who have experience leading and managing risk on backpacking, climbing, and kayaking adventures with youth as well as those who have the empathy and self-awareness to responsibly manage complex dynamics and conversations about race, identity, and gender in demographically mixed groups of students and staff teams.

GirlVentures is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and we will be prioritizing local applicants for this in person position. GirlVentures is committed to inclusion and diversity, and welcomes inquiries from all interested applicants. BIPOC individuals and those identifying as LGBTQ+ are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

For more information, please visit girlventures.org and click on the Get Involved tab.

Application Deadline April 1, 2024. All positions are open until filled.

Registration opens this Monday January 15th for all Spring and Summer courses with GirlVentures!
We are gearing up for another fun year of programs and are looking forward to taking youth climbing, hiking, kayaking, and exploring throughout California. We have courses for girls and gender expansive youth from ages 11 and up, as well as affinity courses for BIPOC and Q***r Identified youth.
To ensure that youth from all communities can access our programs, GirlVentures utilizes a sliding scale fee structure, and provides all gear, food, and transportation free of cost. Please reach out if you have any questions and we appreciate your support!

Thank you to EVERYONE who was able to donate to us for Giving Tuesday! Your donations are appreciated year round and have a special significance this time of year. We can look forward to planning more magical moments like this for our participants in 2024🌿🌲🦋🌞

Today is Giving Tuesday and we hope you can come together and support GirlVentures!
By donating to us, you have a direct impact on all of our programming in a variety of important ways.
You will be providing a safe and inclusive environment for young women and gender expansive youth to nurture their self confidence and ability to lead.
You will directly impact our ability to continue to be able to provide a sliding scale fee structure.
You will be supporting us updating all the gear and equipment needed for a safe and fun adventure.
You will support the recruitment of youth from a variety of backgrounds to have life changing experiences in the outdoors.
You will be supporting our incredible staff to build on and share a culturally relevant social emotional curriculum.
You will be supporting GirlVentures to continue serving youth for another 25 years!!!

We sincerely appreciate your support for GirlVentures and no donation is too small or insignificant. Please go to our website and support us today.
We love our community here in Oakland and all over the world. We are honored to serve youth and encourage them in all parts of their life.
We could not do it without you and we want to say THANK YOU!!!

At GirlVentures, we're on a mission to inspire girls and gender expansive youth to lead through outdoor adventure, inner discovery, and collective action, and we'd love for you to be part of this movement.

Every summer we take out incredible groups of youth to beautiful locations around California and two of these courses are Affinity Courses.

Fierce and Fabulous is a course designed specifically to serve female, transgender, and gender nonconforming youth who are q***r identified.

Rising Together is a course designed to support Black, Indigenous, and youth of color to experience the outdoors in a safe and nurturing way.

All of these courses are led by course leaders that share the identity of the participants. We believe it is important to cultivate safe spaces for youth who come from communities that have been historically underrepresented in outdoor spaces in order to encourage and support them to continue these adventures.

We want to show them they in fact belong in these spaces and will thrive there.

By supporting GirlVentures with your donations this Giving Tuesday, you support the outdoors being for everyone!!!

Please support GV to get to the top of our fundraising goals!
Your opportunity to make a lasting impact on youth in our community is fast approaching.
Giving Tuesday is November 28th, 2023 and all donations go directly to supporting GirlVentures and our programming.
We are the only nonprofit of our kind, and we need your help to continue nurturing girls and gender expansive youths’ self-esteem, resilience, and leadership skills.
Please go to the link on our homepage or girlventures.org/donate.
Our community thanks you!