A little later this month, but not too late to post another installment in our DiverseNPS initiative. During the month of October, we are highlighting the work of Atlanta-based Greening Youth Foundation (GYF). GYF’s mission is to engage under-represented youth and young adults, and facilitate potential jobs and careers related to the outdoors and conservation.
From environmental education to internships, GYF exposes youth to healthy lifestyle choices in order to create an overall healthy community.
THIS MONTH'S ORGANIZATION:
The Greening Youth Foundation
The Greening Youth Foundation (GYF)
The Greening Youth Foundation’s (GYF) mission is to engage under-represented youth and young adults, while connecting them to the outdoors and careers in conservation. GYF’s cultural based environmental education programing engages children from local communities and exposes them to healthy lifestyle choices in order to create an overall healthy community. GYF believes that youth and young adults from diverse backgrounds can greatly benefit from the career opportunities presented within the state and federal land management sectors.
Accordingly, GYF continues to develop and strengthen partnerships with land management agencies to provide service and internship opportunities for youth and young adults thereby creating pathways to conservation careers.
Follow Greening Youth Foundation on Social
The follow The Greening Youth Foundation (GYF) and their programming initiatives, check out their social media accounts:
Website: https://gyfoundation.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greeningyouth/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreeningYouth
Follow their Instagram @greeningyouth for the latest info on this year’s trips, trainings, and workshops. We invite you to join us in making a donation to support The Greening Youth Foundation, all of the info can be found at https://gyfoundation.org/
About the DiverseNPS Initative:
As outdoor enthusiasts and lovers of America’s parks, we’ve experienced the benefits of connecting with nature and our diverse landscapes. From city parks where we can get a taste of green amid cemented city blocks, to recharging strolls and hikes in the millions of acres of our state parks, to treks and climbs in the breathtaking landscapes in our national parks, the chance to be in nature is an experience we hold invaluable.
Undoubtedly, our lands should be enjoyed by all of us, but when we look into who is getting access to our lands, we see alarmingly disproportionate statistics that highlight a gap between race and park visitations. When we examine the reasons why these gaps are present—access, education, resources, discrimination and prejudice—we understand that systemic racism in our country is the major contributor to these disappointing disproportions.
In the National Park System, for example, Black Americans make up about 7 percent of visitors, while they are 13 percent of the U.S. population. Moreover, 78 percent of visitors are White.
The end of the Jim Crow era in 1968, showcases that Black American generations have only recently gained the freedom and liberty to move around this country. Still today, minorities face prejudice and discrimination within our outdoor spaces and, often, cannot safely and comfortably enjoy outdoor recreation.
AS PARK ENTHUSIASTS AND ADVOCATES OF SPENDING TIME IN NATURE, WE ARE COMMITTED TO ADDRESSING RACISM WITHIN OUR INDUSTRY.
To do so, we are taking action to use our platforms to contribute to the progress that is much needed within the outdoor space and community.
As a part of this community, Park Chasers will join with others in highlighting organizations that are dedicated to bridging the race gap in the outdoor space by connecting opportunities and experiences to people of color.
Each month, we are featuring and focusing on one organization, with the intent to showcase their hard work, raise awareness and support them through funding and donations. We’ll share monthly articles and social media posts along with links for how you can donate.
