Pride 2021 spotlight: Wild Diversity
This group fosters leadership and stewardship of our natural places in LBGTQ+ and BIPOC communities.
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Throughout the month of June, we’re highlighting organizations and initiatives that advocate for greater outdoor access among the LGBTQ+ community. Today’s feature is Wild Diversity, a group that fosters LGBTQ+ leadership in the outdoors.
Making the outdoors a more welcoming place for queer adventurers is critically important, but to create real and lasting change we also need to develop a generation of leaders and teachers who represent a broader slice of the trail-going world. Wild Diversity is working to create opportunities for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ enthusiasts to step into leadership by hosting outdoor adventures and educational workshops that build knowledge, confidence, and stewardship skills.
Serving the greater Portland, Ore., area, Wild Diversity was founded by Mercy M’fon Shammah, who brings 15 years of community-building and education experience to the group. Wild Diversity runs programs ranging from youth ecology classes to birding, paddling, and backpacking trips.
If you’d like to get involved, you can donate to the group help keep program costs low or free for participants.
