The Outdoor Inclusion Coalition

We’re happy to announce we’ve been selected as a Nature Everywhere Community in a national initiative to increase equitable access to nature! A great leadership team has been assembled to include Westinghouse Academy, Homewood Children’s Village, City of Pittsburgh Urban Planning Department and Operation Better Block. Nature Everywhere Communities are growing across the U.S. through a joint initiative of the @Children-&-Nature-Network, @National-League-of-Cities and @KABOOM!, designed to increase equitable access to nature everywhere children live, learn and play in 100 communities by 2025. For more information about Nature Everywhere Communities, check out this national announcement. https://lnkd.in/eQbR6PYv #NatureEverywhereCommunities #NatureEverywhere #NatureForAll

Our Climbing Program has been up and running for over a month, focused on introducing community members to crags and indoor climbing facilities. Over the past month, the community has welcomed over 100 students from Pittsburgh Public Schools to the recreational activity of climbing at ASCEND Climbing, an indoor climbing facility, and Frank Curto Park, one of the best outdoor urban crags. Thank you to everyone who spent time with us, volunteering their time and expertise to see community members reach new heights, and a big thank you to Southwestern Pennsylvania Climbing Coalition and Access Fund. Such an accessible urban crag wouldn't be possible without great advocates and stewardship organizations. You can catch us climbing with students three days a week. We can't wait for the summer as we expand accessibility to some of Pennsylvania's best outdoor climbing crags. 

Breadth of opportunity in the outdoors, that's what The Outdoor Inclusion Coalition is all about. We're proud to display the collaboration with Gilson Snow, Inc. that provided a full-day experience for our Snow Sports participants to participate in the manufacturing process of boards. Youth had the opportunity to shape how a Pennslyvania Poplar wood core would turn into a powder-ready board for the upcoming season. From submitting a designed top sheet from a program participant to seeing a creative piece of work come to life, the community experienced the vastness of the outdoor industry through direct involvement in the creation process. By integrating hands-on experiences like crafting snowboards, we not only support sustained engagement in the outdoors but expose participants to the diverse facets of the outdoor industry. Thanks to Nicholas Gilson, Andrew Mikowski, and the entire Gilson Snow, Inc. team for the experience. It's initiatives like these that truly make a difference in the community and inspire a love for the outdoors. I'm excited to carry this opportunity forward for many years to come. If you love what we're doing and want to see more, I encourage you to check out our Instagram page to see what we're up to this winter season. If you'd like to support us, you can provide a monetary contribution online at theoic.org/donate as we fundraise for a program vehicle to provide greater access to our program participants.