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April is Earth Month and Trust for Public Land is teaming up with Macy's and its customers to transform schoolyards into vibrant, welcoming outdoor spaces where kids can discover the joy of being outside and you can help through the month of April. You can round up your in-store purchase or donate online at macys.com. To turn asphalt lots into green spaces designed for play learning and community connection.
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And since our partnership began in 2022, Macy's has raised over $3.7 million to support the transformation of schoolyards into thriving green spaces. And these schoolyards double as community parks afterschool hours, providing safe and accessible outdoor spaces for entire neighborhoods. With Macy's support, we're transforming community schoolyards in 55 school districts across 24 states, ensuring more kids and families have a place to move, explore and create lifelong memories outdoors.
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Why do community schoolyards matter? Because kids need a place to play outside. Their physical and mental health depends on it. And community schoolyards give them safe, inspiring places to run, imagine and connect with nature. The best part? Students help design them together. We're making sure every child has a place to discover their happiest outside moments.
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Unknown
Hi, Ronda Hi, Tom. How are you? I expected you to be in Denver by now, but I forgot you haven't left yet. Well, I mean, I kind of left, and then I came back. But then I'm leaving again. Moving to Denver full time. I know, I know, because it's really exciting. It feels good. It feels like a good time to get out into the mountains and to have some incredible sunshine in that high desert, which makes me super excited.
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Unknown
I'm excited. Love it. Love it. Great. You were there for a few days and then you stopped by South by Southwest as well, which we'll be talking about a little bit today. You moderated a panel there, and I and I want to get to that in a second, but, Yeah. Give me a few of your high level takeaways from South by Southwest.
00;02;13;17 - 00;02;46;18
Unknown
What was it like and what did you do or anything new? Yeah. You know, it's funny. So I have, you know, heard of South by Southwest for years and also Austin. Right. And it's kind of this place that people want to go to where they can experience anything from these natural spring fed pools, swimming pools that I actually went to, to these incredible, like hillside hikes that I also went to for some reason, I had this impression that Texas was just flat, that you could see from one side of the state to the other clearly.
00;02;46;18 - 00;03;05;25
Unknown
And you can't. There's like in Central Texas is is really remarkable. So that was just something that was personal for me. But South by Southwest is this kind of coveted space where people work really hard to get some sort of time on the agenda. Right? If you have a session at South by Southwest, that means that you applied.
00;03;05;25 - 00;03;29;28
Unknown
It means that people voted to get you there. So it's kind of, you know, it means something to be there. And for us, for public land, this was our first opportunity. We were invited to, moderate this discussion about equitable access to the outdoors and outdoor recreation and connecting folks of color to, the benefits of nature.
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Unknown
And so I was honored to be able to to get over there and be in the throngs of people. Yeah. The shell Obama was there. I hear Kevin Bacon moderated a session down the hall from you, I think. Yeah, I wish he had reached out to me first. I would have told him you ended up stealing his audience.
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Unknown
It was a whole big thing. I took everybody, he was wondering where everybody went. Just wandering the halls, wondering where did he go? And then he saw them all in our session, you know? Yeah. It's okay. He'll be all right. Yeah. So you had this, panel at South by Southwest. Can you give us a flavor of what it was about?
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Unknown
So South by Southwest has so many layers around these various tracks that they have, for people to learn and engage. Right. And so there's technology and there's government affairs and on and on and on. And for creatives, all of these things. And there's one track that is around culture, and one could argue, like I do in my mind, like all of it is culture, but that's neither here nor there.
00;04;33;16 - 00;05;10;24
Unknown
Like they have a defined a certain way. And so we were able to get in on the culture track because we were speaking about representation in outdoor recreation and representation in nature spaces, and there was nobody really better to talk about it. I mean, there are a lot of us who can talk about it, but to have trust for public lands standing in the gap, to kind of facilitate this dialog with, you know, many elements from camping to connect and Liz Basalar who was using it as an opportunity to launch a new organization called Girl Unleashed, which is awesome.
00;05;10;27 - 00;05;31;25
Unknown
Very cool. I'm considered a co-founder of that, which is really cool. And then Gabby is Liz's daughter. She's 17 year old, high schooler. She's bright and brilliant and has her own stories to tell. And she's also, she was kind of like the the catalyst for girls on leash coming in to its, its existence. So it was kind of it was really special.
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Unknown
So we were there. We were there on the culture track. We're talking about outdoor recreation. We're talking about, you know, who's, you know, who's out there, who's not. And the end of the story is we're all out there all the time. But we just need a little bit of amplification and elevation around the work that's happening. So it was it was very good, very cool.
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Unknown
Yeah. So we're going to play that recording for the audience. Okay. I know there was a video at the beginning. Do you just want to set up what that video was about? So the audience doesn't get, you know, doesn't misunderstand. Yeah. So it's it's the organization is called Camping to Connect. And it is a 12 minute documentary film is called Wood Hood about an experience that camping to connect offers for young boys of color really well conveys everything that we wanted to get across in the discussion.
00;06;21;15 - 00;06;46;00
Unknown
So for the first 12 minutes of the conversation, we screened the film for the audience. And, you know, needless to say, people were very pleased. They were inspired. People were connected to it. It was interesting to note that a majority of the people who were in the audience identified as a person of color or an advocate or an ally, people who really want to see this work moving forward.
00;06;46;00 - 00;07;05;01
Unknown
So it was a very, it felt special. It felt special for the folks who came and joined us. And it felt special to see all the chatter and excitement after our session was over and the different connections that people were making. It was pretty great. Cool. Yeah. So for the podcast audience, you'll hear a few references to Wood Hood.
00;07;05;01 - 00;07;27;09
Unknown
That's the film that, they screened at the beginning, and you can watch it online on YouTube. I've seen it. It's a lovely film. Anything else you want to mention about the panel? South by Southwest. Anything else before we launch into, the recording? You know, obviously I'd love for folks to support trust for Public land, but what I also love is for folks to look up girl and unleashed.
00;07;27;09 - 00;07;50;25
Unknown
It's a single girl. Girl. Unleashed, .org Look at the incredible work that's being lifted up. Be a supporter, be a fan, be a volunteer. And the same holds true for camping to connect, camping to connect. .org, I really want to encourage you to go there. Have an experience, be a supporter, be an ally, be an advocate.
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Unknown
Yeah, I think that's it. I just really want to lift up those two important organizations and my colleagues who are really compassionate about this work. All right, well, let's get to the recording.
00;08;03;13 - 00;08;27;17
Unknown
And I'm excited to be here with you all. This is my first time coming to South by Southwest. And one of the things that's important about this session is bringing some new language and some new opportunities to this full community about what it means to connect to the outdoors. And so this session around, opening up the outdoors for all people is really close to my heart.
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Unknown
It highlights the power of nature, the healing qualities that you experience when you're out in the outdoors. It talks about how we use nature. We have access to inspire us, to empower us. And frankly, it's really the story of my personal life and it's very much a part of my vocation. So, it's personal. I'll just say that straight out.
00;08;50;04 - 00;09;27;28
Unknown
The bad news, however, is that while I have had an opportunity to be exposed to so many incredible experiences in the outdoors, communing with nature, that's not something that everybody has an opportunity to experience. And a lot of that is because of systemic barriers. So fear of talking about underinvestment in parks, if we're talking about neighborhood redlining, if we're talking about exclusionary policies, all of the outcomes of those, oppressive, politics have created a nature gap for a lot of the communities that we have, across the United States.
00;09;28;00 - 00;09;50;13
Unknown
And so in many instances, green spaces are either limited or they're not existence existent. And so that's the infrastructure. But a lot of times that barrier can also happen in our minds. Very often I say that accessibility is not as much about the physical location and how you get there, but it's about what comes to mind when you wake up in the morning.
00;09;50;15 - 00;10;21;10
Unknown
Do I belong? Am I going to be welcome? If there's something that is available to me? And so one of the things that we like to we'll be talking about today is how do we get rid of those emotional barriers? What are the different opportunities that we can present. So folks have an extremely positive outcome. And the other challenge with that is that notion around being unwelcomed or not even being invited gives the impression that the outdoors and nature are only for a select few.
00;10;21;12 - 00;10;42;29
Unknown
And if we look at it, we would say that the people who are determining that it's only for a select few would say that it's not for any of us here on the panel. And that's just a myth. And we're here to bust that myth. The good news, though, is that we're here, and many of you are here, and a lot of us are doing the work to remove those, oppressive systems, to remove those barriers.
00;10;43;02 - 00;11;07;09
Unknown
So we're going to talk about representation in the outdoors and in nature. We're going to talk about technology, which is what I think a lot of people here are very interested in. In general, we're going to talk about the power of storytelling, and then we're going to share some stories about some innovative programing, and we're going to demonstrate how those when kicking those barriers to the curb and the truth of the matter is like, we're here and we're not going anywhere.
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Unknown
Our ancestors were here. And by here I mean connected to nature, connected to the earth, always being in communion. And so I am excited. And in a lot of ways, I think about this work in this mission as good trouble. Right. I want you all to get in good trouble with us outside in nature, and I'm joined by these beautiful human beings.
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Unknown
And, I'm going to introduce you to them now. Cool. All right. Cool. All right. Thank you, Mr. Thurston. So, Gabby Nunez, Gabby is an outdoor advocate. She's a storyteller. She is a. Okay, I got you. Thank you. She is a high school junior. She is a proud Latina. She's going to be sharing her personal journey about connecting with nature, about inspiring others to find that healing and that strength that happens when you are able to experience outdoor spaces.
00;12;05;07 - 00;12;36;23
Unknown
And we're also going to talk to Liz Basalar I'm trying to do a Portuguese accent and I just totally butchered it. So Q Liz is actually the reason why I'm here, to be perfectly honest. She is. A lot of things, but for the context today, she is a mom. She is an advocate. She is also the founder of a new organization that's being launched right here today with you during International Women's Month called Girls Unleashed.
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Unknown
So Liz has been a tireless advocate and a champion for empowering girls and young women through outdoor experiences. And again, it's because of her vision. How do we connect this story to culture? How do we bring this into the South by Southwest community that we're here? So shout out to you, Liz, for even thinking that way. And yeah, oh, and then last but not least, we have many al Monte Melanie is the founder of Camping to Connect.
00;13;04;02 - 00;13;25;00
Unknown
He is also a passionate advocate and also empowering people. But he, really spends a lot of time thinking about men of color and working with young boys of color through transformative outdoor experiences. And his groundbreaking work is at the heart of this document that we're going to spend some time watching. It's about 12 minutes long. You will not regret it, I promise you.
00;13;25;03 - 00;13;43;25
Unknown
The story is truly inspiring. The people in the film are truly inspiring and inspiring. And so I think, for the sake of time, we're just going to go ahead and show this film now, and then we'll come back and we'll really dig into it.
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Unknown
So, yeah, you know, I was recently thinking about this film, which I like, like this. And everybody here, definitely Mandy has seen several, several times, and it's kind of equated it to that one song that you love that you never get sick of. And every time it comes on, you just kind of want to pause and jam.
00;14;02;24 - 00;14;32;00
Unknown
That's, how good it is. And for me and probably others. But this is storytelling and this is how we can move hearts. This is how we can inspire policy. This is how we can bring resources, investment time, and we can inspire one another to build things. And so I'm just super excited. I was originally going to share a whole bunch of statistics that come from transfer public land, but there are some statistics that were laid out for you there in the film, and I do need to save.
00;14;32;06 - 00;15;04;04
Unknown
Go to npr.org. If you're interested in some really powerful storytelling around the importance of closing the park equity gap, closing the outdoor gap, making sure that we encourage and inspire and and and politicize our, what's the word when you make a policy of, what's the word, baratunde? Anyway, go to tpl.org. That's the one I thought, I'm going to stop talking and I'm going to let you listen to these folks here because they're pretty incredible.
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Unknown
And, we're going to kind of have this conversation broken up into various such, subjects. And right now we're going to actually talk about the inspiration and the importance of representation. And so I know it might be kind of tough to keep this brief because we have about 30 minutes left, and we want to be able to open opportunities for you all to ask questions.
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Unknown
So mainly I'm going to start with you. Thank you. And camping to connect, for all of the work that you all are doing. And I would love to hear you talk about why representation in the outdoors, in the outdoor sector as a whole matters to you. Thank you. Thank you so much around that. Thank you all for being here with us today.
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Unknown
I hope you enjoy the film. I feel that would both a great job and offering you a window into the work we do. And also about the power of the healing power of nature and the healing that, the power of relatable mentorship, you know, for for this young man to be able to see themselves and for the mentors to see themselves in the young man, it allows for everyone that's sharing the experience, to feel connected while one way or another.
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Unknown
Right. So whether it is from admiration on looking up at someone who knows how to do the thing, or by actually being vulnerable and share that. I just learned this thing the other day, and I, like you took him, mentor to mentee. You know, I was afraid of bears and, you know, daddy longlegs, of the world, right?
00;16;46;03 - 00;17;24;10
Unknown
So it's important for them to be able to, for us all to be able to connect, with each other. That's what we call a campaign to connect and not connect to camp, you know, to connect with nature and then to be able to connect with our, our higher self. So representation matters because a lot of the kids that we work with, whether it's in New York City or in Denver, Colorado, especially the ones in Colorado, that have access to the outdoors in a different way that a kid from New York would, because many of the schools there would, you know, take the kids camping or hiking at some point or another.
00;17;24;13 - 00;17;55;01
Unknown
And I learned that some of these teenagers, that were working with they have shared how up until that point won't they are outdoors with us. They never felt connected to the experience. They just felt that they were taken to it because they were part of a class, and sometimes they were the only, you know, young men of color, young girls color and if you felt a little bit tokenized right in the experience, it felt like I'm just riding along.
00;17;55;03 - 00;18;15;19
Unknown
But to be able to have the experience where there's cultural affinity here and I'm not the odd kid out now, I feel like, okay, so this is something that we can do, that I can do. I'm a part of something. I have a sense of belonging, and I think that's the most important thing. Having this sense of belonging.
00;18;15;21 - 00;18;37;10
Unknown
Thank you. So me to jump in. Go ahead. So I think this is about all of you. That is a moment in the movie, that the young man talks about the domino effect and it's kind of incredible how I experienced so many effects in my own life. We watched a movie movie about young men of color, really connected to the outdoors.
00;18;37;12 - 00;18;57;17
Unknown
But the way for you to get to that journey involves all of you, that when you break down the stereotypes, like, right now, we are in the age of I, you know, that's what I do. I'm the head of AI for, a major brand. And, when you ask, and I, I like, for to give, give me an image of a hiker.
00;18;57;19 - 00;19;16;19
Unknown
Right. You're going to get maybe an older white male. It hurts all of us, to have that bias out there in the universe. And I had the pleasure of hiking with many old white males in the Adirondacks. And they don't want that, either. They're not the ones saying that we're not supposed to be there. And it's a bias that's there.
00;19;16;19 - 00;19;40;10
Unknown
There's a reason why he exists, but now there's plenty more reasons for no longer to be in place and to have representation allow us to feel safe, allow us to see each other there. I have my roots of my role to expert, to representation. Was first seen myself in other women and then now, and then after I achieved, certain things I wanted to share that with other women.
00;19;40;10 - 00;19;55;16
Unknown
And then we all realized together that there were not girls of color. And then now it brought me to to this. So, there's more I want to share on that. But I'm sure Gabby wants to add to this as well. Yeah. Of course. Like list said, it definitely has something to do with all of us. You call me mom.
00;19;55;16 - 00;20;15;22
Unknown
It's okay. I don't know what the what the boundary is here, but like mom said, it definitely has something to do with all of us. Like, I go to school. So for me, if I'm in a classroom where I may be, I'm not super comfortable with the material. I get really intimidated. Or for you guys, maybe you're at work and you're in a meeting and you don't know what's going on and you feel intimidated.
00;20;15;29 - 00;20;35;01
Unknown
And when it comes to nature, something that is just so like inherently like kind of granted to all of us. When I go up there as a Brazilian woman and I don't see other Brazilian women, that intimidation can kind of it kind of internalizes. And then I, I have the, the kind of immediate reaction is to take myself out of that space.
00;20;35;01 - 00;21;01;03
Unknown
So I don't feel that uncomfortableness and that intimidation. And so when that happens to a lot of people, when people are taking themselves out of their space, there is a sort of self segregation that's happening. Like mom said, about how, you know, the white men that are hiking don't want it to only be white men, right? But it's kind of on us to that burden to put ourselves out there and put ourselves in uncomfortable spaces so we can stop self segregating and really get ourselves out there.
00;21;01;03 - 00;21;27;29
Unknown
I think there's there's definitely a lot of systematic reasons why you won't see somebody like me hiking, but there's also a lot of ways that we can overcome those systematic burdens ourselves and really put ourself out there. So I think representation is a gateway to help other people see that internal intimidation and really take it down. Lesson done by.
00;21;28;01 - 00;21;50;08
Unknown
Now. Excellent. No, it's very true. I mean, none of us want to be tokenized. I don't care who you are. I don't care what your identity is. Right? And so not only in, putting ourselves out there, if we have the courage to do so, it's also about who's leading the organizations, who's making the decisions. And, you know, there's a saying that if you can see it, you can be it.
00;21;50;10 - 00;22;15;23
Unknown
Right. And so it's us on the trail. It's us in leadership positions. It's us making policies so that we know that we are welcoming and we are safe wherever it is that we're going. So thank you all. I'm going to fast forward a little bit because of time again. And I mentioned that we're going to talk a little bit about technology and, the, the influence that it has on how people connect with the outdoors.
00;22;15;23 - 00;22;40;28
Unknown
And I think that there is a continuum where it's, creating a larger gap because of technology or technology being used as an enhancement for people getting outside. And so many recently you shared that you read a book, that was highlighting the impacts that technology, was having, and widening that gap, I think, for young people.
00;22;41;01 - 00;22;58;21
Unknown
And I thought it was really interesting and I wouldn't mind it. I don't think anybody here would mind if you just shared 2 or 3 takeaways from that book. The name of the book, if you remember the author, that would be awesome. But I don't expect that book. I never, but 2 or 3 takeaways about technology and the impact that it has had either.
00;22;58;21 - 00;23;14;00
Unknown
What's troubling you about it or what inspires you based on what you read. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. The name of the author right now is not going to come to mind, is my first time I stopped by. And it's just been a lot of stuff going on here. But the book is called, the anxious, generation.
00;23;14;03 - 00;23;33;15
Unknown
And, one of the key takeaways, you know, for me, and it's funny because we talk about the digital world and for me, this is analog to nature. Was a back in the early 90s. There was this project called, biosphere two. Right. They had a, and close, ecosystem, you know, dome type of thing.
00;23;33;17 - 00;24;01;02
Unknown
And, you know, for the whole experiment failed. But they did take away a lot of good information. And one of them was that, the trees that grew there, at some point, the, the weight that, that they carry, their roots couldn't hold it. And the reason why it couldn't hold that is because unlike the trees that grow outside, there was no wind, for for the tree to resist.
00;24;01;05 - 00;24;31;16
Unknown
Right. It was just there getting, you know, the soil, you know, getting getting the nutrients, but was no fighting against the wind this way or another. So because of that, the roots couldn't sustain the weight of the growth of the growth of the tree. And just like the those trees in that ecosystem, in that very controlled, space case nowadays, have been in and close in technology around the bubble.
00;24;31;22 - 00;24;51;07
Unknown
That's the ecosystem. And they don't they don't get to play outside the, the keys. They like to play outside. They need to play outside. They need to be able to to run and fall in and know how it feels. You know, you know, scraper knee, you know. And an example that the book was offering also was about, you know, riding a bike.
00;24;51;10 - 00;25;12;21
Unknown
You could play a video game and you could ride a bicycle. On the video game and do tricks and a bunch of different things. And kids are learning to ride a bike in their minds that way. And so they think they know. But you put them on a bike, they don't know how to balance themselves. They don't know what what riding a bike is the actual experience of it.
00;25;12;24 - 00;25;30;28
Unknown
So nature offers us the the ability to play, the ability to know how it feels when you get into elevation, you know the how to conquer the mountains, but also how to conquer the mind. Right? And then how to interact with others when you're in that space and build community instead of being in an isolated you know, bubble.
00;25;31;04 - 00;25;55;11
Unknown
So, I'm going to throw out there the comfort crisis. It's a great book for all of us about what we are missing ourselves, of not getting out there. Fantastic. But no, the comfort crisis is first crisis. Amazing. Well, it's interesting, because the way you were just talking, Manny, about how the roots of the tree were described, it kind of feels like the, the roots are where all the nurturing comes from, right?
00;25;55;11 - 00;26;18;09
Unknown
And when they are unstable and when they are weak and they're not able to retain the weight of the tree, a lot of that is happening with technology, not only with youth, but with those of us who are really dependent on things like Google Maps and Apple Maps and all the maps that we can plug into our phone where we no longer know how to navigate streets, we no longer know how to get anywhere unless we're following an app.
00;26;18;12 - 00;26;37;21
Unknown
And the same thing is true for kids who can go outside and they can look at a bike and they can look at a tree, but they certainly don't know what to do with it. And I think that's really important because those are survival skills as well. It's not just about playing and have a good having a good time, but it's out also being able to survive because it's who we know it is at the beginning of this session.
00;26;37;21 - 00;26;56;11
Unknown
Sometimes technology ain't going to be there for you. And then when your phone just not right or your phone dies, your battery, what are you going to do? So it's a functional issue as well, right? Did you want to say anything, Liz, about the technology? I know that you've spent your like your whole career intact on the technology.
00;26;56;11 - 00;27;26;20
Unknown
I'm going to take a different place. When you are bombarded with technology like I am, I'm someone who has ADHD and who was diagnosed later in life. Just many moms are, because of my younger, daughter. And all this technology exacerbates it. I feel the stress of it. I feel headaches, and it took me some depression, which I didn't even know was a thing, because back, years ago, we were very toxic about the way we talked about mental health.
00;27;26;21 - 00;27;45;17
Unknown
Mental health in the circles of the, the world of tech and startups. It's like I'm too busy to be depressed. Like what? Say stuff like that. Like what the hell? Right? Like wrong off. And then, it was to nature that I really got to realize the importance of silence slowing down. And then now the studies are coming out.
00;27;45;23 - 00;28;16;16
Unknown
There was an episode. I even wrote it down to share with you. It was Andrew Huberman. It was the episode. He put it out. I was so shocked. That was driving when he said it, I screamed. It was February 24th in that episode, Andrew Human talks about Huberman, talks about a study that came out then. Now, traditional medicine is proving that if a child hikes for 20 minutes, it has an effect of, an ADHD medication, right, like an Adderall and no side effects.
00;28;16;16 - 00;28;35;18
Unknown
Right. And that felt that meant a lot to me because, medication did not work for me. And my medication is nature. And I have my family, my daughter and she. This is the one that's super chill because, like, mom, you need a hike. And I remember literally take a hike. Yeah, yeah. She said, mom, take a hike.
00;28;35;26 - 00;29;01;21
Unknown
And back in the 80s, we all hear our parents talking about having a drink, right? And now she's sending me out there to to fight, to relieve my stress. And and I listen, and it works. Mountain Margarita. Gabby. So you are, seven several generations, my junior. And I'm. And I am terrible with technology. I am a Google mapper.
00;29;01;24 - 00;29;23;23
Unknown
This is not a promotion. How do you see technology interfacing with your day to day life and your ability to get outside? I love that you're pushing your mom out there and saying, go, go get it together, woman. But how is it impacting you and your friends and your peers? And to add to on this grant this question, do you still get mad when I take your phone when we go hiking?
00;29;23;23 - 00;29;45;29
Unknown
Oh my God, absolutely. But in terms of technology, I'm very I'm in high school, I'm a full time student. And on top of my 8 to 3 of sitting in a classroom looking at my laptop the whole day, I then go home. I do four five hours of homework. Junior is the hardest. It's horrible, but I'm just on my computer all the time and it's always been like that.
00;29;45;29 - 00;30;14;01
Unknown
I was I was an iPad kid, so I threw you out there. But when I started to, when I was kind of brought into nature, I my first few hikes, you'd see me like 50ft behind my family, like walking like this with my little AirPods and like, I'm just here to get it done. And then I realized that that two hours at three hours at four hours, that I'm out there hiking is really the only time that I have to be outside of that to be away from my computer.
00;30;14;01 - 00;30;35;01
Unknown
I have no excuse. I even like taking photos. Look at the trees. Eventually you get enough photos and you're able to put the phone down and just really be in the moment. And I think that that's something that, as if I'm not mistaken, I'm the youngest person in this room. A lot of people tell me, like, put your phone down, Gabby, you're a screen ager, but when you get out there, yeah, you just drop screen.
00;30;35;02 - 00;30;55;18
Unknown
Major screen, is, when I'm out there on a mountain in the like, you know, no bars, no photos, no phone, and mom's telling me to take my AirPods out of my ear. It's it's kind of the only time that I'm forced to sit with my thoughts and think about my life and have that introspection that I wouldn't have if I'm just in my bed typing up my history paper.
00;30;55;20 - 00;31;15;15
Unknown
And I think that's really valuable. And it's one of the reasons why I was I'm on this stage right now because not just to get people like you all hooked on hiking out in nature or understand representation, but to bring my peers out there too. I've dragged so many of my friends out to go hiking because it's just so it's really impactful just to get away from technology.
00;31;15;15 - 00;31;35;08
Unknown
I know that's horrible to say. It's at a technology conference to get away from it, but now it's a break. But I on the technology track this morning on the technology of the cell phone, we found a video that I was just going to years ago. Yeah. And we were shocked about it. It was your first mountain. Before we show, we're going to show it to you guys.
00;31;35;08 - 00;32;04;09
Unknown
Embarrass her because that's part of a mom does, right? Embarrass her teenage daughter. But just give me two thoughts about this. Is the first mountain you have ever climb. How did you feel right before you got to the top? So, like I mentioned earlier about that kind of uncomfortableness or that intimidation, I for not even just for my first hike for the first couple of years of my hiking, every time we got to the trailhead, I'd say, I can't do this.
00;32;04;09 - 00;32;21;19
Unknown
And I literally for this first mountain, it was six miles long. I was crying up there. We had to get out of the car at 5:00 to three miles. I was literally sobbing like it was. It was a really rough experience in the beginning, but I was I was really not. I was kind of stuck in like a mental cage.
00;32;21;19 - 00;32;40;26
Unknown
I kept repeating to my mom like, I cannot do this, I cannot do this. And that frustration was all kind of coming within myself, obviously, you know, I could do it. I'm right here, right now, I did it, I actually did that. And then I did another mountain immediately afterwards. But the idea of I cannot do it was was really what was sitting in my mind.
00;32;40;26 - 00;33;06;15
Unknown
So that's she. Sure. Yeah. Before you share it, I do want I wanted us to segue actually into the transfer. The transfer, transformation of, transformative power of nature and words and tongues and language. Because I think that it is we saw that in, wood hood. We saw how transformational it was. Now we're talking about our mental agility.
00;33;06;17 - 00;33;37;20
Unknown
Now we're going back to as Gabby was just sharing that accessibility that exists in our head before we do a thing. The stories that we tell, there's a positive storytelling, and then there's not so positive storytelling. And very often that not so positive storytelling can be our inner monologue, right? And sometimes it can also be influenced by these myths that are out there in the broader society, that take these different stereotypes and cast aspersions on certain groups of people.
00;33;37;27 - 00;34;00;04
Unknown
Right. And so I just wanted to talk about that transformative power, because I think we're going to see it in real time. It's a beautiful clip. It's about 50s to just do it right now. I love you, remember? Just take a moment. Yeah. Climb the mountain. Your first high peak and start. And I'm not sure I'm. Then do it again.
00;34;00;07 - 00;34;25;16
Unknown
Wow. You said you couldn't do it. No. You know you can. Yeah. Oh, yeah. But now we have to go to Puerto I not this one. So basically, it's just saying I'm not sure I'll ever do this again, but now we have to go to Porta. So which is a next mountain that we are doing, the Adirondacks and that that's what when you talk about storytelling, you might be wondering, why would a mom bring this crying daughter off the mountain?
00;34;25;18 - 00;34;46;06
Unknown
Because she never said, mom, I don't want to do this. She wanted it, and she was so excited the day before. But she kept saying, I cannot do this. And I held her hand. We took a thousand breaks. I gave us so much candy, so many granola bars, and, I. And then at the mountain at the top, she realized, and we made a deal.
00;34;46;09 - 00;35;09;06
Unknown
Don't you ever tell me you cannot do something that you can. And she broke this deal just wanly once when we were climbing another mountain many years later. And then there was a thunderstorm. And she never climbed in rain before. And it's like, mom, I cannot climb wet. I'm like, oh, you can't. And then we did our Konkan, which is the second tallest mountain of New York, and the rain.
00;35;09;08 - 00;35;26;27
Unknown
That's awesome. You know, Manny, I think that, between the young men that you're working with, and camping to connect beyond. So putting all those gentlemen and wood hood aside and thinking about all the other young men that you all have been able to work with, and even if it wasn't camping, even if it's getting on the trail, we'd love to hear you share.
00;35;27;00 - 00;36;04;24
Unknown
Maybe one story or two. It could be from a young man in, Denver or Colorado somewhere who had a transformation as a result of going on a hike or having, some sort of experience with you all. Can you share one? And if there's so many just one. It's interesting because you make it work. So. It's interesting because, by default I going to death the, the the young man that was hurt and would hurt his, mentee of mine, direct mentee.
00;36;04;26 - 00;36;26;01
Unknown
And it's been a journey with him since he was 13 years old. Where he was referred towards by a school counselor. He was about to get kicked out of school. He was having some issues with all the teachers, basically, because nobody understood that he had issues with authority figures, especially, male a three figures, 13 years old.
00;36;26;02 - 00;36;48;06
Unknown
This young man kicked out his dad, who was, beating his mother, selling and using, drugs. They're from, Brooklyn, New York. Or by Far Rockaway. That's Queens. And to to take that kid on a hike, it was just him and two of his friends from the school. They were all, like, about to get kicked out together for disrupting.
00;36;48;08 - 00;37;18;13
Unknown
And we went out on a hike just with them. They they were able to open up and to look at us not as authority figures or schoolteachers, which we, by the way, you know, set the ground off from the from the beginning that that's not who we are. We're there to share an experience with them, to see the transformation of this kid, you know, years later, and the kid that he was arguing with at first about the, throwing the paper in the fire, they're buddies right now.
00;37;18;13 - 00;37;48;21
Unknown
Like they actually flown from New York City. We flew them out to Colorado to backpacked the Continental Divide. Right, together and showing up at their European classic, which is, you know, you get about 200 people from from all over the world. To attend this, this event. And they were the only teenagers there. And for them to feel like they belong, that they could conquer not only the Mount, the mountains, but they were there with a whole lot of people who don't look like them.
00;37;48;24 - 00;38;11;06
Unknown
Right. And to be able to for them to be comfortable and build community in that space, have that sense of belonging, like, yeah, this is not only not no longer foreign to me, this is no longer scary to me. This is something that, I can I can do it. I can be proficient at and I can, you know, show up and show out.
00;38;11;06 - 00;38;29;04
Unknown
Right. It's such a huge transformation that, I always have an appreciation for that. You now live in Seattle? He moved there a couple of months ago. He wanted to move to Colorado. He spent last summer working at the largest summer camp in, Colorado summer, and went through camps. And, he was a junior facilitator there.
00;38;29;06 - 00;38;50;26
Unknown
So to have that kid from Far Rockaway, Queens, never left the state of New York until we took him out camping to new Jersey. And then to then get on a plane for the first time and come to Colorado. And being in the Rocky Mountains, it opened up the world for him. And I hope that we can continue to do the same for others.
00;38;51;02 - 00;39;10;05
Unknown
That's awesome. We have about four minutes left, and I feel like this. You look like you ready to share something? So I'm going to go ahead. And I just wanted for you to finish up my last thought on the storytelling. So there was a slide that I came up. I want you to understand the domino effect of storytelling, how he affects us all in this room.
00;39;10;05 - 00;39;31;04
Unknown
So I took a little bit of a sliver of life in the United States. I picked the Adirondacks, my favorite place in the universe, you guys. And it's the largest rail system in the United States. So we'll see how the story goes. Rhyme Harriet Tubman. When if you think about the incredible work that she has done, it crosses through the Adirondacks.
00;39;31;11 - 00;39;53;18
Unknown
And then we have a famous abolitionist who enabled that work. His home is still there. And it's a beautiful place for you to, to visit. Then you have the Mohican tribes. I'm, my my grandma was indigenous. And you can sense the history. All those trails have, all those people. Stories we've woven together still preserve there for you to experience.
00;39;53;21 - 00;40;12;23
Unknown
The the Mohican tribes, they were pushed up north, but they still around in the Adirondacks. They, some of the descendants were able to reclaim some of the land. And then we can have grace. Oh my God, grace is my muse. Is grace with the. She is the first woman to climb all the mountains of the Adirondacks. The 46.
00;40;12;29 - 00;40;33;08
Unknown
She was the first president of the 46 club when I heard about this was six. The club was. Then I hiked my first high peak. It was a trio because I got lost and the women that could, guide me, they could only help me if I agreed to climb three at once. I'm like, okay. And I, of course have the the third, just like me.
00;40;33;08 - 00;40;50;13
Unknown
I was crying, crying so bad. And it wasn't the body that was weak. My mind was weak that when I. What I'm sharing with God is what I experienced myself. This feeling that I cannot do this. At the end of the hike, the women looked at me and said, oh, you did three. You only have 43 left. Am I 43?
00;40;50;13 - 00;41;14;16
Unknown
What? So I googled at home 46 Adirondacks and I found Grace, this woman that I never met. She died six years before I started my journey and 93 years old. If I'm not mistaken, she hiked until her 80s. She is my guiding light. There's a mountain named after her. I remember crying when I reached her mountain and thanking her for her spirit to give me strength.
00;41;14;16 - 00;41;32;03
Unknown
I tapped into her every time I felt like I couldn't do it. This is. This is us. Our stories are woven together, and that's how we all need to reclaim the nature together. Because we all come from nature and we have a way that connects, is there. And that's why the work that we do and you showing up is all connected.
00;41;32;03 - 00;41;58;18
Unknown
I'm so grateful to that. And that leads to the last slide, which is why are we here today? Like, we launching Girls unleash it's girl girls. The. Oh sorry girl. No us girl unleashed.org and Gabby's like yes, yes, yes, I built a website I put a life this morning. Is a community of, female leaders that came together to create the first free summer camp.
00;41;58;20 - 00;42;20;07
Unknown
Our goal is to spread across the United States. We're not sure yet if we're going to do, like our brothers from camp, like, has done different programs in different states. Or we are going to do an app, a web based app, and do partnerships with tech, organizations to enable schools to give outdoor, outdoor access to all doors across United States through the schools.
00;42;20;10 - 00;42;38;27
Unknown
Those are both of our QR codes. And I cannot state guys, we are taking like $5 donations $20 a day. So whatever it is, we are building the dream. We got this fantastic land. The Millennial brothers, came to connect, was able to offer to the girls this summer and stay tuned if you, stay connected with us.
00;42;38;27 - 00;42;53;19
Unknown
And if you go on the connect and and sign up, we'll let you know how are we growing? And you're going to see how we are building this together. And today is the first days. They want you part of our history now. So thank you.
00;42;53;21 - 00;43;21;22
Unknown
All right. So here we are after after the recording. Ronda any any closing thoughts? One of the things that's been running through my mind since I left South by Southwest is, I think, what Liz, who really organized us to have this panel discussion there, she was she was a true champion for this. She was motivated by the opportunity to open up the aperture of dialog at that convening.
00;43;21;25 - 00;43;45;17
Unknown
And we've got thousands of people literally from all over the world who descend on to this space. And I want to encourage folks to be thinking about where this conversation isn't happening and make space for it. So my hope is that the organizers for South by Southwest, in the years to come, continue to think about how to open their own aperture.
00;43;45;17 - 00;44;12;14
Unknown
And I know that that's what has happened. Like it started out as a music event and then it included, you know, technology and then it's food and it's fashion. And so it is, you know, becoming so big. And I think that, that shouldn't preclude us from having these meaningful conversations about connectivity and inclusion and opportunities for folks to elevate the need for belonging and all of these spheres that we exist within.
00;44;12;16 - 00;44;33;07
Unknown
Totally. And one thing that really came through for me was just, the transformative power of nature that was like mentioned many times, you know, by our panelists. That was a really strong through line. You know, I'm glad that you said that, because this came up in a conversation I was having earlier today. And it's because I really do value and appreciate trust for public land.
00;44;33;12 - 00;44;59;10
Unknown
And one of the things that I was articulating is our mission is in our usable connection to the outdoors. In connection to nature is not a political discussion. It is truly a value for all people. There are so few people that I'm at least familiar of, familiar with, who don't want to get outside and breathe clean air and feel the sun on their skin and the snow and, you know, all of the things.
00;44;59;10 - 00;45;17;08
Unknown
Yeah, it feels really important to me. And it just came through for me. And watching the film and having that experience as well, it's it's a daily reminder, honestly. I want everybody to feel the joys of nature and all the benefits every day. Well, I think that's a good place to leave it do. And, you want to give us our outro?
00;45;17;08 - 00;45;52;14
Unknown
Nature Big Ideas is produced by trust for Public Land in partnership with Pretty Good Productions. Our executive producer is Thomas Clayton Miller. Our senior producer is Vanessa Martin, and our associate producer is Alysa Morley. If you liked the show, please give us a rating on iTunes and maybe mention us to a friend or two. Thanks for listening and we'll see you next time.