I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Emily Teitsworth and Brice Lovell of GirlVentures, a unique and inspiring nonprofit that aims to help adolescent girls find their inner strength and leadership abilities through outdoor adventures. As the only San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit of its kind, GirlVentures offers courses in the Northern California wilderness including backpacking, hiking, kayaking and rock climbing. Through these leadership progression courses, the girls in the program learn new life skills from their experienced educators and compassionate mentors and become empowered to reach their full potential throughout the process.
GirlVentures’ mission is: “exploring self, community, culture, health, and environment.” Their unique curriculum “nurtures self-esteem and resilience, as girls develop into empowered, confident young women who are conservationists and compassionate allies to each other. The experiences that these girls share enable them to feel supported, find strength from one another and within themselves, gaining the skills needed to face the challenges of adolescence and making a difference in them that lasts a lifetime.”
By participating in these programs, the girls gain strength from their time in the outdoors to become fearless leaders, as they build their confidence, self-reliance and athletic abilities. They learn to live healthy, relate to others, appreciate our environment and gain the courage and self-worth to become a confident leader.
How do you believe outdoor activities can be used as a catalyst for developing confidence, strength, self-reliance and leadership skills?
As the only Bay Area nonprofit of its kind, GirlVentures summer expeditions give girls the opportunity to connect with nature in the Northern California wilderness. Girl participants backpack, camp, kayak, and rock climb in places like Point Reyes National Seashore, the High Sierra, and John Muir Wilderness. By uniquely combining outdoor activities with rich curriculum themes that include trust, identity, leadership, and social justice, GirlVentures inspires girls to reach their full potential and to become leaders in their families and communities.
In 2014, the Great Outdoors Lab found that immersion in nature improves stress levels, increases feelings of curiosity and life purpose, and encourages eco-conscious behavior. Outdoor time in summer programs can significantly boost academic outcomes, particularly among children growing up in low income families. Learning in nature is associated with lower dropout rates, improved performance on college entrance exams, and, as it is interdisciplinary, helps students become better real-world problem solvers.
Teens that spend time away from screen devices and instead focus on in-person interactions are more capable of understanding nonverbal cues, therefore developing better social skills and forming more positive peer relationships. Activities in the natural environment also have been shown to reduce negative emotions such as anger, sadness, and fatigue, making access and participation in our programs even more important for the girls we serve.
GirlVentures’ highly trained Instructors create supportive atmospheres for girls with different needs and learning styles, while participants set group and personal expectations, create community agreements, and learn conflict resolution techniques. The experiences that these girls share enable them to feel supported and find strength from one another, within themselves, and nature.
Our summer expeditions and school-year programs give girls the opportunity to form bonds with compassionate mentors and experience the wilderness, often for the first time. Organically incorporated into each course are developmentally appropriate social-emotional activities exploring self, environment, identity, culture, social justice, and healthy living.
Introducing girls to the wilderness is also helping to build the next generation of environmental stewards and conservationists. As George Monbiot has said, “if children lose contact with nature, they won’t fight for it.” Through our Girls Advisory Board and other leadership activities for alumnae of our outdoor programs, GirlVentures is also empowering girls to bring about positive changes in their families and the broader Bay Area community, and encouraging them to speak out as environmentalists and social justice advocates.
What are some of the benefits of an all-girl program?
Research indicates girls’ self-esteem peaks at the age of 9, while boys’ self esteem remains the same throughout childhood. Programs specifically for girls are essential to creating an emotionally safe space to combat the erosion of confidence that occurs in their teen years. Leading girls-only small group programs that discuss sensitive topics and gender- related issues are especially important for participants to feel secure and not judged, and to help them express their authentic thoughts and feelings.
Focusing on adolescent girls is especially important considering they are more likely than boys to experience depression, negative body image issues, and timidity. Girls also often face barriers to outdoor activities: a lack of access to safe environments, transportation, and the economic means to participate in fee-based programs. Outdoor Foundation’s 2014 Special Report on Youth found that males participate in outdoor recreation at a higher rate than females.
GirlVentures prides itself in serving a diverse group of girls, from a wide range of ethnic, racial and economic backgrounds. What are the benefits of celebrating diversity in youth outdoor adventures, and how do you think it will help foster positive relationships?
Simply put, building a diverse group of participants is central to the mission and values of GirlVentures. Our target population is adolescent girls needing the opportunity to take healthy physical and emotional risks, voice their opinions, work through conflict, and realize their full potential. Without these opportunities, studies show, girls suffer a loss in self-esteem, which can lead to depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, high-risk behaviors, and academic failure.
Historically, outdoor education has deliberately and structurally excluded non-white girls from less affluent families. Non-white youth continue to be underrepresented in outdoor recreation, with 79% of outdoor youth participants being white-identified. To combat the barriers that many girls face in accessing the outdoors, we deliberately recruit participants from diverse cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. The intentional mix of girls in each of our courses is a unique attribute of GirlVentures, providing a rare opportunity for all girls to embrace what makes each of them unique, while building a community that celebrates diversity and mutual understanding.
Over the past twenty years, we have seen from post-course surveys that our programs are effectively promoting inclusiveness and understanding between girls. After going on course with GirlVentures, 91% are more likely to be an ally to another person; 89% are more willing to be supportive of others; and 87% have greater pride in their cultural identity.
Two-thirds of GirlVentures program participants come from low- to middle-income families and receive need-based, sliding-scale financial aid, ensuring a diverse socio-economic group of girls who can learn from each other as much as they are learning from our instructors. Many participants have never been hiking or camping and for some, it is their first time outside urban life. By working with schools and community groups, we reach families who may not otherwise have access to outdoor programs.
By working with participants from all backgrounds, including those disproportionately affected by the institutional systems of oppression, our programs empower girls as they connect with nature and each other. Our innovative curriculum inspires awareness of the dynamics of power and oppression in our society, and sparks questions in participants as to how these have historically impacted girls, and how they can be agents for positive change in their families, schools, and communities.
What are some of the programs and activities you offer, and what is it about these activities that foster positive growth?
Our programs follow a Leadership Progression Model so that girls build on their skills as they progress through each grade and our challenging courses. Through this Model, we annually deliver 12,000 program hours ranging from 30 to more than 300 hours per participant.
Throughout the summer we provide six expeditions that include a curriculum that integrates leadership, creativity, social justice and the environment while backpacking, camping, kayaking, orienteering, and rock climbing. On course, girls discuss identity, respect, and social equity, allowing them to recognize their inner value and build relationships across boundaries that might otherwise divide them.
Developing these skills over one- to two-weeks enables girls to break down barriers as to what they believed they could accomplish, as they gain access to nontraditional, historically male-dominated activities. They then learn how to apply these character-building experiences into their broader lives and become dedicated environmental stewards.
These programs provide a catalyst for positive, long-lasting personal change: about 40% of girls return each year, and more than 90% report that GirlVentures’ courses enable them to lead healthier lives and become resilient, connect with others and the environment, and build their confidence. By holistically supporting girls during a developmentally critical time in their lives, GirlVentures empowers them to become allies and leaders, positively impacting and strengthening our communities.
What are some of the most inspiring stories that have come out of the GirlVentures trips and community?
Hearing feedback from girls who have gone on course with GirlVentures is always inspiring to us:
“Now I know that I can use my positivity to be a successful leader who can encourage others. On a really hard five-mile hike, I helped boost everyone’s morale by singing funny camp songs despite that fact that we were climbing steep inclines. And it worked! This was something I had learned during Project Courage, but Transitions reinforced it.”
– Lena, GirlVentures participant 2014 – 2017
“I learned I can do anything regardless of my gender, age or race. I also learned that there are times where I need to take care of myself, times that I need to work with others, and times I can have a better attitude.”
– Sara, GirlVentures participant 2015 – 2017
“I’ve been reflecting a lot as a graduate from high school tomorrow, that GirlVentures has and will always be a huge part of who I am. In all honesty, I don’t know where I would be without them. Their courses allowed me to find myself, taught me how to be confident and that I could face any adversity with my chin up, because I knew things would get better. GirlVentures gave me a family I knew I could always turn to and impacted me in ways I would have never imagined. It turned a shy and sad person into a happy, confident, young woman. GirlVentures gave me hope.”
– Cynthia, GirlVentures participant 2011 – 2016
“I truly believe that GirlVentures is the reason I ended up where I am today. It spurred my strong commitment to the outdoors, my active lifestyle, and my love for nature. Over the years, I have worked as an outdoor teacher, camp counselor, and bike trip leader. I have traveled all over the world seeing the outdoors from as many perspectives and in as many places as possible. I’m currently pursuing a career in environmental law, due to my strong interest and value in the environment. I am truly thankful for the opportunity that I had as an awkward middle-schooler to be challenged, to laugh, to sing, and to experience the outdoors in the best way possible with such a passionate group of people!”
– Elena, participant 2002 – 2007, Ambassadors Circle 2016 – current
How can people interested in GirlVentures engage with your work?
GirlVentures is always looking for skilled volunteers to support our organization and programs, and reaching out via our website, www.girlventures.org, is the easiest first step. The best way for supporters outside the San Francisco Bay Area to get involved is to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and sign up for our e-newsletter via our website homepage to stay up-to-date. Once a month, we share news from our courses and showcase ways to get involved and spread the word about GirlVentures’ unique approach to girls’ empowerment. Like all nonprofits, GirlVentures relies on our supporters to make our programs possible. You can contribute from anywhere in the world at www.girlventures.org/donate.
GirlVentures also works with local volunteer adult mentors to support our Girls Advisory Board participants. This is a great way for committed women leaders who live in the San Francisco area to engage more deeply with GirlVentures and to empower girls who have graduated from our courses to explore academic, professional, and community leadership opportunities.
What are your future goals for GirlVentures?
We are currently looking out how to sustainably scale our model to reach more girls in Northern California and beyond, and expanding our programs to include Spring Break trips and more opportunities for girls to get outside during the school year. There are other great organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area serving youth and facilitating outdoor education opportunities, and we’ll also be exploring how to more effectively partner with them to amplify our collective impact and build a future where all girls can be confident leaders and effective advocates for the environment.
Thank you to Emily Teitsworth and Brice Lovell of GirlVentures. I am so happy that we crossed paths, and thankful that you shared your mission and information about GirlVentures with us. We are advocated for growth by the great outdoors, and believe that a positive and prosperous community starts with growth, leadership and appreciation for our environment and each other.
For more information about GirlVentures, please visit www.girlventures.org, visit them on Facebook at /GirlVentures and follow them on Instagram at @girlventures.
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