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"Risk is a cornerstone of most adventure programs."
(Mitten & Whittingham, 2009)
Kira McGieson & Elyse Rylander
Scenario #1
Your role: Development Director and Education Director
Your organization applied for and received a $5,000 grant to partner with a community group to provide a 7 session program that includes basics in rock climbing, sea kayaking, wilderness first aid and wilderness navigation. These sessions include overnight camping trips through the region.
The group your organization partners with is a QSA (queer straight alliance) from a local high school. After meeting with the QSA leaders regarding the sessions, you realize that many of your organization's policies and procedures will create barriers for the QSA participants. For example, your organizational intake forms provide only the option of choosing "Male" or "Female" for a participant's gender. You also separate out all tent groupings by gender.
How would your organization respond?
How do you respond in your position as the Development or Education Director?
Hi, My name is ____ and I'm calling from _____ in regards to your intake form and our tent groupings. I noticed you marked ______ on your admission application and I wanted to let you know that we will make sure your sleeping arrangements on this trip affirm your gender.
We were planning to:
1) Have all tent groups be mixed gender.
2) Put you in a tent group with the boys/girls.
3) Offer you your own one-person tent.
Does this work for you? Is there anything else we can do to make sure you feel safe and respected?
Please go around and share your name and the pronouns you use. For example, my name is _____ (your name) and I use _____ pronouns (your pronouns).
If this is something that's you've never done before, that's okay. Here at ______(your organization), part of our mission is to value diversity and inclusion and we do that by asking pronouns so that everyone's gender can be respected.
Hi, My name is ____ and I'm calling from _____ in regards to your intake form. I noticed you marked ______ on your admission application and I wanted to check in with you to see if there's anything we can do to make sure you feel safe and affirmed while you're with us.
Scenario #2
Your role: Program Director
You work at an organization offering wilderness trips to youth and a one week canoeing course for 12 and 13 year old girls just ended. You are aware that one of the participants was a trans girl and you want to connect with the instructors regarding their perspective of how the trip went for the participant. Your instructors report back that they felt the participant had a great time and fit in well with the group. The next day you receive a phone call from an angry parent of another trip participant. The parent states, "I signed my daughter up for an all-girls trip and I just found out there was a biological boy on her trip!" They are incensed that they were not made aware of this fact prior. Consequently, they would like a refund.
How do you respond?
What emotional risks need to be managed?
Green = Go
Yellow = Caution
Red = STOP and Fix
Scenario #3
Your role: Field Staff
You are leading a one week backpacking course with a local community organization whose mission is to empower young girls ages 11 through 14.
On day three of the trip your group sets up a base camp at an alpine lake. Some of your group are playing tag near the lake. You notice that suddenly one of the girls stops participating in the tag game, and is sitting away from the group near a tree. When you check in with the participant, she is in visible pain that she states is originating from her groin.
How do you respond?
"What better place to be as queer as you
can possibly be than the most
unapologetic environment there is: nature."
- OTA Trip Participant