A project I’m pretty proud to have been a part of; in an industry traditionally divided, we were able to bring together over 60 outdoor organizations nationally across Vancouver, Halifax and Toronto to discuss building program resiliency as it relates to climate change. The event itself wasn’t centred around developing solutions for climate change (because climate change is here and we can’t do much about it); rather, it was an attempt to figure out how to make outdoor programs more financially and logistically adaptable for all in the face of climate change.

Coming away from the event, it was evident that the real truth that we uncovered wasn’t localized to how we as an industry can learn to be more resilient and adaptable to climate change, but how the industry as a whole is hungry for community, connection and capacity building. It turns out that all organizations in the outdoor sector are dealing with the same problems, and they each felt powerless and alone when trying to solve these issues by themselves. However, collectively, all organizations felt more empowered to develop lasting collective change, and I’m personally stoked to see what comes next!

Sounds a lot like a metaphor for life, doesn’t it? Don’t just seek change—be the change.