%20(1).png)
Activated Earth is thrilled to announce that we were chosen as a recipient of a grant from
MADE X MTNS established a $125,000 Outdoor Equity Fund to empower community-led initiatives that address identified barriers to outdoor recreation access and opportunity, and help close these gaps in Western North Carolina.
This Fund provides micro-grants to non-profits, for-profits, community groups and sole proprietors located in Western North Carolina focused on advancing equity and inclusion in outdoor recreation access and opportunity in the outdoor economy.
It's an honor to be chosen as a grantee and we are in awe of the amazing group of grantees and the projects that were proposed and can't wait to see their wonderful work come to life with the help of these generous funds.
We know that for us, a culturally conscious, equity centered lens in teaching and facilitation will allow us to best serve every participant in a way that elevates mutual compassion, curiosity, appreciation, and reciprocity as well as empowers individuals and acknowledges their personal and professional identity.
Our hope is that with the support of this grant we can inspire and empower people of different races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, genders, sexual orientations or any other societal labels to remember their innate and mutually restorative relationship with Nature and that we can serve our vibrant and diverse communities uniquely.
What Do We Mean by Equity?
By equity we mean that one’s race, ethnicity, religion, ability, gender, sexual orientation or any other societal label does not define one’s privilege or oppression. An equity centered lens compels us to understand better who benefits from green spaces and environmental education and who is marginalized from these benefits. By fostering a sense of ownership in forest resources we seek to heal generational trauma that keeps people of color from visiting the natural world.
Why is Equity Important to Us?
We acknowledge that institutionalized legislation, in many cases, segregated people of color away from public lands, like national parks and forests, as well as environmental and conservations fields or deliberately banned them from accessing these spaces altogether. We pledge to be an ally in decolonizing the environmental sectors by combating stereotypes of environmentalists and creating enthusiasm for working and recreating in traditionally noninclusive spaces.
Our Guiding Principles help us to align our core values with our vision and strategic intent and therefore determine how we expect to behave as we execute our strategies.
Guiding Principles
To facilitate, support and strengthen relationship development between human and nature intelligence by hosting earth-honoring guided forest experiences and nature-based workshops.
To spark curiosity and provide experiences in nature that serve to renew our spirit and our mystical connection to nature.
To empower people of different races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, genders, and sexual orientations to remember their innate and mutually restorative relationship with Nature and to serve our vibrant and diverse communities uniquely.
To be an ally in decolonizing the environmental sectors by providing trauma-informed, equity-centered experiential learning and reconnecting opportunities in nature.
To empower BIPOC by fostering a sense of ownership in forest resources, thereby creating a more sustainable existence for the forest as well as an better quality of life for all.
To uphold key concepts of best practices in environmental education.
