How would you describe your organization’s mission?
The Venture Out Project envisions a world where queer, trans, and LGBTQ+ youth and adults create community, develop leadership skills, and gain confidence through the shared experience of outdoor adventure and physical activity. We also conduct transgender inclusion workshops for educators, adventure professionals, summer camps and more!
Tell us about how that mission is brought to life through your work?
Wilderness adventure doesn't have to be scary, but for many people whose identity is made political by an ever-changing social environment, it tends to feel that way. Through a variety of overnight and day adventures that include anything from beginner backpacking to LGBTQ+ family camps, carpentry workshops, and more, The Venture Out Project (TVOP) embodies that practice that education and meaningful community building leads to an empowered collective that is more capable of instilling long-lasting change in their lives, and in the lives of others.
What would happen if your organization suddenly did not exist?
TVOP is not the only LGBTQ+ outdoorsy nonprofit, but we are one of few, and if organizations like ours did not exist, well -- we'd see a lot of what we've been seeing for the last century when it comes to outdoor representation. Mostly, that would look like straight, cisgender white men on the summit of Mount Everest. That's something very few people see and think "Oh, I can do that!", because our population is so much more diverse. Our mission is to diversify the outdoors, and that's achieved, first and foremost, by showing the world that queer and trans individuals have both the interest AND the ability to adventure safely and comfortably outside.
Liz Achanta
