Featured Outdoor Diversity Organization: Soul Trak Outdoors
During the month of September, The National Parks Experience, along with several other outdoor industry and national park-related content creators, are featuring Soul Trak Outdoors, an organization whose vital work is helping to diversify our public lands.
Our goal this month is to showcase Soul Trak and encourage our readers to familiarize themselves with the organization and the work they’re doing. Consider supporting this month’s organization by donating to their cause or sharing their content and work on social media.
About Soul Trak Outdoors
Soul Trak Outdoors is a non-profit organization based out of D.C. with the mission of connecting communities of color to outdoor spaces.
By connecting people of color to each other in outdoor spaces, engaging those minority groups to represent themselves in the outdoors as a reflection the broader American population, and facilitating educational opportunities to enhance knowledge and interest in public lands, Soul Trak aims to bridge the gap between minorities and the outdoors.
Programs
Youth programs engage participants in activities ranging from hiking and camping to climbing and paddling. These workshops that focus on education in leadership, social justice, community building, portfolio building, environmental science and outdoor technical skills.
The College program works with students from Howard University, a historically Black university located in D.C. Students have the opportunity to become ambassadors of Soul Trak, learning community and event management skills, while connecting students from their campus to outdoor spaces and recreation.
Adult programs focus on community engagement and are designed for all experience levels. Monthly group outings range from hiking to paddling and climbing. Additionally, participants also have the opportunity to volunteer as leaders for youth programs and workshops, serving to represent their communities in outdoor spaces.
Founder
Soul Trak founder Tyrhee Moore is a mountaineer and advocate for outdoor diversity and representation. He’s summited several major peaks and was a member of the first African-American team to climb Denali, the highest mountain in North America.
His advocacy has taken him all around the U.S. to speak on diversity and inclusion within the outdoors.
In 2018, Soul Trak Outdoors was founded as a non-profit organization to connect people of color to outdoor spaces.
“Tyrhee is committed to increasing outdoor access and opportunities for underrepresented communities to stimulate new learning, growth, and appreciation for our planet.”
Support and Donate
Please consider supporting this organization directly. Donations can be made in the following ways:
1. Donate
Donations help keep costs low for participants in varying Soul Trak programs. Funding also supports the costs that go into training and supporting Soul Trak College Ambassadors and the work with minority families and relieving them of the financial sacrifices outdoor recreation may cost.
All donations are tax deductible and can be made as a one-time or recurring donation. We encourage recurring donations to be made as they’re a reliable source of support for Soul Trak’s mission.
2. Gift Registry at REI
Outdoor gear can be purchased via Soul Trak’s REI Wish List to provide the necessities for outdoor activities for program participants.
3. Merchandise
100% of proceeds from merchandise sales go directly to supporting Soul Trak programming.
Follow Soul Trak Online
Website: https://soultrak.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soultrakoutdoors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulTrakOutdoors
You Can Help Bridge the Race Gap in the Outdoor Industry
An overview of organizations we have supported can be found here. This document contains information about what these organizations are doing and how you can donate to them directly.
We’ve also set up a submission form you can use if you know an organization that’s working to make the outdoors more diverse and inclusive. If you want to see them supported, please submit via this form.
We encourage anyone in the outdoor space who wants to become more involved to join us!