Stories for Change Working Group

Too often, narratives and images of youth spending time outside in Maine are limited to those who are white and economically privileged, which creates a single story of who is supposed to engage in the outdoors. Not only does Maine have vast indigenous populations who have been in relationship with this land for generations upon generations, but it is an increasingly diverse state with strong immigrant populations and abundant communities of people of color who call Maine home, all of whom have the basic human right to the outdoors.

The Stories for Change working group is focused on strategic and equitable storytelling: sharing stories of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) who have deep and multifaceted relationships with the outdoors. Through an intentional, trust-rooted, storyteller-led process, the group will share nature-based narratives of BIPOC individuals as well as LGBTQ+ people, youth, and others with marginalized identities. Through telling stories, the working group aims to transform mainstream conceptions of outdoor experiences, and to bring attention to the imperative of centering equity and recognizing historical and present-day oppression in society and outdoor education policy in Maine and beyond.

Do you want to collaboratively create new processes of storytelling rooted in equity?

Are you someone who cares about both process and outcome?

Do you have experience in storytelling of any sort (visual, written, spoken, strategic)?

The group is continuing to develop its goals, protocols, and approach in order to develop a fully collaborative storytelling process that works towards both transformative growth and systemic change in the state.

Current Stories for Change working group participants:

For inquiries about the Stories for Change Working Group, contact co-chairs Amara Ifeji and Tamara Lee Pinard.

For general inquiries, contact network manager Nathan Broaddus.