Colour The Trails: Accessibility & Inclusivity In The Great Outdoors
The second installment of Colourful Conversations brought us Judith Kasiama, founder of Colour the Trails, in conversation with Woman of WORTH Tolu Aladejebi, and left all of us wanting to get outdoors immediately!
Judith grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she found her love for being in nature, before immigrating to North America. Upon moving to Vancouver, Judith got into the outdoor space through trail running while training for a marathon. She launched Colour the Trails three years ago, previously under the name Black People Hike Vancouver, to connect the black community in Vancouver and make the outdoors more accessible and less intimidating for them.
Since then, Colour the Trails has evolved into a business partnering with organizations like Arc’Teryx, Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, and Canadian Geographic (among many others) to increase BIPOC representation in the Canadian outdoors industry and to launch more initiatives aimed at increasing BIPOC access to the outdoors.
One of the biggest barriers to being able to create these safe spaces has been getting white people to acknowledge there are existing barriers to accessing a “free” natural resource for the BIPOC community. Judith has only seen a shift in this attitude towards acknowledging the barriers over the past year. She hopes that Colour the Trails will create the opportunity for BIPOC people to engage with and support each other in these historically whitewashed spaces and encourage white people within these spaces to proactively look for ways to bring BIPOC people into them.
Up until 2020 Colour the Trails was run entirely out-of-pocket for branding, events, marketing etc. As the Black Lives Matter movement this year pushed individuals and corporations to take a hard stance on social justice, Judith has experienced more companies reaching out to offer financial support. However, with this increase in support comes an increase in performative allyship. She has had to set very clear boundaries for herself when selecting which organizations to partner with, ensuring they want to help amplify her message and efforts, rather than just using her image to meet their “quota” for BIPOC representation.
With COVID-19 making the outdoors an increasingly attractive option for socializing, Colour the Trails led recent events to help BIPOC people become comfortable with outdoor activities like mountain biking, kayaking, climbing, canyoning, hiking, and even skateboarding!
The overall goal for Colour the Trails? Normalize BIPOC people in outdoor spaces and activities.
Building this more inclusive and representative community of outdoors lovers will happen through creating safer spaces for BIPOC people to enjoy outdoor activities in, BIPOC representation in media, engaging new immigrants in outdoor experiences, and educating BIPOC people on the job opportunities in the outdoor recreation and tourism industry.
How Can You As A BIPOC Person Get Involved In Colour The Trails?
Be open to new experiences, sign up for the events and show up with a curious mind and positive attitude.
Follow Colour the Trails on Instagram (@colourthetrails) and keep your eyes peeled for 2021 programming and the brand-new website.
Become a member and unlock lots of discounts with brand partners!
How Can You As A White Person Support Colour The Trails?
Follow Colour the Trails on Instagram (@colourthetrails) and share the content!
Do you work for a company in the outdoor recreation/tourism industry? Find ways to amplify BIPOC voices in your industry and create more content/events aimed at making your spaces more inclusive and safe for BIPOC communities.
Push your employers to proactively source and reach out to BIPOC talent.